An 8-year-old San Jose girl died after a severe asthma attack following years of alleged neglect in a home infested with cockroaches, mold and pet feces, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, which has filed felony child neglect charges against her mother and stepfather.
Prosecutors say Gabrielle Hanson, 32, and Jacob Randolph, 39, knew about the hazardous conditions in their home and had been warned repeatedly by medical professionals and social workers about the danger to their seven children. Despite those warnings, the couple allegedly waited eight hours before seeking medical help when their daughter, Aurora Williams, began experiencing serious medical distress in May.
“It was too late,” prosecutors said in a news release announcing the charges.
More than a year before her death, in February 2025, Aurora was taken to an emergency room by a relative after experiencing asthma symptoms, wheezing and difficulty breathing, according to prosecutors. A bug fell from her shoe and a cockroach was seen crawling on her during that visit, prompting her to tell hospital staff, “Oh yeah, bugs just crawl on me.” Staff also reported she smelled like cat urine, appeared seriously underweight and pale, and said she was hungry and had not eaten.
The Final Emergency
On May 13, 2026, San Jose police and firefighters responded to the family’s home for a medical emergency involving a child. Six other children in the household, ranging from 2 months to 17 years old, were taken into protective custody by social workers. Aurora was declared dead four days later.
The medical examiner determined Aurora died from a lack of oxygen to the brain caused by severe asthma and an acute lung injury tied to a viral infection, with medical neglect identified as a significant contributing factor. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators determined that Aurora and her siblings had been living in what prosecutors described as “squalid and dangerous conditions” since at least 2019. Detectives found that Aurora’s asthma equipment had not been properly maintained and that her prescribed inhaler was missing during two separate searches of the home. Investigators also discovered a dirty inhaler spacer missing a rubber seal meant to prevent medication from leaking, along with a respiratory mask containing cockroaches.
“Another child is needlessly dead in this county, and once again our prosecutors will do everything in our legal power to hold the people who did this responsible,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.
“Prosecuting people after this kind of tragedy is necessary – and not enough. There are serious questions about how this child and her siblings lived in this dangerous squalor for so long. In the name of this lost child and the others, this community deserves honest answers and real changes.”
Additional Abuse Charges
The investigation also led to child sexual abuse charges against Aurora’s maternal uncle, Jonathan Hanson, 44, involving another child who lived in the home. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of molestation and one count of possessing explicit videos of the alleged victim, who was between 11 and 15 years old at the time of the alleged offenses.
Gabrielle Hanson was also charged with knowing about the alleged abuse of that child and failing to intervene, prosecutors said.
All three defendants were arraigned Tuesday. Gabrielle Hanson and Randolph were released under supervised own recognizance over prosecutors’ objections, while Jonathan Hanson was ordered held without bail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 20 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
