Mesa police: Girl, 3, found duct-taped in a closet
A 3-year-old girl who was discovered duct-taped and covered in feces inside a Mesa man's closet Monday is in the state's custody as her mother and her babysitter face abuse charges.
The man who was watching the child was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, abuse and sex-trafficking charges Monday after the child was found suffering from malnutrition, genital blistering and rash, and multiple scratches and bruises, Mesa Police Chief John Meza said.
The girl's 22-year-old mother was also arrested on multiple counts of child abuse in one of the most disturbing cases Mesa police have recently encountered, Meza said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
"The level of neglect was so harsh that the girl could not stand on her own," he said.
Meza said police received a tip from a man who had been at the apartment, in the 600 block of South Mesa Drive, after the man connected with the male suspect, Francisco Javier Rios-Covarrubias, over the Internet about having sex.
When the man arrived, Rios-Covarrubias asked if he wanted to have sex with the child; the man declined and left the apartment, upset about the suggestion, police said.
Police said the man later returned to have consensual sex with the suspect, who told him the little girl was no longer there.
The man contacted police after leaving the apartment for a second time.
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Police found the child with her legs and arms bound and duct tape over her mouth. She was covered in feces and inside a black trash bag with nothing but her head, which was shaved, exposed. She was immediately taken to the Mesa Family Advocacy Center, where she was examined by a pediatric forensics doctor and then hospitalized.
Police said the girl's condition was improving by Tuesday morning, though she has remained non-verbal to investigators.
Rios-Covarrubias was arrested on several charges, including suspicion of sex trafficking, kidnapping and sexual conduct with a minor.
The girl's mother was also arrested. She told police she had no knowledge of any sexual activity occurring at the apartment and had no explanation for the girl's injuries. The girl may have fallen, she said.
Both suspects made their initial court appearances Tuesday and are scheduled for preliminary hearings next week at the Maricopa County Superior Court.
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The Arizona Republic generally does not name sexual-assault victims and is not naming the mother to protect the identity of her daughter.
Police said Rios-Covarrubias had been watching the child for the mother, who worked at a Tempe Taco Bell, for about a month.
The mother told police she had seen her daughter about once a week during that time and had agreed to allow Rios-Covarrubias to leave the child alone in the apartment while he was at work.
Rios-Covarrubias told officers he put her in the closet when he had visitors and also when he went to work, at another fast-food restaurant. Investigators said Rios-Covarrubias would turn the volume up on his television to silence the unattended girl's cries.
Police said the mother admitted to shaving the girl's head herself. She told officers she did it to make the child appear like a cancer victim, police said.
The child is now in custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
"What happened to this child is horrific," said DCS spokesman Doug Nick. "As with any child who is the victim of abuse and neglect, safety is the priority."
Rios-Covarrubias had no record of sex offenses and no extensive criminal history, police said. The mother had a shoplifting conviction.
Residents at the suspect's apartment complex said Tuesday morning that they were surprised to hear what happened.
"It's real messed up what he did to her," said resident Lazandro Moreno, 17. "I hope she finds a better family that treats her well."
Neighbor Maria Delapac, 33, said she hadn't heard any crying or screaming in Rios-Covarrubias' apartment but would occasionally hear occasional muffled banging from next door. She described Rios-Covarrubias as being quiet and typically alone.
A small amount of methamphetamine was found inside the apartment, Mesa's Police Chief Meza said. He also said DCS did not have a case open previously but was involved now.
Meza said the incident has brought further attention to the "evilness" of a statewide sex-trafficking problem.
"This is an incident that shocks the soul," he said. "We want to make sure that all individuals who commit these monstrous crimes will be arrested...the innocence of a child will not be ignored."