Catheryn Gardner
HPD

Officer Gardner reveals her compassion and persistence in fulfilling her duty to serve and protect.

We could list hundreds of people Officer Gardner has helped as an investigator in the juvenile division, but one case especially reveals her compassion and persistence in fulfilling her duty to serve and protect.

In April 2000, Officer Gardner was assigned the case of a 19-month-old child who was life-flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital. When a social worker told Officer Gardner that the toddler’s mother had injected enough insulin into her tiny body to cause brain damage, she filed “injury-to-a-child” charges against the mother.

On further investigation, she learned that caffeine had been put in the IV feeding tube of the girl’s 19-month-old sibling. Officer Gardner recognized the symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, which leads a parent to continually seek doctor or hospital care for a child.

To shorten a long story, tenacious and thorough gathering of evidence – including a trip to San Antonio on her own time - led to exhuming the body of another child who had died in 1993 and a murder indictment against the mother.

Schepps Dairies recognized Officer Gardner as The Very Best for her relentless pursuit of justice in the case.

Outside of her HPD duties, Officer Gardner has earned statewide recognition as a fund raiser for Special Olympics, including organizing the first “airplane pull” event at Bush Airport. She is active in the Deer Park Escort Drill team Booster Club, First Baptist Church of Deer Park and the HPD volunteer Honor Guard.

She is also a member of the nonsanctioned Houston Police championship snow-skiing team. Their accomplishments are amazing when you consider how little snow and how few mountains we have in the Bayou City.

For her untiring pursuit of justice and her passion to help special individuals in Houston, we proudly present the Bravo Award to Catheryn Gardner.