A 38 year old north side woman is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly beating and starving two teenagers in her care, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Sheriff Javier Salazar says the investigation began when a 15 year old boy ran to a fast food restaurant on TPC Parkway, where he received treatment for a series of injuries which he says had been inflicted over a matter of 'quite some time.' Salazar says the teenage said another teen, a 17 year old, had also been beaten
"The young kids described to us being beaten with a baseball bat, being beaten with bare hands and fists many times, and being locked in a garage quite frequently," Salazar said. "A very tragic case."
The Sheriff said the 15 year old had injuries to his legs that were 'in advanced stages of infection.'
Salazar says there was also evidence that the two teenaged boys, and an eight year old girl, were also starved. He says the 15 year old weighed 75 pounds.
"It's heartbreaking to see a young man who is so emaciated to where he is basically skin and bones," Salazar said. "At this age, that young man should be almost to his physical prime. Instead, he weighs 75 pounds."
Salazar says the three youngsters who were rescued from the home are not the biological children of the suspect, Marissa Monica Cano, 38, but had been left in her care by the children's parents.
He says the three children, and two of Cano's own children, who had not been abused, have been removed from the home and are in state custody.
"The kids mentioned that this activity happened 'whenever they did something bad, or they broke things in the home.' Almost indicating that this was a normal way of life for these kids."
He called the situation 'heartbreaking.'