A grandmother and mother in Arizona are accused of abusing a special-needs 13-year-old girl to death, beating the child, who had the mental capacity of a 3-year-old, and disciplining her by forcing her to spend time in a makeshift feces-covered cage.
Virginia Lujan, 55, and Jami Hodges, 33, were arrested on Tuesday and charged with one count of child abuse each in connection with the death of their granddaughter and daughter.
According to a news release from the Tempe Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call at Lujan’s home around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, after the grandmother informed emergency dispatchers that her 13-year-old granddaughter was not breathing.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they located the victim and attempted life-saving measures before transporting her to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Police inside the home noticed that the victim was “covered in bruises and sores,” all of which were “in various stages of healing,” indicating ongoing physical abuse.
Due to “initial observations” and the severity of the child’s condition, police notified members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the situation.
In an interview with detectives, the victim’s grandmother stated that the child was in her care at the time she called 911.
“Lujan told investigators the child had fallen down the stairs two days prior, on Sunday night,” according to the announcement.
“She stated that she did not seek medical attention because she believed the girl would be fine.” It was discovered that the girl had a cognitive delay and had the mental capacity of a three-year-old.
The victim’s mother told detectives she was “not aware of a fall” involving her daughter, according to police. Hodges also stated that her daughter had been “temporarily staying with Lujan, who was caring for four of Hodges’ five children.”
“Hodges admitted to not seeing her 13-year-old daughter regularly since staying at her mother’s home,” according to a release.
Back at the hospital, medical personnel spend several hours performing life-saving procedures on the child. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead early on January 22, according to police.
Detectives then obtained and executed a search warrant for Lujan’s home. During the search, authorities reported discovering “what appeared to be a makeshift cage, which was full of feces and had a foul odor.”
“Both Lujan and Hodges admitted that the girl was kept in this ‘cage’ to keep control of her,” according to the release.
While the mother-daughter duo in custody were only facing child abuse charges as of Thursday afternoon, police said the investigation is still ongoing and additional charges may be filed based on new evidence.
Police said Lujan is still in custody, while Hodges was “booked and released pending charges.”
