SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. – Police officials in Southern California said they uncovered a domestic child abuse case where multiple children were tortured — including being branded — and neglected over the past nine years by an aunt and uncle.
The suspects were identified as 36-year-old Fernando Inzunza and 26-year-old Jessica Salas-Ruiz. They were arrested last week by the Rialto Police Department, Yahoo News reported.
Authorities alleged that both Inzunza and Salas-Ruiz, over the last nine years, abused and tortured four of the five children in their care. The children’s ages range from 11- to 17-years-old, according to a Wednesday press release issued by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
The initial report of abuse originated from a relative while the children were visiting in Barstow.
The Barstow Police Department conducted a preliminary investigation regarding the abuse. Forensic evidence and physical marks on the children corroborated their accounts.
Once BPD investigators determined the abuse occurred in Rialto, they turned the investigation over to the Rialto Police Department.
Rialto police discovered the abuse occurred while the children lived with their aunt, Salas-Ruiz, and uncle, Inzunza, while they resided in the 1000 block of E. Jackson Street in the City of Rialto.
Investigators said the children were subjected to “various forms of physical abuse and torture including branding, strangulation, and being shot with pellet guns,” according to Yahoo News.
Detectives concluded the investigation, which led to a criminal complaint filed by the SBCDA’s Office May 23. Each defendant faces the following charges:
- Inzunza: Four felony counts, which include two counts of torture and two counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
- Salas-Ruiz: Four suspected counts, which include felony child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.
Inzunza and Salas-Ruiz were booked at the San Bernardino County Detention Center. They each have a bail set at $750,000. They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing next Tuesday.
