Adorable toddler's mom was deported by ICE, leaving youngster at the mercy of abusive uncle who tortured him to death, prosecutors say

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:06, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 18:24, 16 May 2026 A precious toddler died at the hands of his abusive uncle after his mother was deported from the US by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to prosecutors. Little Orlin Hernandez Reyes, three, died on March 4 in Escambia, Florida, after he was allegedly tortured by his uncle, Samuel Maldonado Erazo.  Erazo, 28, was entrusted with taking care of the boy after Orlin's mother, Wendy Hernandez Reyes, was deported to Honduras in January alongside her sister, who was separated from Maldonado, The Washington Post reported.  Because her sister was her emergency contact, and they were detained together, Wendy 'had no other option' but to place her beloved only child in Erazo's care, she told the outlet.  While the two of them went back to their home country, Erazo, a heavy drinker, often whipped Orlin and his three cousins, but according to the little boy's autopsy, Orlin was abused the most, the Post said.  He suffered multiple broken bones, burn marks from where Erazo took a lighter to his skin, several bruises, and a swollen stomach and testicles that are believed to have been 'stomped on' by his monster uncle, District One Chief Medical Examiner Deanna Oleske said in her report that was reviewed by the publication.  Orlin's death was ruled a homicide after he suffered multiple blunt force traumas, the medical examiner determined.  On the same day Orlin took his final breath, his uncle called Wendy and told her that her son was ill after Erazo said he dropped a 12-pack of soda on the boy by accident, and that Orlin had been bitten by bugs, she recalled to the outlet.  Two-year-old Orlin Hernandez Reyes died on March 4 after his uncle, Samuel Maldonado Erazo, 28, allegedly tortured him to death while his mom was locked away in an ICE detention facility Wendy Hernandez Reyes (pictured with Orlin) was deported to Honduras in January, alongside her sister Erazo was indicted by a grand jury on March 26 for first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse, according to arrest records reviewed by the Daily Mail Her brother-in-law told police that he dialed 911 after his nephew collapsed, a police report obtained by WaPo stated.  Wendy said that Erazo told her he was being interrogated by police while her son was rushed to a hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead.  But after conducting an autopsy on the toddler, Oleske said that is not at all what happened to the innocent child.  'Absolutely no toddler has "normal" injuries like bruising to the back of the hand/knuckles from doing toddler stuff,' the medical examiner told police, according to court records seen by the Post.  Erazo was indicted by a grand jury on March 26 for first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse, according to arrest records reviewed by the Daily Mail. He has pleaded not guilty.  The alleged torturous abuse he inflicted on Orlin started on at least February 1, up until the day he died, according to the outlet.  Wendy, who arrived in the US while pregnant with her only child in 2022, was taken into custody by federal agents on January 8 after a Baldwin County sheriff's deputy pulled over a car that she was a passenger in. She and her sister, Osiris Reyes, were traveling that day in Minette, Alabama, for their jobs laying concrete foundations for new homes across the Florida-Alabama border, Wendy explained.  After stopping the car, the deputy asked everyone inside for their ID, as it is the law in the state of Alabama for officers to check the immigration status of people that they suspect are in the US illegally.  The alleged torturous abuse Erazo inflicted on Orlin started on at least February 1, up until the day he died Wendy and Osiris only had their Honduras passports on them, leading the deputy to alert ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations agents, federal records, and the mother's lawyer, detailed, per the outlet.  The sisters were then placed in handcuffs on the side of the road as ICE officers arrived at the scene and asked them what they wanted to do with their children, Wendy said.  Under US ICE policy, officers must ask arrested individuals if they are parents or the primary caregivers to minor children, and allow them to make arrangements for their children while they go through the deportation process.  Wendy informed officers that she was a single mother, pleading with them to release her so she could take care of Orlin - but they would not budge.  'I had no other option. The police stopped me. They didn't want to release us,' she recalled to the outlet.  It was then that she decided it would be best to place her baby boy with Erazo, who was looking after Orlin's cousins.  At the time, Wendy thought it was a good idea because her son's cousins were more like his siblings, and she wanted them to remain close while she and her sister were away, she stated.  After confirming that he would take care of her child, Erazo assured Wendy he would be safe in his care.  Wendy arrived in the US while pregnant with her only child in 2022. She was determined to get back to him after her arrest in January  'Tell Wendy not to worry. The boy is going to be okay,' she recalled her brother-in-law telling her sister that day. Once she was inside the detention center in Louisiana, Wendy said she constantly tried to get in contact with her child and planned to talk to him whenever she could until they were reunited. But when she was officially sent back to her home country, Wendy told the outlet that her tablet the agency gave her, stopped working.  'I told them to help me with my boy. I needed him,' she told WaPo. Wendy said she was also deported without her passport and other documents that she needed to prove she was Orlin's parent. The Daily Mail contacted ICE for comment on Wendy's allegations.  Wendy not only missed her son's third birthday in February but will never get to celebrate with him again.  ICE released a statement a week after Orlin was killed, stating that his mother was to blame for leaving the child 'with a violent murderer.'  After confirming that he would take care of her child, Erazo (pictured on March 10) assured Wendy he would be safe in her care 'This little boy suffered extensively and died when his mother abandoned him to Maldonado-Erazo’s care,' ICE director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement shared with the media after he passed.  'I encourage parents to self-deport with their children, but even if they choose not to do that, ICE gives them the opportunity to be removed with their kids.'   Wendy is now working on getting Orlin's body shipped to her in Honduras so she can bury him and see him one last time.  A GoFundMe campaign, started by Latino Media Gulf Coast Owner Grace Resendez McCaffery, has started raising money to help her do so.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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