SAN ANTONIO – There are chilling new details of the abuse of a 10-year-old boy who was allegedly killed by his adoptive parents.

Jonathan and Christina Miranda are facing capital murder for the death of Michael Miranda In September. Child advocates are voicing their concerns about the case.

Neighbors on Cielo Ranch said they had no idea of the nightmare Michael was living inside of the four walls of his home. According to an arrest affidavit, he suffered more than a year of physical and emotional neglect — leading to his death.”

“It’s an understatement to say that this is disgusting and that it’s horrific,” said child advocate Carrie Wilcoxson.

Records describe what police say was a daily dose of severe abuse at the hands of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Christina; Christina is his biological aunt.

The couple now faces capital murder charges after investigators say Michael died on the living room floor of their home.

“Abuse is not even a strong enough word to describe what this child went through,” Wilcoxson said.

She was a child abuse investigator for the state before transitioning to a consultant. Her career as a child advocate has spanned more than 30 years. Wilcoxson reviewed the affidavit, saying the case is similar to others she’s seen before.

“This is predatorial, meaning these parents, these caregivers — it appears in the affidavit — intentionally targeted this child, intentionally harmed and ultimately caused the death of this child,” she said.

Michael died on September 24th. The medical examiner said they initially noticed he was “very small for his age” and “appeared to be somewhat emaciated” with a distended stomach.

There was also bruising and trauma on his back, and he was wearing a diaper. Under it, he reportedly had large open sores and a “severe rectal prolapse”.

He also seemed to suffer from starvation and malnutrition.

“What I usually found in those types of cases were was someone, some adult, a family member, a neighbor, a friend, somebody usually knows that this is happening and does not make the report,” Wilcoxson said.

We reached out to SAPD and Child Protective Services (CPS) to learn if any reports were made. CPS officials say the details of their investigation are confidential according to law, because there are other children involved.

5 other children reported lived in the house besides Michael.

“Those children.. I’m sure, are going to have their own nightmares and their own trauma around what they’ve been forced to witness,” Wilcoxson said.

Police interviewed those kids, who said their parents wouldn’t want them to share those devastating details.

They’ve been removed from the home — and have reportedly been placed together in another home as Jonathan and Christina sit behind bars.

“I feel bad for those children as well, because they’re going to – they have a long road ahead of them as well,” Wilcoxson said. “Michael was counting on somebody and I don’t think this was a system failure. I think this was a people failure.”

Authorities are handling this case as a joint investigation between SAPD and CPS. Attorney Joe Hoelscher is representing Jonathan on the CPS side of things — saying he doesn’t believe SAPD did its due diligence.

FULL STATEMENT:

“Everyone who knows the Miranda family is shocked by the arrest of Jonathan and Christina. Both parents fully cooperated with Child Protective Services after the death of their son, Michael. Michael suffered from a number of physical and mental health issues, because of extensive abuse before becoming a part of the Miranda family, but the family was blessed to have tremendous support in caring for him, including members of their faith community, doctors, and other professionals, all of whom know the Mirandas as loving and dedicated parents. The evidence cited by SAPD is inconsistent with the evidence disclosed during the CPS investigation and the experiences of the many people who knew Michael. SAPD interfered with the child welfare investigation by illegally seizing all of the family’s electronics, including the Miranda children’s tablets required for their schooling. SAPD’s violent arrest tactics, during a voluntary meeting with a special investor for CPS, endangered multiple children. Unlike CPS, SAPD concluded their investigation without reference to medical history records, videos, or witness statements but cited alleged facts which are demonstrably untrue. SAPD’s rushed investigation appears calculated to get headlines, not to protect any child. The Mirandas, however, are only concerned for their children at this time. On their behalf, I thank everyone who has stepped forward to support the Miranda children, show them love, and help them keep faith after losing their brother and the unnecessarily traumatic arrest of their parents. Justice will prevail.”