A grandmother in Arizona reportedly confined her mentally impaired granddaughter in a cage filled with feces, leading to the girl’s tragic death — an incident which authorities have classified as homicide, according to law enforcement.
The girl, 13, identified as Melony Granados, had a mental capacity equivalent to that of a 3-year-old. Her grandmother, Virginia Lujan, was indicted for child abuse in January after allegations surfaced that she kept Melony in a “makeshift cage” and subjected her to brutal beatings, resulting in severe sores and bruises on her body, as reported by Tempe officials. Investigators declared Melony’s death a homicide last month after analyzing her living conditions and condition at the time of her passing, according to ABC 15.
Lujan, who died in jail last month, reportedly kept Melony in a “makeshift cage… which was replete with feces and emitted a terrible odor,” said police.
Authorities described it as resembling a bunk bed without the lower section, surrounded by baby gates and improvised bars, a police spokesperson told CBS 5.
The rest of Lujan’s residence was described as “deplorable” and unclean.
On the evening of January 22, police discovered Melony unresponsive; she succumbed to her injuries in a hospital the following day.
<pLujan, 55, informed officers that Melony had reportedly fallen down the stairs, according to CBS 5.
She claimed that she did not initially seek medical assistance because she believed the injuries were minor, only contacting authorities after the girl became unconscious.
However, the injuries on Melony’s body were in varying stages of healing, indicating they had likely been caused over an extended timeframe, officials noted.
Melony’s mother, Jami Hodges, 33, did not reside with her daughter but was allegedly aware of the severe abuse.
Authorities indicated, “Both Lujan and Hodges confessed that Melony was kept in this ‘cage’ for the purpose of maintaining control over her.”
Hodges, who also faces charges of child abuse, purportedly stated to police that she had not been informed of any fall down the stairs.
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Both Lujan and Hodges were indicted on two counts of child abuse, as well as charges for tampering with physical evidence and witness tampering.
Lujan passed away in jail before facing formal charges; authorities have not disclosed further details regarding her death, though they maintain it resulted from natural causes, as reported by ABC 15.
Hodges has been released while awaiting charges.
Hodges has four other children, currently in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, while she awaits further legal proceedings, the outlet reported.
