A 26-year-old Las Cruces mother was arrested Tuesday and charged with child abuse after her 6-year-old daughter told investigators she was choked so hard she believed she had died. Angela Gomez Luera now faces the charge following an investigation that began earlier this month, when the girl's father brought her to a hospital with visible injuries.
Father's Hospital Report Sparks Investigation
According to CBS4, the investigation stems from an encounter on Oct. 11, when a Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office deputy met the child's father at a hospital in Las Cruces. The father, who shares custody of the child with Gomez Luera, reported that she had placed the girl in a chokehold while caring for her, and said he noticed injuries on his daughter's face when he picked her up.
At the emergency room, the deputy observed redness around the child's neck and eyes, the outlet's report notes. The child reportedly told her father that Gomez Luera had choked her, an account she later repeated to investigators in more detail.
New Mexico’s child-protection system operates alongside criminal investigations: state law requires anyone who knows or reasonably suspects child abuse or neglect to report it immediately to the state, law enforcement or the appropriate tribal authority. Doctors and law enforcement officers are among the professionals specifically named as mandated reporters. The Children, Youth and Families Department’s Protective Services Division receives reports around the clock and investigates allegations of maltreatment.
Child Describes Being Told to Keep It Secret
The girl said she was crying when Gomez Luera choked her, and that the choking did not stop until she screamed, per the same account. She said she believed Gomez Luera thought she had died during the incident, and that Gomez Luera instructed her to keep what happened a secret.
The report also states that Gomez Luera promised the child a “squishy” toy. Doña Ana County jail records show Gomez Luera's arrest and the child abuse charge against her, though the evidence available does not detail a court hearing date, bond amount, or any statement from Gomez Luera or her attorney.
The case comes amid a broader statewide child-welfare challenge. New Mexico recorded 12.6 child-maltreatment victims per 1,000 children in 2023, compared with 7.4 nationally, data presented by the Legislative Finance Committee show. The statewide measure covers maltreatment broadly; it is not a count of choking allegations or a statistic specific to Doña Ana County. The committee also reported that repeat maltreatment within 12 months was 14% in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, down from 15% in fiscal 2024.
The case remains under investigation in Las Cruces, and further details about the proceedings had not been made public as of Tuesday.
