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Did social workers fail to protect 6-year-old Paso Robles boy?

May 13, 2025

Briant Reyes Estrada

By KAREN VELIE

Despite receiving multiple calls reporting the neglect of a young boy, San Luis Obispo County social workers appear to have failed to protect the 6-year-old child who allegedly died after being left in a car while his father went to work on Saturday.

Briant Reyes Estrada, a 27-year-old Mexican national, worked and lived in Cambria in 2023 and 2024 with his son. The child’s mother reportedly lives in Mexico.

In 2023, Reyes Estrada secured a job at the Fireside Inn on Moonstone Beach in Cambria. On several occasions, the father left the boy in his vehicle while he went to work, leading to at least two reports to SLO County Child Welfare Services, according to Matt Griffith, a supervisor at the inn.

In late Sept. 2024, management at the inn suspended Reyes Estrada regarding issues which were not related to leaving his son in a vehicle while he worked. He was then terminated in Oct. 2024, Griffith said.

In Nov. 2024, Reyes Estrada allegedly used a Fireside Inn manager’s credit card at a hardware store, where he spent $1,000. He is facing two charges of embezzlement regarding the hardware store purchases.

Reyes Estrada then secured a job at the Paso Robles Inn and moved to Paso Robles with his son, who attended Pat Butler Elementary School. During the short time they lived in Paso Robles, the boy frequently missed school.

On at least five occasions, school officials reported their concerns to SLO County Child Welfare services, according to a Paso Robles Joint Unified School District official.

On May 10, Reyes Estrada allegedly left his 6-year-old son in his vehicle while he worked a shift at the Paso Robles Inn. Paso Robles experienced record breaking 99 degree high temperature that afternoon.

Reyes Estrada drove his son from the Paso Robles Inn parking lot to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton. He left the car running and the door open while he ran into the hospital with his son, according to a witness at the hospital. The child was pronounced dead.

On Tuesday afternoon, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed two felony counts against Reyes Estrada – murder and child abuse.

“Reyes Estrada did unlawfully, and with malice aforethought murder confidential victim, a human being,” according to the complaint. “Reyes Estrada did willfully and unlawfully, under circumstances likely to produce great bodily harm and death, injure, cause, and permit a child to suffer and to be inflicted with unjustifiable physical pain and mental suffering, and, having the care and custody of said child, injure, cause, and permit the person and health of said child to be injured and did willfully cause and permit said child to be placed in such situation that his health was endangered.”

Reyes Estrada has an arraignment and pre-trial conference scheduled for Wednesday.

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A 6-year old should be able to exit a vehicle on his own accord. He was locked in. This is a clear case.


6

I’m shocked that government employees failed at their job


6

Tragic!! Social Workers’ are overworked and underpaid, our childcare system is in shambles with costs so high few people can afford decent childcare. What was this father thinking? Were the windows up in the car? Was the little boy too afraid to open the car door and get out? After all these reports regarding this child being left in a car, was the father not given any information on resources where his child could be cared for while he was working? A senseless death of an innocent child is almost too much to bear for our whole community.


4

Search SLO County Child Welfare salaries on Transparent CA. One particular supervisor makes $230K/yr and she’s not alone. Maybe the underlings are “overworked and underpaid” but the management team is making very big bucks.


11

‘The starting salary for a social worker in San Luis Obispo County can vary depending on the specific position and experience, but generally ranges from around $46,280 to $56,264 annually for a Social Worker I-IV’.


That’s only about $5,000.00 a month! With rent for a 3 bedroom home running $3,000.00 to $4,500.00 a month in SLO county, that is not even a living wage. Mr. Reyes Estrada is obviously a scum bag that should be deported immediately (rather than California taxpayers paying $130,000.00 per year to keep him incarcerated for the rest of his life). However, this issue runs much deeper. An innocent 6 year old boy dying a horrific death is just another sign of our failing society.


5

Social services definitely failed to protect this kid that was left to die in a hot car.


But more importantly, california failed this poor child with its sanctuary policies. Sanctuary polices allowed this man to walk free after his arrest in April 29, 2025….Yes TWO WEEKS AGO!!!! After he was arrested for multiple felony charges and Ice put a hold (detainer) on him because he was in the United States illegally. But SLO county jail was forced to release him due to California’s policies.


And I’m not surprised one bit to hear this guy was in the country illegally. He needs to be locked up for life to think about that six year old boy he killed with his negligence.


25

Sounds like a single father with very little support doing the best he could do. And we all make errors.


That said “the world is a vampire”


-27

Everyone who neglected this child should go to prison. There is no excuse for this. Why do we pay for Social Workers if they are going to neglect those that are most vulnerable, 5 times.


38

Social Services can’t just put kids in protective custody for an unsubstantiated “report.” Their hands are tied without actual proof of neglect.


If the police were called for those earlier incidents, that could have helped get the kid protected.


3

It is obvious Reyes Estrada is a total scumbag. SLO County Welfare isn’t much better their lack of action is direct result of why this poor child is no longer with us.


12

I can only hope that the little one fell asleep and did not suffer. The alternative is too horrific to consider.

Thank you to Pat Butler staff for speaking up. Too bad others didn’t intercede after the FIVE reports.

RIP sweet little man. You’re in a better place now.


71