More than a year after her 9-month-old son was found unresponsive inside their Southwest Miami‑Dade apartment, a 26-year-old mother is now facing charges of second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. Prosecutors say an autopsy revealed the infant had lethal amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.
Natalia Munoz-Paulino was arrested on Monday and broke down in court the following day as prosecutors sought her pretrial detention. She is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to county jail records.
Police Detail Timeline of 2024 Incident
Officers were called to Munoz-Paulino’s apartment on Southwest 147th Avenue on July 2, 2024, after she reported that her baby was not breathing.
Miami‑Dade Fire Rescue transported the child to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital. Despite emergency efforts, he was pronounced dead at 10:39 p.m. Less than an hour later, at 11:18 p.m., detectives from the Hammocks District notified the homicide bureau.
Autopsy Reveals Disturbing Evidence
According to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, an autopsy was conducted two days later, on July 4, 2024. Examiners found eggshells and feathers inside the infant’s stomach.
Toxicology results later confirmed deadly concentrations of cocaine and methamphetamine. On May 1, 2025, the Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by child neglect, determining that the drugs were ingested. Suffocation and airway obstruction were ruled out.
Mother Gave Conflicting Explanations
The arrest affidavit states that Munoz-Paulino gave investigators multiple, contradictory accounts of what happened.
She first claimed she had fallen asleep while cradling the baby and awoke to find him “purple, unresponsive, and stiff.” She later told police the baby fell and hit his head, informed the Department of Children and Families he drowned in the bathtub, and told the child’s father he had choked.
The affidavit also notes she said the baby was never breastfed and was known to put foreign objects in his mouth.
Apartment Found in Unsafe Condition
Investigators described the home as “disheveled, unkept and dirty,” with clothing, spoiled food, trash, and used hygiene products scattered across the floor.
Officers said they had to intervene when the victim’s older sibling was seen ingesting baby oil without Munoz-Paulino noticing. The environment was deemed unsafe for children.
Admissions and Family Testimony
According to the affidavit, Munoz-Paulino later admitted she had used narcotics the weekend before the baby’s death.
Her husband told investigators he had previously seen her with methamphetamine, confirmed she openly discussed using cocaine and meth, and said he was not present at the time of the incident because he works out of state to support the family.
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