A Donna man who authorities said admitted to abusing his daughter was charged with capital murder in connection with her death.

Jose Manuel Uresti, 23, is being held without bond.

According to Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra, Uresti confessed to having bitten and striking the child on several occasions.

At a press conference held Monday following Uresti’s arraignment, Guerra called the investigation a “heartbreaking case that has deeply impacted our community.”

As previously reported, the sheriff's office responded to a report of an unresponsive child Thursday at the 9700 block of Klarrisa Drive in rural Donna at around 4:30 p.m.

Guerra said deputies at the scene found the child’s mother and Uresti’s wife — 25-year-old Wendy Sarai Rivera — and one other person performing CPR on the child. The child was hospitalized and pronounced dead within an hour of the initial report.

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The child had “various bruises to face, torso, legs and burn marks and bite marks to the legs and chest area, along with lacerations,” Guerra said at the press conference.

According to Guerra, Rivera told investigators she was dropped off at that location by Uresti to get her nails done. Uresti then called Rivera to tell her the child was not breathing, and later arrived to the location to attempt to force Rivera into his vehicle.

“She got the child out of the car and Uresti fled,” Guerra said.

Investigators learned that the incident originated at the parents' mobile home of the at the 130th block of Eldora Road.

Rivera told investigators she had known of the abuse Uresti had done to their daughter, and was arraigned on Friday on charges of injury to a child and failure to report a felony.

Investigators learned that Uresti fled to Rio Bravo, but he surrendered to authorities at the Anzalduas International Bridge on Saturday and taken into custody.  

“Uresti claimed on the day of the offense he had slapped the child on the face ‘in the interest of discipline’ and she became unconscious,” Guerra said, adding that Uresti later confessed to having shaken the child “in a panic.”

“This case highlights the importance of identifying and reporting signs of abuse,” Guerra added.

Jail records show Rivera remains in custody on a $2.5 million bond.