Authorities say a 5-year-old Texas girl who was tortured before dying earlier this week had been forced to put dog feces and urine-soaked socks in her mouth.
On Monday, Mercedes Losoya was pronounced dead at San Antonio’s Southwest General Hospital. Police say she suffered weeks of extreme physical abuse at the hands of her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.
Katrina Mendoza, 22, and her mom’s boyfriend, Jose Ruiz, 25, were arrested and charged on Thursday with injury to a child, there New York Post reported.
The couple’s charges may be upgraded pending further investigation surrounding the child’s death.
The arrest affidavit reported that Mercedes was missing chunks of her hair, and several of her toenails were missing. She was also covered in bruises and cuts when her mother brought her to the hospital.
Her mom told police that Ruiz had been abusing her daughter for three weeks after she had asked for help disciplining her daughter, officials said.
She also told officers that Ruiz had forced the young child to put dog feces in her mouth while he screamed at her, authorities said.
On another occasion, she admitted that her boyfriend put a sock soaked in urine into the girl’s mouth and pulled it out so aggressively that two of her teeth came out.
He is also accused of repeatedly hitting the child with belts and his hands, which would be covered in rings.
However, Ruiz told the police that it was the mother who tortured the child. However, authorities said that he admitted that he only slapped the little girl “on the ass” and then accused the victim’s 6-year-old sister of pulling out her hair.
But Mercedes’ sister was interviewed by authorities and gave similar statements as her mother.
