Claudia Velediaz-Bonifazi, Texas caretaker arrested shoving boy’s head in toilet and forcing him to drink water among a string of violent abuses against the child.
A Texas caretaker has been accused of dragging a chil into a bathroom, shoving the boy’s face in a toilet and forcing him to drink the water among a string of other ‘violent abuses.’
Claudia Velediaz-Bonifazi was arrested on Wednesday after the boy, who was in the woman’s care, told school officials about the abuse, the Woodway Police Department announced.
The boy showed up to the school sobbing and told his teachers and counselor that he was ‘dragged to the bathroom by his hair and his head was forced into the toilet where he was forced to drink toilet water,’ police said in a statement.
He also said she had ripped out parts of his hair in the process.
Following her arrest, Velediaz-Bonifazi was placed in custody for injury to a child with intent to cause bodily injury.
Further investigations by police and Child Protective Services revealed the boy had been the victim of several other ‘violent incidents.’
The abuse included ‘being punched, hit with miscellaneous objects, and not being fed for long periods of time,’ cops said.
The child has been placed with a relative for safety, cops said. His relationship to Velediaz-Bonifazi is unclear but police said he was in her care. Also not immediately clear is how long the abuse had been going on and how the abuse managed to elude educators at school.
The Woodway Public Safety Department lauded officials for their work handling the ‘difficult investigation.’
‘Great work school personnel for noticing and moving this investigation forward,’ the department said. ‘Great work CPS and our local Advocacy Center for assisting with the investigation. Great work Woodway Officers and Detectives for completing this difficult investigation.’
