A DAD and stepmom allegedly left their eight-year-old daughter with severe burns, no fingernails, and ripped skin after torturing her to death, police say.
A police officer said, “Oh my God,” after uncovering little Genesis Ariah Mata’s body inside a California motel room on Saturday, stomach-churning court documents have revealed.
Genesis Ariah Mata, eight, was found murdered with horrific injuries on Saturday[/caption]
Her body was found in a motel room in Bakersfield, California[/caption]
Her stepmom Graciela Bustamonte has been accused of torturing the little girl to death[/caption]
Her dad Ray Mata Jr has also been accused of killing the girl[/caption]
Cops believe that Genesis died on Friday after suffering severe torture sessions at the hands of her dad Ray Mata, 31, and his wife Graciela Bustamonte, 27, CBS affiliate KBAK reported.
Officials weren’t called until the following day, and they found her body in a bathtub at a La Quinta Inn Room in Bakersfield, about two hours northwest of Los Angeles.
Genesis suffered through two gruesome days of torture where the couple “worked in tandem” to pour scalding water on her, cops said in an affidavit.
The burns were so severe that the little girl’s skin started “ripping.”
One officer who was there when the victim was found said that she had more skin splitting on top of her head and massive blisters all over her body. Her hair was almost completely cut off.
There were also scars all over her back, and signs that she had been whipped, the cop said.
In the report, the officer said that another cop walked into the room and said, “Oh my God,” before covering his mouth as he processed the gruesome scene.
The cop appeared to be in shock at the state of the girl’s body, the report said.
The little girl didn’t have any fingernails on her left hand, as the couple had allegedly smashed her fingers into door frames as a sick punishment, the documents allege.
In an interview with cops, Bustamonte admitted to watching Mata allegedly abuse his daughter and said that she let it happen.
She claimed that he would whip his children with a charging cord, wires, and hangers, and oftentimes hit their backs until they were bleeding.
Meanwhile, Mata pointed the finger at his wife, and claimed that she had conducted most of the abuse.
He accused Bustamonte of devising the idea to pour boiling water on the little girl so she would “listen.”
However, he went on to say after hearing his Miranda Rights that he beat his children and was responsible for their injuries.
The twisted dad told cops that he punched Genesis hard in the abdomen before she went unconscious and died, according to the arrest reports.
Bustamonte also admitted to participating in the torture that allegedly led to the little girl’s death.
Investigators searched the scene after finding the body[/caption]
TRAGIC CASE
Child Protective Services had an active case open for Mata. They started investigating him after staff at her school noticed his children would go missing and had visible bruises.
Mata and Bustamonte both appeared in court wearing prison jumpsuits to plead not guilty to the charges, which include first-degree murder, willful cruelty to a child, and torture.
The dad held documents up to block his face from the cameras that were in the courtroom.
They are expected to return to court later this month.
In a GoFundMe, a cousin of the little girl described the victim as being “full of life” with a “beautiful spirit.”
“Her life was stolen far too soon,” read the description.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800 422 4453 or live chat at https://www.childhelphotline.org/.
If a child or other person is in immediate danger, contact 911 immediately.
