Guilty Verdict: Lubbock Woman Charged with Infant Death

A woman in Lubbock, TX, was recently found guilty in connection to the death of an infant after she admitted to shaking the child as his body went limp.

The Tragic Infant Death in Lubbock

Events leading up to this guilty verdict began back in 2020 when 49-year-old Mary Sifuentes was in charge of fostering a 3-month-old and his brother at her home in Lubbock.

On December 16, 2020, 3-month-old Myles Clevenger was rushed to University Medical Center via an ambulance after he stopped breathing and turned blue. The boy later died from his injuries.

Medical scans showed many injuries sustained on the boy's body, including a cervical spine injury, brain swelling, brain hemorrhages, rib fractures, and other injuries to his knees, ankles, and wrist.

Inconsistent Reports to Police

When questioned, Sifuentes claimed that she accidentally dropped him while attempting to place him in the bouncer. Investigators were immediately suspicious, since the injuries on the boy were far too severe for simply coming from one fall.

After pushing the question once more, Sifuentes changed her answer, saying that she actually fell on top of the boy after they both fell down, then proceeded to shake the infant when she noticed he wasn't moving.

When officers inspected the bouncer, they found no damage or evidence that lined up with her story. What they did find was bruising on her own wrist, and an autopsy report revealed that there were at least three separate events that led to injury to the infant including the one that led to his death.

Sifuentes Arrested and Receives her Charges

Sifuentes was arrested on January 28, 2021 and charged with aggravated assault involving domestic violence and a deadly weapon.

Sifuentes' family argued the bond be lowered to a more attainable amount between $25,000 and $40,000. However, the court prosecutor argued against any leeway since this was about infant death, and Sifuentes failed to give the full truth to investigators multiple times.

On August 5, 2025, Mary Sifuentes was found guilty of aggravated assault of a household member. Her punishment and sentencing phase are currently underway in the 364th District Court.