A lady and her boyfriend have been charged with beating her 5-year-old daughter for weeks before she died as a sort of punishment.
Mercedes Losoya, 5, was unresponsive when she arrived at Texas Vista Medical Center, previously Southwest General Hospital, with her mother Katrina Mendoza, 22, on Feb. 7, according to the New York Post. Medical professionals attempted but failed to resuscitate her. At 7:18 p.m., the tiny girl was pronounced dead. According to an affidavit, hospital workers promptly contacted San Antonio police that Mercedes looked to have been the victim of severe physical abuse.
According to the affidavit, the girl was missing portions of her hair and had bruises, scratches, wounds, and swelling on practically every part of her body. Officials said the mother revealed to law police that her boyfriend Jose Angel Ruiz, 25, had been assaulting Mercedes for three weeks after she begged him to assist her discipline her daughter. According to investigators, Ruiz allegedly forced Mercedes to eat dog feces while screaming at her. Ruiz allegedly inserted a sock drenched in urine into the girl’s mouth on another occasion, then ripped it out so forcefully that two of the girl’s teeth were knocked out, according to the news site.
Mendoza also said that Ruiz hit her daughter with belts and his hands on numerous occasions. According to the New York Post, Mercedes’ 6-year-old sister was examined separately by authorities and offered comments that were congruent with her mother’s.
Katrina Mendoza and Jose Angel Ruiz have been charged with intentionally or knowingly injuring a child and causing serious bodily injury. Ruiz is being jailed on $600,000 bail in the Bexar County Jail. In the wake of the small girl’s death, police warned the charges could be strengthened pending additional investigation.
