Mother Charged After Drugging and Attempting to Drown Her Three Children in Liberty County

The Liberty County case involving Domingo and Jessica Quintana has taken a disturbing new turn, as authorities confirm that Jessica Quintana, 39, has now been formally charged in connection with an alleged attempt to drown the couple’s three children last month.

According to investigators, Jessica faces two counts of Injury to a Child Causing Bodily Injury and one count of Assault Causing Bodily Injury. She was taken into custody Friday morning, just hours after being released from the hospital.

The incident occurred on September 29, when deputies responded around 6 a.m. to a 911 call from her husband, Domingo Quintana. He told dispatchers that his wife had “poisoned the children with NyQuil and tried to drown them” in a pond on their 300-acre property, Rancho Monte Carmelo, near Dayton, Texas.

When deputies arrived, they found all three children wet but alive — and Jessica still in the water. Domingo reportedly pulled the children, ages 15, 11, and 6, from the pond himself. Investigators later said the children had been given vodka mixed with NyQuil before the incident.

All three were taken to local hospitals, with the 11-year-old airlifted in critical condition. All have since recovered and are now in Child Protective Services custody while the case moves forward.

The broader circumstances surrounding the Quintana family have drawn increasing attention. Domingo, initially viewed as the rescuer, is facing separate animal cruelty charges after an emaciated cat was found on the family’s property. He has pled not guilty and was denied a court-appointed attorney after the judge ruled he had sufficient assets.

The situation has continued to develop with several notable details:
• A Liberty County lieutenant has been suspended and is under investigation by the Texas Rangers for visiting Domingo in jail.
• Jessica has been granted supervised visitation with the children, while Domingo has been denied contact — a decision reportedly influenced by the children expressing negative feelings toward their father.
• Public records show the Quintanas owe more than $300,000 in taxes, debts, and judgments.

With Jessica now facing criminal charges and both parents under scrutiny, the case continues to unfold as investigators and the courts sort through a complex web of alleged abuse, financial troubles, and family conflict.