Odessa Woman Arrested for Capital Murder in Infant’s Death

The Odessa Police Department has arrested 22-year-old Yanira Maria Toirac-Prado on a Capital Murder charge following an investigation into the death of her newborn infant.

On October 9, 2024, officers responded to a residence in the 2900 block of W. 6th Street, where they discovered a deceased infant in the toilet. Prado, identified as the infant’s mother, was transported to Medical Center Hospital for evaluation.

During the investigation, authorities noted suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and awaited the results of a complete autopsy. On December 6, 2024, the official autopsy findings were received, confirming that the infant had been born at full term, alive, and breathing. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxia.

Based on evidence from the scene and the autopsy report, investigators concluded that Prado intentionally and knowingly caused the infant’s death. The case was upgraded to a homicide investigation, and a warrant for Capital Murder was secured.

Prado was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center. The case will be forwarded to the Ector County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. She is being held on a $1 million bond.