REMEMBERING OSMAN

Osman Irias Salguero was two years old. He entered the world earlier than expected, born approximately two months premature. Osman had a heart murmur and experienced developmental delays, but those challenges did not define the little boy his family knew. He was a happy baby. His older sister, Melani, adored him. And one of Osman's former foster mothers remembered the little boy with an impish smile who had found a place in her family's heart. Osman was fragile from the beginning of his life. That should have meant that the adults surrounding him protected him even more carefully. He should have had years ahead of him to grow stronger. To catch up. To play with his sister. To discover the world. Instead, Osman lived for only two years. His name was Osman Irias Salguero. And before his name appeared in police reports and courtrooms, he was a little boy with an impish smile who was loved by the people who had cared for him.

 

OSMAN'S STORY

Osman's early childhood was complicated. In April 2010, when Osman was still an infant, his parents left Osman and his sister alone inside their apartment while they went on an errand. A pot had been left cooking on the stove. Smoke eventually triggered the fire alarm, bringing firefighters and police to the apartment. Both parents pleaded guilty to endangering their children and were sentenced to 180 days in jail. Osman and his sister entered foster care. Their mother, Mariza Salguero, was later deported to Guatemala. Their father, Osman Irias, worked through requirements intended to reunify him with his children, including parenting classes, drug testing and increasingly frequent supervised visits. A psychological evaluation reportedly found no significant parenting concerns. Eventually, the children were returned to their father. By September 2011, Osman and his sister were living with him again. In January 2012, CPS closed the family's case. But soon there were troubling signs. Friends helping care for the children began noticing bruises on Osman. They saw bruises on his arms. His legs. His back. Even his face. Osman's father reportedly explained that his son was medically fragile and bruised easily. But people around the family were worried.

 

WARNING SIGNS & SYSTEM FAILURES

In February 2012, approximately two months before Osman died, someone contacted CPS because of concerns about the bruises covering the toddler's body. A caseworker examined Osman but reported seeing no visible signs of abuse. A doctor also examined the children, and another investigation was opened. Meanwhile, concerns continued. By April, Osman and his sister were living with their father in the home of a relative. That relative later recalled hearing banging sounds when the children's father bathed them. The children also appeared increasingly afraid of their father, who reportedly yelled at them frequently. Then came April 28, 2012. Osman's father told investigators that he left Osman and his four-year-old sister alone while he took a shower. According to his account, both children were fine beforehand. When he returned, he said he found Osman lying on the floor and convulsing. He called 911 and attempted CPR. Osman was transported to Northwest Memorial Hospital. He died shortly after arriving. What doctors discovered on Osman's little body told a devastating story. Osman had more than 86 bruises. He had fractured ribs. He had contusions. And the injuries were in different stages of healing. Doctors concluded that the injuries were consistent with child abuse and were not consistent with the falls his father described. Investigators alleged that Osman's father had struck his son with his hands and another object and had kicked him. The injuries showed that Osman had not simply been hurt once. His body showed evidence of repeated trauma. And someone had already called CPS about his bruises before he died. Osman was two years old. He could not protect himself. He needed the adults who saw those warning signs to protect him. They did not reach him in time.

 

JUSTICE FOR OSMAN

Osman's father was initially arrested and charged with injury to a child. As the criminal case progressed, prosecutors ultimately pursued a capital murder charge in connection with his son's death. The case went to trial in 2016. Jurors did not convict Osman Irias of capital murder. Instead, they found him guilty of felony murder, determining that his son's death occurred while Irias was committing the felony offense of assault causing serious bodily injury. The jury sentenced him to life in prison. Under the sentence, Irias became eligible for parole after serving 30 years. Irias appealed his conviction. In October 2017, the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals reviewed the record and affirmed the felony murder conviction.

 

Osman Irias
Relationship to Osman: Father
Conviction: Felony murder
Sentence: Life in prison, eligible for parole after 30 years

 

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Osman Irias Salguero was only two years old. His life began with challenges. He arrived two months early. He had a heart condition. He developed more slowly than other babies. But Osman kept growing. There were people who cared about him. There was a foster family who remembered the little boy who became attached to their hearts. There was an older sister who adored him. And there was that impish little smile. There should have been years for Osman to grow beyond the medical challenges of infancy. There should have been birthdays. Preschool. Kindergarten. School pictures. Friends. There should have been years for Osman and Melani to grow up together. Instead, the final record of Osman's life contains a number that is almost impossible to comprehend. 86 bruises. But Osman was not 86 bruises.

Those injuries were things inflicted upon him. They were not who he was. Osman was the little boy who had entered this world early and kept fighting. He was a little brother. He was a son. He was the toddler with the impish smile.

His name was Osman Salguero. Abuse Angels remembers Osman Irias Salguero, the little boy with the impish smile who overcame a difficult beginning, deserved to grow up beside his sister, and should have been protected when the warning signs of abuse began to appear. We remember Osman. We speak his name. And Osman Irias Salguero will not be forgotten.