Mother, Boyfriend Arrested In 5-Year-Old Girl’s Death — Allegedly Forced Daughter To Put Feces In Her Mouth, Cops Say
A woman and her boyfriend have been arrested and are accused of abusing her 5-year-old daughter as a form of punishment for weeks until she died.
According to the New York Post, on Feb. 7, 5-year-old Mercedes Losoya was unresponsive when she arrived with her mother Katrina Mendoza, 22, at Texas Vista Medical Center, formerly Southwest General Hospital. Medical personnel attempted to revive her but was unsuccessful. The little girl was pronounced dead at 7:18 p.m.. Hospital staff immediately alerted San Antonio police that Mercedes appeared to have been the victim of extreme physical abuse, according to an affidavit.
The girl was missing sections of hair from her head, and she had bruises, scratches, cuts, and swelling on almost every portion of her body, the affidavit said. While speaking with law enforcement, the mother admitted that her boyfriend Jose Angel Ruiz, 25, had been abusing Mercedes for three weeks after she asked him to help discipline her daughter, officials said. Ruiz allegedly forced Mercedes to put dog feces in her mouth as he screamed at her, authorities noted. The news site reports that on another occasion, Ruiz put a sock soaked in urine into the girl’s mouth — and then pulled it out so aggressively that two of teeth came out, officials said.
In addition to this, Mendoza also alleged that Ruiz repeatedly struck her daughter with belts and his hands. The New York Post notes that Mercedes’ 6-year-old sister was interviewed by police separately and gave statements that were consistent with that of her mom, police said.
Katrina Mendoza and Jose Angel Ruiz, have been charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury intentionally or knowingly. Ruiz is being held in the Bexar County Jail on $600,000 bail. Police said the charges may be upgraded pending further investigation in the wake of the little girl’s death.
Press Play Below For More: