BLACKHAWK — The deaths of a mother and daughter who drowned in the father’s backyard pool on the day the girl met him for the first time remain shrouded in mystery. But a newly released autopsy seems likely to reinforce suspicions that foul play may have been involved.
Dr. Ikechi Ogan, a forensic pathologist, ruled that he could not determine whether 31-year-old Llaneth Chavez and her 4-year-old daughter, Malaya, died of an accident or homicide in the Feb. 12 incident. But Ogan said Chavez had suffered multiple blunt force injuries on her back, hip and chest, while Malaya had a faint, half-inch by half-inch scrape.
The pair died shortly after Chavez drove Malaya from their home in Hollister to East Ridge Court in Blackhawk so the girl could finally meet the father who had kept her a secret from his family.
In his report, Ogan was clear on the cause of death — drowning — but said he could not determine the manner of death, an outcome that is relatively rare. Ogan ruled out two of his possible four choices — suicide and natural causes — but could not eliminate either accidental or homicide.
Toxicology screening found no drugs nor alcohol in Chavez or Malaya’s system. Ogan also said he found no injuries to Chavez’ head or evidence of strangulation.
Authorities have been investigating Chavez and Malaya’s deaths for potential criminal wrongdoing since the day their bodies were discovered. But proving a case beyond a reasonable doubt, without eyewitnesses or a clear accounting of their deaths, might prove tricky.
In an interview, Neama Rahmani, CEO of the Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Attorneys firm, drew parallels between the Blackhawk drownings and the 2008 prosecution of Casey Anthony, a Florida woman who was acquitted of murdering her daughter, Caylee, and covering it up after the defense argued the girl had drowned accidentally in a family pool.
“Murder and accident are very different; people don’t go to prison for accidents, generally, unless there’s some kind of criminal negligence,” Rahmani said. “I would say, though, it’s one thing for a kid to drown in a pool, but for an adult and a kid to drown in a pool, we don’t see that very often, obviously. If I were law enforcement, I’d be very suspicious.”
The deaths of Chavez and Malaya have been shrouded in suspicion since around 3 p.m. Feb. 12 when Malaya’s father called 911 to report finding the mother and daughter unresponsive in his backyard pool. He claimed that he had left them out back while he went inside to take a shower, then found them dead or dying in the pool when he came out, according to authorities.
This news organization is not naming the father, since he has not been arrested or charged in connection with either death. But police briefed the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office about the incident when it happened and opened a suspicious death investigation. The case remains active, authorities say.
In interviews with the Chavez family, authorities were told that Malaya’s father had been paying Chavez a monthly stipend on the condition that she keep her distance from him.
Malaya’s father told police that he and Chavez had briefly dated. The couple met when he was the manager at a gas station — one in a chain owned by his family — where she worked. He said at the time he feared his family wouldn’t accept Chavez due to “cultural differences,” but after his mother died in December 2021, he agreed to allow Malaya into his life for the first time, according to authorities and filings in court.
So they arranged for an ice cream outing. Chavez and Malaya arrived at his home at around 1:45 p.m., and he said he showed them into the backyard before excusing himself to go shower. He said after showering he called Chavez on her cellphone to tell her he was getting dressed, then went outside when she didn’t pick up. That’s when he saw both of them, motionless, floating in the pool, according to police. Chavez was face down, he said; Malaya was face up, he said.
He said he ran to the pool, jumped in, and pulled them out one at a time, starting with Malaya, then called 911. A dispatcher instructed him on how to perform CPR on the girl.
When police contacted Chavez’s brother, it raised their suspicions further. He told investigators both Chavez and Malaya were afraid of water and didn’t know how to swim and said that he doubted they’d have gone near a pool.
On top of that, police found evidence Malaya’s father had deleted text messages between him and Chavez, and he claimed the only surveillance at the home was a smart doorbell camera that operated on a live feed. But responding officers noted several security cameras throughout the inside and outside of the home and subsequently authored warrants for the footage as part of the investigation. Police have not said if they recovered any video footage of value.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact the sheriff’s Investigation Division at 925-313-2600. Tips can be emailed to email tips@so.cccounty.us. Anonymous callers can call 866-846-3592 to leave a voice message.
Source: www.mercurynews.com