A Texas resident, Daniel Schwarz, 48, has admitted to causing the death of his 8-year-old daughter, Jaylin Schwarz, by compelling her to jump on a trampoline under scorching temperatures. The incident, which took place in August 2020 at their Odessa, Texas home, saw the trampoline’s surface temperature rise to approximately 110 degrees. Despite this, Schwarz insisted that his daughter continue jumping.
On Friday, Schwarz pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges and was sentenced to 18 years in prison as part of a plea agreement. The Ector County District Attorney’s Office made the announcement via social media. The office also noted that Ashley Schwarz, Daniel’s wife, had been found guilty of capital murder in May 2023 for her involvement in the tragic incident.
The case stemmed from an incident on August 29, 2020, when emergency services were called to a medical situation involving an 8-year-old girl. Subsequent investigations revealed that Daniel and Ashley Schwarz had punished their daughter by forcing her to jump on the trampoline for an extended period without access to food or water.
Law enforcement officials reported that Jaylin was denied breakfast and any food until she had finished jumping on the trampoline. Further investigations revealed that the child was also denied water because she was not jumping.
The police were initially alerted to a medical emergency on Locust Avenue. After obtaining a search warrant, they checked the local temperatures, discovering that the trampoline’s surface temperature was around 110 degrees and the ground temperature was approximately 150 degrees. Autopsy results showed that Jaylin died from dehydration, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Local CBS affiliate KMGH reported in 2020 that Daniel and Ashley Schwarz were not Jaylin’s biological parents but were her legal guardians. They also had custody of Jaylin’s sister at the time of her death and were involved in a custody dispute with Jaylin’s biological mother, Alysha Anderton, according to court records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. Anderton expressed her sorrow on social media, stating that she had not seen her daughter in over three years and regretted the missed opportunity to tell her how much she loved her.