A Texas man, Daniel Schwarz, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for forcing his 8-year-old adopted daughter, Jaylin, to jump on a trampoline in scorching 110-degree heat without food or water as punishment. This horrific incident led to Jaylin’s tragic death from dehydration in August 2020. According to the New York Post, Schwarz, 49, will serve 18 years in prison as part of a plea deal.
The tragic incident dates back to August 29, 2020, when authorities responded to a medical emergency at Daniel Schwarz’s residence, involving his 8-year-old adopted daughter, Jaylin. Investigators from the Ector County District Attorney’s office discovered that Schwarz, 48, and his wife Ashley had subjected Jaylin to a brutal punishment, forcing her to jump on a trampoline for an extended period without food or water in the extreme heat. The trampoline’s surface temperature reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit during the incident. Police also said she wasn’t allowed to drink water after jumping, FOX 8 sister station KMID reported.
The Ector County District Attorney’s Office stated that Schwarz and his wife, Ashley, had subjected Jaylin to severe punishment, which ultimately led to her death. The autopsy showed Jaylin’s cause of death to be dehydration and ruled the manner of her death as a homicide. Ashley Schwarz was previously sentenced to three life terms for capital murder in 2023.
“This outcome is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our prosecutors and the Odessa Police Department in seeking justice,” the county’s District Attorney Dusty Gallivan released in a statement.
Notably, Jaylin was the Schwarz’s adopted daughter, and at the time of her death, her birth mother, Alysha Anderton, was engaged in a custody battle with the couple. The Schwarz’s also had custody of Jaylin’s sister. Following Jaylin’s death, Anderton took to Facebook to express her grief, revealing that she had been denied contact with her daughter for three years.
“All I can think about is her leaving this world not knowing how much I love her and how much I wanted her. It’s not fair that they got so many memories with her and all I’m left with is a hole in my heart that’s so big that I’m completely numb and empty. A part of my soul has died and I will never be the same ever again,” she wrote.
