Mexican grandparents rape, kill 6-year-old girl after parents thought she'd be safer with them during lockdown
CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO: The grandparents of a six-year-old girl allegedly raped and strangled her to death during the COVID-19 lockdown in Chihuahua, Mexico.
The girl's parents assumed their daughter would be safer with her grandparents at their home as the pair were retired. The youngster had started living with the horror couple, identified as Miguel Angel Z and Guadalupe MP just 10 days before her tragic death.
According to a report by The Sun, Miguel and Guadalupe called emergency services to report their granddaughter's death, saying she had a high fever for a number of days along with other symptoms associated with the deadly contagion. Responding authorities subsequently confirmed the girl's death at the scene and began forensic tests to determine if she had died of the novel coronavirus.
However, results of the test are yet to be released by authorities.
That said, local media reported that autopsy results had established the girl had died of strangulations and displayed several signs of sexual abuse. Following the revelation, the grandparents were arrested and are now scheduled to be arraigned before a judge on homicide and rape charges.
According to reports, the grandfather is suspected of sexually assaulting the six-year-old. While the investigation continues, Mexico remains under lockdown, with all essential businesses like grocers and pharmacists also closed.
It recently emerged that a 13-year-old girl was raped and murdered in the northwestern city of Nogales during the lockdown. The teenager, identified as Ana Paola, was found lifeless in a bedroom at her residence after her mother went out to purchase food supplies.
It is understood that shortly after she left, someone broke into the home and raped and murdered the young girl. Ana's mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was still out when her ex-partner called to tell her he had been unable to contact their daughter. She grew concerned and quickly returned home, only to find a number of officers outside.
“The victim was found in one of the bedrooms and had signs of violence on her face, apparently from blows," a police spokesperson said. “The father of the underage person contacted the mother over the phone where he revealed the 13-year-old girl had gone missing. She arrived at her home which was already secured by officers of the Municipal Police.”
Mexico has registered 5,847 cases of COVID-19 and 449 related deaths as of Thursday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, there are more than 2.1 million cases of the virus across the globe with over 140,000 deaths.
This comes amid reports that restrictive measures like lockdown and mandatory isolation that have been imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus raised concerns over the increased risk of domestic violence and abuse.
France and Australia first reported a spike in domestic violence figures since the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent issue of stay-at-home orders. As millions of people isolate within their homes, victims are trapped within the confines of four walls. In addition, the lockdown has also intensified alcoholism and mental health problems.