San Jose girl, 8, dies of asthma attack; mother and stepfather charged with felony neglect

Mixed · 2Prosecutors in Santa Clara County, California, have charged Gabrielle Hanson, 32, and Jacob Randolph, 39, with felony child neglect after the death of Hanson's 8-year-old daughter, Aurora Williams, who died after a severe asthma attack. 1 2 Mixed · 2The district attorney's office says the couple knew about dangerous conditions in their San Jose home, including cockroaches, mold and pet feces, and had been repeatedly warned by medical professionals and social workers about the risks to their seven children. 1 2 Mixed · 2Prosecutors allege the couple waited eight hours before seeking medical help when Aurora developed serious distress in May; the prosecutors' release said: "It was too late." 1 2

Mixed · 2In February 2025, a relative took Aurora to an emergency room with wheezing and breathing difficulty. According to prosecutors, a cockroach was seen crawling on her and she said, "Oh yeah, bugs just crawl on me"; staff also noted she smelled of cat urine, looked seriously underweight and pale, and said she was hungry. 1 2 Mixed · 2On May 13, 2026, San Jose police and firefighters responded to the home for a medical emergency involving a child, and six other children, aged 2 months to 17 years, were taken into protective custody. Aurora was declared dead four days later. 1 2 Mixed · 2The medical examiner found she died from a lack of oxygen to the brain caused by severe asthma and an acute lung injury associated with a viral infection. Medical neglect was identified as a significant contributing factor, and the death was ruled a homicide. 1 2

Mixed · 2Investigators say Aurora and her siblings lived in "squalid and dangerous conditions" since at least 2019. Her asthma equipment had not been properly maintained, her prescribed inhaler was missing during two searches of the home, and investigators later found a dirty inhaler spacer lacking a rubber seal and a respiratory mask containing cockroaches. 1 2 Mixed · 2The investigation also led to child sexual abuse charges against Aurora's maternal uncle, Jonathan Hanson, 44: two counts of molestation and one count of possessing explicit videos of another child in the home, who was 11 to 15 at the time of the alleged offenses. Fox News adds that Gabrielle Hanson, the alleged victim's stepmother, was charged with knowing of the abuse and failing to intervene. 1 2 Right · 1According to Fox News, all three defendants were arraigned Tuesday. Hanson and Randolph were released under supervised own recognizance over prosecutors' objections, Jonathan Hanson was held without bail, and the next hearing is set for Nov. 20 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. 1

Right · 1District Attorney Jeff Rosen said there are "serious questions about how this child and her siblings lived in this dangerous squalor for so long" and that the community "deserves honest answers and real changes." The allegations are prosecutors' claims; the coverage does not include responses from the defendants. 1