Ricardo Mendez and Antanita Miller have been charged with the torture and murder of their 1-year-old child, Jamari Mendez.
Mendez and Miller showed up at Leslie Mendez’s (Ricardo Mendez’s sister) house, in Pomona, California, around 7 p.m. with two of their children.
They told Leslie that their other child, Jamari, was with Miller’s mother.
During the visit, Mendez told her that Jamari was dead in the back of their car.
Leslie immediately ran to the car and found Jamari covered in blankets. Other family members in the house came out to help. Lesli and her sister-in-law rushed the baby to the hospital, while Mendez and Miller stood at the house.
According to news outlets, Jamari was covered in bruises, cuts, and burn marks.
Police found items that the parents used in torturing their child, including a torch lighter. The wounds had been in different stages of healing, suggesting the abuse was ongoing.
Police believed Mendez and Miller killed Jamari at their house in Barstow California, before they put him in the car and drove to Leslie’s house.
Investigators are not disclosing if CPS has ever been involved or any other details to maintain the integrity of the case.
Mendez and Miller will be arraigned on May 5, 2022. Prosecutors charged them with murder, assault on a child, and torture.
