A Tulsa, Oklahoma mother has been arrested and charged with child neglect after her 12-year-old daughter gave birth a 24-year-old man’s child.
33-year-old Desiree Castaneda was also taken into custody on Thursday on one count of enabling child sex abuse, according to the Tulsa Police Department and online jail records.
Her arrest comes two weeks after her then-pregnant daughter was brought to a local hospital by Juan Miranda-Jara, a 24-year-old man who allegedly told authorities that he was the baby’s biological father when they confronted him about the pregnancy.
Miranda-Jara was arrested on July 14 while the girl was in labor at the hospital. Police said at the time that Miranda-Jara allegedly admitted to being “in a relationship” with the girl since October.
The age of consent in Oklahoma is 16.
Investigators believe Castaneda and other family members were “aware of the relationship between the victim and Miranda-Jara,” Tulsa police said in a news release on Thursday.
Related: Tulsa Man Could Face More Charges After 12-Year-Old Girl Delivers His Child
“The family permitted the relationship, and there are photos of the family throwing a baby shower for the victim and the suspect,” the release read.
The affidavit for Desiree Castaneda says Juan Miranda-Jara and the girl asked the woman if they could be in a relationship and the woman agreed and even provided 2 condoms.
It says even after Miranda-Jara moved out of the home due to a dispute over money the woman still allowed the girl to see him and even drove the girl over to his new home.
It also says when investigators asked the woman if she knew the man and girl were still having sex even after the girl got pregnant. They say Castaneda answered, “Well, they should have, I mean, she was already pregnant.”
The girl’s father is currently in prison serving a 12 year sentence for first-degree rape unrelated to the case.
An investigation is ongoing.
During an arraignment on July 20, a public defender appointed to Miranda-Jara entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, online records show. A preliminary hearing has been set for August 26.
Attorney information for Miranda-Jara and Castaneda was not immediately available on Thursday.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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