Mother Arrested After 12-year-Old Daughter Gives Birth To Child With 24-Year-Old Man

Tulsa, Oklahoma –  A 12-year-old girl had her entire family snatched from her by the legal justice system, and is now left to fend for herself.

The story starts when a 12-year-old girl in labor arrived at the hospital with her 24-year-old boyfriend, Juan Miranda-Jara, who is also the father of the newborn child.  The father seemed to have no idea that what he had done was illegal, cops said at the time.

Police say the 12-year old’s mother allowed her daughter to enter into a relationship with a 24-year-old adult man and later have a child with him.

Both the father of the newborn and the 12-year-old’s mother have been sentenced to prison as a result. .

Court records show that Desiree Castaneda, 35, entered a guilty plea to charges of enabling child sexual abuse and child neglect last week just days before her case was set to head to trial.

Judge Clifford J. Smith then sentenced her to 15 years in prison on each count, with the sentences set to run concurrent and Castaneda receiving credit for time served.

She will also have to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison, according to court records.

Authorities arrested Castaneda two weeks after her daughter gave birth in July 2021.

The father of the child, Juan Miranda-Jara, has been incarcerated since  July 14, the day he and the victim arrived at an Oklahoma hospital so that the 12-year-old could give birth. He faces charges of first-degree rape of a minor.

Concerned hospital staffers notified authorities soon after when they became concerned about the relationship between Miranda-Jara and the girl.

“The suspect, Juan Miranda-Jara, stated that he was in a relationship with the 12-year-old victim that started in October of 2020. The victim was at the hospital and was in labor delivering his child at the time,” states the arrest report from the Tulsa Police Department. “Miranda-Jara admitted that he is the biological father of the 12-year-old’s baby.”

After arresting Miranda-Jara, investigators came to learn new details including the fact that the victim’s mother hosted a baby shower for the couple just before the birth of the child.

The investigation revealed that the victim’s mother and family members were aware of the relationship between the victim and the 24-year-old man.  Castaneda’s arrest report claims. “The family permitted the relationship, and there are photos of the family throwing a baby shower for the victim and the suspect.”

Miranda-Jara, now 26, entered a guilty plea to first-degree rape of a minor under 14 back in March 2022, according to Tulsa County Court records.

Those same records show that Miranda-Jara was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He will receive credit for time served but must complete 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

In Oklahoma, individuals convicted of crimes such as first-degree murder or first-degree rape of a minor are all required to serve 85 percent of their prison sentence.

The judge also ordered Miranda-Jara to pay approximately $1,000 in fines and court costs, and he will be forced to register as a sex offender.

Both the 12-year-old girl and baby were in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

The victim is now 14 and without a parent as her father is also in the midst of serving a 12-year sentence after being convicted of rape, in an unrelated case.

It really sucks that this little girl’s entire family was taken from her by the court system. She’s being triple punished,  now she has nothing and nobody.

What are your thoughts on this?