Police in Chesterfield County, Virginia, have arrested a 20-year-old woman accused of shaking her infant son. Video of Astrid Sanchez Diaz “roughly handling” her 4-month-old child circulated on social media back in December — and the mom has been on the run ever since.
Police said the video shows Diaz violently shaking her son during an argument with the boy’s father.
“Sanchez Diaz appears to be making threats to the child’s father as she is assaulting their child,” a police media release obtained by WWBT stated.
It’s unclear how the video was captured, but it was shared on social media on December 29, the Progess-Index reported. News of the video made its way to authorities, who went to Diaz’s house to perform a welfare check.
When they arrived, Diaz and her son were gone.
Police managed to track down the newborn on December 31, according to WRIC, but Diaz eluded them. The mom was on the run for weeks until authorities arrested her on January 12, 2022.
Diaz turned herself in to the county magistrate’s office, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She has since been charged with felony child abuse.
Chesterfield police Sgt. Winfred Lewis said the charges were mostly determined by what authorities saw on the video.
But there were other factors that contributed, he added. Lewis declined to tell the Times-Dispatch if there were any signs of physical abuse on the child, as this is an ongoing investigation.
Lewis said the intent of the video was to “convey a message” and said it was shared on Instagram Stories. It’s unclear if the mom shared the footage herself or if it was posted by someone else.
It’s also not clear what condition her son is in and who is caring for him. Diaz is being held at Chesterfield County Jail.