Plea deal on hold for Ceres mom accused in son's drowning

MODESTO -- A possible plea deal will have to wait until next month in the case of a Ceres mother accused of murder in her 2-year-old son’s drowning.

Florcita Valdez, 36, appeared briefly Wednesday morning in Stanislaus County Superior Court. Judge Linda McFadden scheduled Valdez to return to court Jan. 7.

Stephen Foley, Valdez’s defense attorney, told the judge that he and Deputy District Attorney Marlisa Ferreira are working on the final details of the plea deal.

Valdez’s son, Aureliano Joel Valdez, was found dead in the family’s pool on Larson Lane in Ceres minutes after his mother reported the boy missing July 18, 2010. The defendant remains in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.