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Mom charged in mutilation of infant son
Police allege woman who had blamed dog used 'sharp' tool to cut off boy's genitals


By PEGGY O'HARE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

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A woman who claimed that a family pet mutilated her infant son's genitals was taken into police custody Friday, accused of "using a sharp instrument" to "cut and remove" his private parts, a criminal complaint shows.

Katherine "Katie" Nadal, 25, is charged with injury to a child, a felony. The former Anahuac High School cheerleader was led away in handcuffs by two plainclothes Houston police officers shortly before her son's protective custody hearing began.

Nadal, a one-time cocktail waitress now unemployed, had arrived at the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center with her mother and her attorney, Itze Soliz Matthews, after missing the previous two custody hearings because she was in unspecified treatment programs. Police said Nadal did not appear surprised when they moved in to arrest her and never cried.

Nadal is accused of "intentionally and knowingly" causing serious bodily injury to her son when he was 5 weeks old, according to the police complaint filed Friday at the Harris County District Clerk's Office. The boy's penis and testicles were severed.

The complaint also accuses Nadal of inflicting the injuries "by manner and means unknown." Her bail was set at $75,000.


Baby is with relatives
The injury occurred March 13 at the family's Clear Lake-area apartment while Nadal was home alone with the child, police said. None of the severed parts were ever recovered.

The dachshund puppy that Nadal blamed for the attack was eventually ruled out as the cause of the injuries, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Estella Olguin.

After multiple surgeries, the baby was released from Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. He is temporarily being cared for by an aunt in Deer Park.

Nadal has not been allowed to see her son since the injuries were discovered because she tested positive for cocaine, methadone and a mild tranquilizer the day after the attack, Olguin has said previously.

The child's father, Camden Gothia, 36, who was at work when the injuries occurred and immediately ended his relationship with Nadal, has since been allowed supervised visits with his son.

Gothia was not in court Friday, but his sister and mother were there and watched Nadal being led away by officers. Nadal's mother, Debbie Nadal, and her attorney refused comment as they left the courthouse.

The baby was sleeping and in fine condition when Gothia left for work around 6 a.m. on the day of the incident, although the baby had suffered from colic and cried for several days previously, Gothia told police.


Neighbor recalls incident

A neighbor told police Nadal had knocked on his door around 12:30 p.m. and told him something was wrong with the baby, the complaint shows. The neighbor called 911 for an ambulance, then followed Nadal back to her apartment in the 400 block of El Dorado, where she pointed him to a bedroom.

The neighbor told police he saw the baby on a queen-sized bed, bleeding from the lower portion of his body "with his privates missing." Nadal told the neighbor that "the dog did it," the complaint states.

The neighbor told police he did not see any signs of paw prints or blood on the dog. He told investigators the blood on the bed had apparently "been there for a while," the complaint states.

The infant had lost a large amount of blood and needed immediate surgery when he reached Memorial Hermann, a doctor in the emergency room told police.

In her only interview with Houston police — one conducted immediately after the injuries were discovered — Nadal said she had put the baby down for a nap after Gothia left for work and fell asleep herself.

She told police she awakened to hear her son "whimpering" and saw the family's miniature dachshund, Shorty, standing over the baby.

Nadal said she swatted the dog away and ran to get her neighbor for help.

But Nadal later refused police's requests for follow-up interviews and never gave investigators a formal statement.


Dog ruled out

A licensed veterinarian with the city of Houston's Animal Control later examined the dog, but told police he did not see any blood or human tissue on the animal or in its mouth. The animal was adopted by acquaintances of the Gothia family.

After examining photos of the wounded baby, the veterinarian told police "the injuries could not have been caused by this dog," the complaint charging Nadal states.

That opinion was supported by a pediatrician at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital who examined the wounded boy.

Dr. Rebecca Girardet, who is also an associate professor of pediatrics for the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, told police she believed the infant's genitals were removed with a "sharp cutting instrument."

The baby's wound had straight edges and an even base, but Girardet said a dog bite would have produced ragged edges, the police complaint states.

The pediatrician also said the child's wounds would cause him lifelong suffering.

Police seized a garbage disposal from the family's apartment to examine it for blood, tissue or DNA partly because the neighbor who tried to help the baby saw the water running in the kitchen sink, Olguin said previously.


Struggle with drugs
During Friday's custody hearing, the court agreed to allow Gothia to move into his sister's Deer Park home so that he can live with his son and help with the child's recovery. Gothia will live in a detached apartment on the property, Olguin said.

A DNA test to confirm Gothia's paternity is still pending, Olguin said.

CPS will likely work toward terminating Nadal's parental rights, Olguin said.

Nadal has been arrested by police twice before on drug-related charges that were later dismissed.

A former neighbor who lived across from Nadal and Gothia at a Seabrook apartment complex last year said Nadal struggled with drugs.

"She's kind of like a sophisticated woman, but kind of like a child," Matthew McMillian, 32, said of Nadal. "We became kind of friends and had morning coffee together. ... She said she was going to have to battle drugs and alcohol for the rest of her life. I remember her saying that."

Gothia was a "hard worker," McMillian said.

"He's got a level head — he's got his s--- together — and she doesn't," McMillian said.

Originally Posted by Witchblade

The death penalty costs a lot more than lifelong prison sentences.

and wrong.



not to mention, she's 25 and would live more than the calculated 50 years. but she probably won't serve life so the toll of her next victim can't be calculated. another baby with it's penis cut off perhaps? what's the value placed on that? and, in time, when these shit bags realize they will be quickly disposed of if they act like animals i think it's safe to believe the prison system in the U.S. would be far less busy.