Circumstances into 2-year-old boy's death in Wharton County remain a mystery: 'He was just a baby'

WHARTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities in Wharton County are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy.

Family members identified the boy as Daniel Escamia. They said Tuesday he was rushed from his home outside El Campo, where he lived with his mother and father, to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Fort Bend County Medical Examiner's Office, which does autopsies for Wharton County, told ABC13 that they received the child's body. But no other information, including cause and manner of death, was available.

Judy O'Canas, the boy's great-aunt, said he and his older sister lived with her for nearly six months when he was a baby. She cannot believe he's gone.

"He was just a baby. He was not my baby, but he was like my baby,'" she said. "He was always this happy baby. Every morning, when I went to his bed to wake him up, to get him ready for the day, he was excited and that made my day. That beautiful smile. Nothing could be bad with that beautiful smile. To hear him gone, I couldn't believe it. I was hoping it was a bad dream."

A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said Child Protective Investigations is working alongside law enforcement on the death, as they do with all child deaths.

Texas Department of Public Safety provided this statement:

At the request of the Wharton County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Rangers (DPS) are assisting with the investigation into this incident.

Once completed, the investigation will be submitted to the Wharton County District Attorney's Office. For further information related to this ongoing investigation, we would refer you to the Wharton County Sheriff's Office.

The Wharton County Sheriff's Office did not respond to ABC13's request for information.

For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.