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The grandmother of a teenager with epilepsy who died after the police said she had been locked in an impromptu cage for prolonged periods of time has been accused by a large jury. In Arizonaannounced the office of the Maricopa County Prosecutor.
Virginia Lujan, 55, has been accused of child abuse and other crimes after death last month of her granddaughter, who suffered a rare form of epilepsy and had cognitive disability causing it to work at the level of a 3 -year -old girl.
Lujan called 911 on January 20 to inform that his granddaughter did not respond at her two -story house in Tempe near US 60 and Mill Avenue, prosecutors said.
When the officers arrived, they found the girl lying on the floor of the living room with brands and bruises in various parts of her body. She was transported to a hospital, where she died the next day.
Virginia Lujan, 55, has been accused of child abuse and other crimes after her granddaughter died after not responding at home.
“No child should have to endure suffering,” said Ken McCoy, city chief of the city, the day after his death, according to Fox 10.
“We are committed to discovering the truth and seeking justice in his name. The tragic loss of a child is a deep reminder of our shared responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our community.”
Police said they discovered a bunk that had been adapted to an improvised enclosure where the victim remained for prolonged periods of time, along with very unhealthy conditions throughout the house.
Police, according to Fox 10 PhoenixHe described Lujan’s house as “messy and dirty”, with garbage that covers the floors of the house and dead insects such as cockroaches that are seen in various parts of the house.
The grandmother of a teenager with epilepsy who died after the police said she had been locked in an impromptu cage for prolonged periods of time has been accused by a large jury in Arizona. Police speak at a press conference the day after his death. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
When investigating where the girl had been kept, the police discovered a high bed frame, similar to the literas inside, with the exception that there was no bed or mattress at the bottom, according to judicial documents cited by Fox 10.
On the other hand, the frame of the high bed created a space under the upper bunk.
This bed found a large, large enough rail to enclose the long right side of the bed and another rail with plastic doors united by this bed. These elements, together, joined the frame as walls for an enclosure or cage, the exit reported.
These components remained united with plastic runs. Police also said there were human waste on the floor inside the enclosure.
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The victim, according to the researchers, was one of the five children belonging to Jami Hodges, 33, Lujan’s daughter. They had ages between 2 and 15 years.
In 2021, Hodges transferred four of her five children of guardianship to Lujan, and at the time of the victim’s death, she had moved with her mother due to structural problems that forced her to leave her old house, according to Fox 10.
They lived in a narrow space inside their three bedroom house, police said.
The family lived in a three -bedroom house “messy and dirty,” said the police. (Fox 10 Phoenix)
Hodges and his 2 -year -old daughter slept in the living room on the main floor, while Lujan had their own room on the second floor. The rest of the children shared the remaining two rooms, investigators wrote in judicial documents.
They also wrote that none of Hodges’s children were enrolled or attending school.
Hodges, according to the police reports cited by Fox 10, said that when he returned to the home of the early dentist on January 21, he noticed that the victim was “acting” and that he saw a great eruption or discoloration under the axilas and armpits of the victim At the bottom of his legs.
The girl then turned a turn and Tempe Police Department Officers and teams with Tempe Fire Medical Rescue were called to the house around 9 pm
Lujan told the first to answer that the victim had fallen a few days before, the researchers wrote.
The victim was found covered with bruises in various parts of her body. The bruises were described as in several stages of healing, while dry blood was found inside their right ear and his face seemed swollen.
Tempe police department vehicles. The department police responded to the scene. (Caitlin O’Hara/Bloomberg through Getty Images)
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The victim was taken to the hospital and was declared dead hours later.
Hodges was arrested but was released pending charges.
Lujan is currently retained at $ 500,000 insured Appearance bond, According to the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office.
She is also accused of manipulating physical evidence, manipulating a witness and three positions to contribute to the dependence of a child.
