Genesis Ariah Mata, 8 year old Bakersfield, California girl dead from child abuse despite CPS warned 20 times over the years. Child’s father, Ray Mata Jr. and stepmother, Graciela Bustamonte plead not guilty.
The father and stepmother of an 8-year-old California girl found dead in a hotel bathtub over the weekend appeared in court on Tuesday where they pled not guilty in the girl’s death. The pleas come despite family and friends now saying that the child was forsaken by Child Protective Services who failed to act on her behalf.
Ray Mata Jr., 31, of Bakersfield, and Graciela Bustamonte, 27, of Delano, face up to seven charges including first-degree murder, willful cruelty to a child, and torture of the man’s 8-year-old-daughter.
Genesis Ariah Mata was found dead in a bathtub at a La Quinta Inn motel room on Riverside Drive and Buck Owens Boulevard on Saturday evening.
A probable cause statement cited by KBAK stated the father and stepmother ‘working in tandem’ over two days to torture the child, pouring scalding hot water on her that ’caused ripping of the skin.’
The documents also say the pair crushed the girl’s hand, causing her fingernails to separate from her fingers.
Mata allegedly admitted to investigators that he punched the girl’s abdomen with his fist, ultimately causing her to lose consciousness and die. The documents say Bustamonte admitted that she participated in the tortuous acts.
According to KGET, seven children were taken into protective custody after police found the dead girl’s body.
Bakersfield Police Department investigators reported that Genesis was abandoned and showed significant trauma to her body. Family members and friends now blame Child Protective Services for the girl’s death according to Bakersfield Now.
‘The system failed my little cousin, big time,’ Sabrina Guerrero a cousin of Genesis told the outlet. ‘Even her friends, even people that knew, that were close to her, that even actually knew of the abuse, didn’t report it.’
Daisy Gomez, a family friend told the outlet that ‘there were signs of abuse.’
Both Guerrero and Gomez, speaking for Genesis’ biological mother’s side, claimed that Child Protective Services ignored signs of abuse despite being contacted ‘at least 20’ times. Guerrero emphasized, ‘It’s a sad situation, and CPS needs to be held accountable for everything.’
The judge issued a criminal protective order preventing Mata and Bustamonte from contacting a specific list of family members directly, indirectly, or through third parties.
Both suspects are being held without bond and are scheduled to return to court later this month.
A GoFundMe to help with Genesis’ funeral costs as of Wednesday night had raised $4,635.
CPS and the Kern County Department of Human Services declined to comment on allegations that they failed to protect the eight year old girl.
