An 8-year-old girl’s body was found dead and beaten in a hotel bathtub on Saturday, August 2. Now, California police have arrested a couple with the murder of the man’s daughter.
Videos by Suggest
According to PEOPLE, police charged 31-year-old Ray Mata Jr. and 27-year-old Graciela Bustamonte with first-degree murder, willful cruelty to a child, and torture. Court documents reveal that 8-year-old Genesis Ariah Mata’s body was at a La Quinta Inn in Bakersfield, per KBTX.
Couple Arrested For Abusing And Killing 8-Year-Old Girl In Hotel Bathtub
The young girl’s body tragically suffered from a myriad of injuries. According to a probable cause document, the couple poured “scalding hot water” onto Genesis.
Not only did she suffer from severe burns, but severely damaged hands. Allegedly, they crushed the girl’s hand, which ripped off her fingernails.
An officer on the scene noted other injuries such as massive blisters and burns, and even splitting skin. Some of these wounds had reached her face. The officer also mentioned how it looked like she had been whipped many times.
Bustamonte told police in an interview that Genesis allegedly died Friday evening. This was one day before they called 911. Her claims stated that she saw Mata “punching and suffocating” Genesis before she died.
The wife continued to reveal how abusive Mata was toward his children, not just Genesis. Concerning the beatings, she claimed he would use things like wires and hangers.
Bustamonte didn’t just sit back and let these horrific acts happen. She later admitted to police that she had helped participate in some of these beatings.
Things sounded different according to Mata’s view. During his interviews, he claimed that his wife did the majority of the abuse. He even alleged that it was her idea to burn Genesis with the hot water.
Despite all that, he eventually admitted to allegedly punching the child in the stomach. This was what led her to die, according to his side of the story.
CPS Knew Of Abusive Father Already
This hadn’t been Mata’s only run-in with Child Protective Services. Reports show that Mata already had an active case with CPS before Genesis’s death.
School staff had reported his children missing from school. Not only that, but they would come to school with visible bruises on their bodies.
Sophia Hernandez, Genesis’s older cousin, launched a GoFundMe in response to the tragedy. She described her little cousin as being a bright light in her family’s life.
“She was full of life, had a beautiful spirit, and loved anything that sparkled,” said Hernandez. “Her life was stolen far too soon!” They have so far raised nearly $5,000 to help cover Genesis’s funeral costs.