California Couple Charged With Neglect After Daughter Dies From Asthma Attack

In San Jose, California, an 8-year-old girl named Aurora Williams died from a severe asthma attack, prompting felony child neglect charges against her mother, Gabrielle Hanson, 32, and stepfather, Jacob Randolph, 39. Prosecutors from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office stated that the couple was aware of the hazardous conditions in their home and had received warnings from medical professionals and social workers about the risks to their seven children.

Prosecutors allege that Hanson and Randolph waited eight hours before seeking medical attention for Aurora when she began experiencing severe medical distress in May 2026. Tragically, by the time help arrived, it was too late.

This is not the first time Aurora or her siblings had encountered serious health issues related to the home's condition. In February 2025, over a year before her death, Aurora was taken to an emergency room by a relative due to asthma symptoms, including wheezing and difficulty breathing. During that visit, a cockroach was observed crawling on her, and she told staff that "bugs just crawl on me." Hospital staff also noted that Aurora smelled of cat urine, appeared underweight and pale, and reported not having eaten.

On May 13, 2026, San Jose police and firefighters responded to the family's home on Lancelot Lane for a medical emergency involving Aurora. She was declared dead four days later. The medical examiner determined that Aurora's death was caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain resulting from severe asthma and an acute lung injury linked to a viral infection. Medical neglect was identified as a significant contributing factor, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators found that Aurora and her siblings had been living in "squalid and dangerous conditions" since at least 2019. During searches of the home, detectives discovered that Aurora's asthma equipment was not properly maintained, and her prescribed inhaler was missing. A dirty inhaler spacer, missing a crucial seal, and a respiratory mask containing cockroaches were also found.

"Another child is needlessly dead in this county, and once again our prosecutors will do everything in our legal power to hold the people who did this responsible," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "Prosecuting people after this kind of tragedy is necessary – and not enough. There are serious questions about how this child and her siblings lived in this dangerous squalor for so long. In the name of this lost child and the others, this community deserves honest answers and real changes."

Six other children, aged 2 months to 17 years, were removed from the home and placed into protective custody by social workers. Additionally, the investigation led to child sexual abuse charges against Aurora's maternal uncle, Jonathan Hanson, 44. He faces two counts of molestation and one count of possessing explicit videos of an alleged victim who was between 11 and 15 years old at the time of the offenses. Gabrielle Hanson, the alleged victim's stepmother, was also charged with knowing about the abuse and failing to intervene.

All three defendants were arraigned on Tuesday. Gabrielle Hanson and Jacob Randolph were released under supervised own recognizance, despite prosecutors' objections. Jonathan Hanson was ordered held without bail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for November 20 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.