Pasadena woman gets 40 years after toddler reportedly beaten to death, newborn injured in 2019

HOUSTON – A Pasadena woman was sentenced to 40 years on Monday after she entered a guilty plea on two charges to injury to a child, according to court records.

Emily Aust and Austin Reid, were charged with two counts of injury to a child in 2020.

The couple were accused of beating and burning both Aust’s 2-year-old toddler in 2019 and newborn son earlier in May 2019.

Aust was sentenced to 40 years for each charge. According to the docs, the sentences are concurrent — so she will serve 40 years total.

What happened

Aust’s 2-year-old son, by another man, was rushed to Texas Children’s Hospital after being left alone with Reid, according to court documents. He reportedly told police he’d left the little boy in a partially filled tub and came back to find him unconscious. The problem with that story, according to prosecutors, was that the child wasn’t wet when medics found him and his injuries were extensive.

“(He was) found to have brain bleeds and extensive bruising all over this body, including his head, arms legs, genitals and he also had large amounts of cigarette burns all over his body,” said Assist. Harris County Attorney, Gilbert Sawtelle.

The child died after three days of being on life support.

Police were still investigating that case when Aust gave birth to a second son late last year.

Then, the new baby was severely injured, prosecutors said. Reid claimed the infant was injured when he stuck his arm through a laundry basket. But doctors discovered the baby’s elbow was broken and dislocated.

“That baby also had burns on its fingertips and high liver enzymes indicative of abdominal trauma,” Sawtelle said.