The charred body of a girl who had been raped, murdered and dismembered was found on her 10th birthday in an apartment in New Mexico, police say.
Police say the girl, identified as Victoria Martens, was first injected with methamphetamine, then sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed and then dismembered.
Officers received a call about a disturbance inside the family apartment at the Arroyo Villas Apartment Complex on Irving Boulevard in Albuquerque. One of the arriving officers found the girl’s body in a bathroom, rolled up in a blanket that had been set on fire.
‘This is a horrific tragedy for our community,’ said Police Chief Gordon Eden.
‘I want to assure the public that we will pursue justice and we will make sure that we exhaust every resource into this investigation.’
Michelle Martens, the victim’s mother, her 31-year-old boyfriend Fabian Gonzales and his 31-year-old cousin, Jessica Kelley, face charges of child abuse resulting in death and kidnapping, and tampering with evidence.
Gonzales and Kelley have also been charged with criminal sexual penetration of a minor.
Martens later confessed, according to the criminal complaint. She said Gonzales had drugged the girl to ‘calm her down’ so he could have sex with her. She said Kelley held her hand over the child’s mouth and stabbed her in the stomach after Gonzales strangled her.
She said that Gonzales and Kelley then dismembered Victoria.
Laura Bobbs, a local minister and close family friend of the victim, broke down sobbing outside the apartment when she heard what had happened.
‘Who does this to a little child?’ she asked.
‘What evil.’
