Nixzaliz Santiago
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Nixzaliz Santiago (born 1979?) is the mother of murder victim Nixzmary Brown. She was arrested and charged in connection with the beating death of her daughter on January 11, 2006.
Santiago was born in Puerto Rico but came to Brooklyn, New York in the 1990s. Over the course of 10 years she is known to have given birth to six children by at least three different partners (a seventh pregnancy ended in a miscarriage in late 2005, around the same time that Santiago had Nixzmary treated for injuries that she ascribed to a fall; the remains of this miscarried child were found in Santiago's apartment on the day that Nixzmary died).
Nixzmary's biological father was not involved in his child's life. A different partner of Santiago's would later give the child his last name. Santiago ultimately became involved with Cesar Rodriguez, with whom she also had children. On January 10, 2006, Santiago or one of her children allegedly blamed Nixzmary for stealing yogurt and for breaking Rodriguez' computer printer. Rodriguez was alleged to have stripped the child and plunged her into cold water in the family's bathtub before finally hitting her against the faucet. Nixzmary died from her injuries the following morning. Much speculation centered on Santiago's involvement in her daughter's death. She has been portrayed in tabloid newspapers and other sources as being both a victim of Rodriquez' physical abuse and as indirectly responsible for her daughter's death. She has been charged with second degree manslaughter and child endangerment, and could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
Sources: Various archived articles from the New York Post, the Daily News, and the New York Times.
