Daniel Schwarz, Jaylin Schwarz and Ashley Schwarz (CBS Texas/YouTube).
In Texas, a man named Daniel Schwarz has confessed to causing the death of his 8-year-old daughter by making her repeatedly jump on a hot trampoline along with his wife. The trampoline’s surface was around 110 degrees during the incident.
Daniel Schwarz, aged 48, disregarded the scorching weather in August and compelled his daughter, Jaylin Schwarz, to keep jumping on the trampoline at their Odessa home in 2020. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received an 18-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal, following his wife Ashley Schwarz’s conviction for capital murder in May 2023.
The Ector County District Attorney’s Office stated, “Schwarz admitted his guilt in the tragic death of his adopted daughter. The incident occurred on August 29, 2020, when authorities were called to a medical emergency involving the 8-year-old girl. Investigations revealed that Daniel and Ashley Schwarz had punished their daughter by forcing her to jump on the scorching trampoline for a prolonged period without providing food or water. The trampoline’s surface temperature was recorded at about 110 degrees at the time.”
According to police, Jaylin was told by her parents that she couldn’t have breakfast that day — or any food at all — until she was done jumping on the trampoline. “Further investigation revealed that the 8-year-old child was not allowed to drink any water because she was not jumping,” authorities said.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, police were called to the 4300 block of Locust Avenue for a medical call when they found out what happened to Jaylin that day. They obtained a search warrant and checked the local temperatures, with the trampoline registering at approximately 110 degrees and the ground being approximately 150 degrees. Jaylin’s autopsy results showed that she died of dehydration and her death was ruled a homicide.
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Relatives told local CBS affiliate KMGH in 2020 that Daniel and Ashley Schwarz were not her biological parents, but her “guardians.” The couple also had custody of Jaylin’s sister at the time of her death and were in the middle of a custody fight with Jaylin’s biological mother, according to court records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. The woman, Alysha Anderton, wrote on Facebook after Jaylin’s murder that her funeral was the first time she had seen her daughter in more than three years.
“I never got the chance to tell her how HARD I was trying to be in her life and I was SO SO close,” Anderton said. “But I was too late. And 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.”
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