A New Orleans judge on Monday refused to lift a protective order that is keeping jailed mother Hilda Vasquez from speaking with her three surviving children while she awaits trial in the death of her 12-year-old son, Bryan. The court kept the no-contact order in place, and Vasquez cried when the ruling was announced. Her next scheduled hearing is March 10, 2026, according to WDSU.
Judge cites child-welfare records in decision
Prosecutors told the court they had prior Department of Children and Family Services records and a 2022 finding for lack of supervision involving the family. They argued those reports, along with a newborn testing positive for cocaine at birth, supported keeping the contact ban in place. The state also pointed to a school report that noted bruising on an older child and inconsistent explanations for how those injuries occurred. As reported by WDSU, Judge Tracy Fleming-Davillier sided with prosecutors and denied Vasquez’s request.
How Bryan’s death factored into the case
Bryan was reported missing in August 2025 and was later found in a New Orleans East lagoon. The Orleans Parish coroner ruled his death a drowning with blunt-force trauma consistent with an alligator attack. The discovery and the coroner’s ruling prompted an investigation that led to Hilda Vasquez’s arrest last year. The timeline of the search and the coroner’s findings were documented by the Associated Press, which also noted scrutiny over the police response to the original missing-person report.
Records show earlier abuse and supervision concerns
Court documents and local reporting show Vasquez was previously convicted in 2013 after her infant son suffered severe injuries that officials deemed non-accidental, and that DCFS reopened a supervision investigation in 2022. Prosecutors used those records to argue there was a pattern of neglect and risk to the other children. These earlier court records and case details are summarized by local reporting at WAFB.
Defense: recorded jail calls remove tampering risk
Vasquez’s attorneys countered that she is being held without bond and that all jail calls are recorded, saying there is no realistic way she could improperly influence witnesses and that she simply wanted to hear her children’s voices. Prosecutors responded that protective orders exist to prevent potential harm or undue influence, not to serve as punishment, and urged the judge to keep the restrictions in place. Courtroom reporting noted Vasquez’s emotional reaction as the judge announced the denial, according to WDSU.
What comes next
Vasquez remains in custody and is formally facing counts that include negligent homicide and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile as the criminal case moves forward. Her next appearance in court is set for March 10. The case has renewed local attention on how child-welfare and law-enforcement agencies handled prior reports, an angle covered in earlier reporting, including September coverage of the initial arrest. For more background on the arrest and charges, see earlier reporting on the lagoon death charges.
