Family speaks out after 19-year-old Balch Springs woman with autism found dead, mother behind bars

Balch Springs Police said on Saturday the mother of a 19-year-old woman with autism found dead in her home was being transported to the Dallas County jail after she was arrested for injuring her daughter.

“Delilah was like any other little girl. She was a joy. She was always happy,” said Yajaira Pardo.

Pardo said it’s been five years since she saw her niece, 19-year-old Delilah Villegas.

As a young girl, Pardo said her brother’s daughter loved nature and was never seen without her purple blanket in tow.

His funeral five years ago was the last time she saw Delilah, who she said had severe autism and was non-verbal

“I always had a gut feeling after my brother passed. It was always a fear of mine that something would’ve happened to her because there never was a way for us to be in contact with her. There wasn’t a way for us to communicate with her. But in the back of mind, I told myself, she was going to be ok, because she’s with her mom. Her mom is going to take care of her,” Pardo said.

Still, nothing could have prepared Pardo for the scene Balch Springs police said they found on Valentine’s Day at the home Delilah shared with her mother, Crystal Canales.

According to an affidavit, Canales called 911 saying her daughter wasn’t breathing.

When paramedics arrived at the home on Horseshoe Trail, they said they noticed “a foul odor” coming from Delilah’s bedroom.

Inside, they found a mattress, two pallets composed of comforters, sheets and pillows, and Delilah lying in a near fetal position dead.

A medical examiner later determined she’d been that way for at least six hours.

“Originally, when the officers arrived, they thought she was probably 13 and didn't realize she was 19 years old. It was, as described, skin to bone. There were large lacerations, exposing decaying limbs and even some of the bones from her shoulder and on her arm and her leg,” said police spokesperson Pedro Gonzalez.

Friday, police arrested Canales and charged her with serious bodily injury to a disabled person.

They said she told them she was treating Delilah for bed sores with Neosporin.

She said she hadn’t taken her to a hospital since 2021 because her daughter would become violent if she tried.

According to the affidavit, Delilah’s grandmother said Canales hadn’t allowed her to see Delilah in weeks. Her great-uncle said he hadn’t seen her for a year, though both lived in the home.

“Heartbreaking. It fills you up with anger,” said Pardo.

As she prepares to bury her niece, Pardo hopes their family’s tragedy encourages others to speak up.

“It would’ve taken just one call and maybe the outcome would’ve been different,” she said.

Balch Springs Police said they responded to a welfare check at the home in 2021 and found no issues.

No one else is facing charges in the case but they say the investigation continues.