Child Dies of Complications From Burns

A 4-year-old girl who was accidentally scalded in bathtub water with her little sister has died of complications from burns, police said Saturday.

The girl, Beatriz Toscano, suffered first- and second-degree burns on more than half her body Monday when the girls’ mother briefly left them alone while she fetched clean towels from another room, said Lt. James Schoales. She died at 6:12 a.m. Friday at UCI Medical Center.

Her 2-year-old sister, Lucero Toscano, received first- and second-degree burns over 40% of her body, Schoales said. She was listed in critical condition at the medical center Saturday.

Rafaela Avalos, 24, had undressed her daughters for a bath and asked them to wait for her to return, police said. It is not known which of the girls filled the bathtub with hot water, Schoales said.

The mother heard the girls screaming and ran out of her Franklin Street apartment to notify the girls’ uncle next door.

The girls were found submerged in water after their uncle kicked down the bathroom door, which Beatriz had locked for privacy, Schoales said.

Police investigators concluded Friday night that the death was accidental.