[1] After lengthy investigations indicated that five babies had been poisoned and eight others had suffered an assault, police arrested nurse Brenda Agüero, whom prosecutors later charged with five counts of "aggravated murder for applying the insidious method of potassium incompatible with life.
[6] In early June 2022, the provincial government intervened at the Ramón Castillo Neonatal Hospital after reports of healthy babies dying without cause.
[11] On the same day that police announced the arrest of nurse Brenda Agüero, the minister of health of Córdoba, Diego Cardozo, resigned to his position after heavy criticism for his handling of the case.
[12] In February 2023, the head of the hospital, 70-year-old Liliana Asís, was arrested and accused of concealing the unnatural deaths of the babies to the authorities.
Among the discoveries, the head of the pharmacy of the hospital found that there was a faulty report on 20 vials of potassium for the month of June, when three of the deaths occurred.
Her colleagues also reported to police that Agüero usually dressed in long sleeves, including on hot summer days, coinciding with the prosecution's accusation.
The report concluded that the perpetrator selected "extremely vulnerable" victims who did not oppose any resistance, for which they sought the perfect moment to inject an external agent into their bodies with the intent to cause harm and death.
[16] On 20 August 2022, police announced the arrest of Brenda Cecilia Agüero (born 1995 in Río Ceballos, Córdoba Province);[17] a nurse who worked in the neonatal unit and who had been among the suspended personnel during the initial investigation.
[21] Days after her arrest, Agüero was formally charged with five counts of "aggravated murder for applying the insidious method of potassium incompatible with life."
[22] Another accusation argued that Agüero concealed the syringes with which she allegedly injected the babies with potassium, under her sleeves, with other medical personnel noting that she went to work with long-sleeved shirts even on hot summer days.
[27] On 9 August 2023, prosecutor Garzón said that the investigation had entered "its final phase," adding that his office had received reports from other two suspicious deaths of babies.
[9] In September 2023, the prosecution added the analysis by a team of criminal profilers who determined that the killings were acts of serial murders and that a single perpetrator was behind them.
Without mentioning Agüero, prosecutor Garzón said that the analysis will be a key to the cause, because the profilers also pointed to a person with access to the babies and who did not initially raise any suspicion.
[34] On 30 January, medical professionals testified at the trial, saying that the babies did not die by a natural cause, and confirmed that the levels of potassium or insulin in their bodies were injected deliberately.