Woman allegedly locked 11-year-old son in closets for three years before he died

Story here. Excerpt:

'The last time anyone saw Yonatan Daniel Aguilar in public was in the spring of 2012.

Teachers at his elementary school in Los Angeles were worried about him. One said Yonatan appeared to be hoarding food. Another said he came to school with a black eye. They filed their concerns with county social workers, who in turn alerted police, according to the Los Angeles Times. After interviewing people close to him, authorities found no cause for alarm — school officials told social workers he lived in a safe household.

Not long after, Yonatan vanished.

He did not return to class, nor to his after school program. Although his family had been the subject of a half-dozen reports by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, social workers had no legal ability to inquire about him, the Times reported.

Yonatan’s stepfather, Jose Pinzon, believed the boy was living in Mexico. The boy’s mother, Veronica Aguilar, allegedly told him so, and said the same to other people who wanted to know his whereabouts.

That was the story until August 2016, when Aguilar came to Pinzon with tragic news: Yonatan had died. Pinzon, who said he had not seen the boy in several years, figured she would be going to Mexico for the funeral.

Instead, she opened the closet door.

Inside was the 11-year-old’s body, wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by medicinal cups. His hair was falling out, his nose was plugged with foam, and pressure sores covered his tiny frame. He weighed just 34 pounds.'