Remembering Vivian Mae Mariscal

Jan 9, 2025 - Sep 14, 2025

When Vivian was only days old, she was separated from me. She was removed from my care on January 11, 2025, before the court order was entered on January 13. She spent time in the NICU before being discharged on January 22, 2025, into foster care instead of coming home with her mother. Vivian was still a newborn. She had barely begun her life, and I had barely begun mine with her. I should have been learning her little expressions, watching her change, and getting to know my daughter day by day. Instead, our earliest days together were overshadowed by separation, uncertainty, and a system that kept us apart. Her brothers should have grown up with her. They should have shared birthdays, holidays, laughter, childhood memories, and all the little moments that become some of the most meaningful parts of life. They should have had the chance to watch each other grow, to learn from one another, to fight over silly things, to make up, and to build a bond that would last a lifetime. Vivian should have known the feeling of growing up with her big brother and had the chance to become the big sister her little brother could look up to. Instead, our family lost time together that we can never get back. I grieve the childhood my children should have shared and the sibling relationships they deserved the opportunity to build. I wanted my children to grow up together, to have each other through every stage of life, to know where they came from, and to understand that they would always be family. Vivian will always be their sister, regardless of the time they were given together. She will always have a place in our family, in my heart, and in the story of their lives. The people who were supposed to protect her placed her in a home where they took her life and her future. The medical examiner's findings are an important part of Vivian's story. I understand that the examination did not identify water in her lungs or airway. I have also been told that without the bathtub-related circumstances, the cause of death would have been classified as undetermined. These findings have left me with questions about what happened to my daughter and how the conclusions surrounding her death were reached. I personally saw photographs of Vivian, and what I observed raised further questions for me. She did not appear wet to me. I also noticed what appeared to be male pants near the diapers. These are details I do not want overlooked, and I want answers about the circumstances they may help clarify.