Mesa couple indicted in abuse of 3-year-old girl

MESA, Ariz. (KSAZ) - It is a deplorable crime, and a Grand Jury has indicted a Mesa couple on 12 felony counts, for sexually abusing the woman's 3-year-old daughter. The details of the abuse are hard to fathom, and as the Maricopa County Attorney announced the charges, he could not hold back his emotions.

What the couple is accused of doing to the child is sickening. From law enforcement, to neighbors, to the county attorney, those who had been exposed to the details and cannot seem to hold back their emotions when thinking about what that poor baby had to endure.

They're accused of horrific crimes against a 3-year-old girl. A grand jury indicted the mother Mayra Solis and her boyfriend Francisco Covarrubias on 12 felony counts.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery choked up as he began to list the charges, he acknowledged the failure to protect the little girl in this case.

"But there are still sometimes we cannot get to them... until after they've been harmed," said Bill Montgomery.

The mother is facing two felony counts of dangerous crimes against a child, for allowing the abuse to happen. Her boyfriend is facing several felony counts including kidnapping, child abuse, sexual conduct with a minor, and not seeking help for the girl's injuries. Mesa Police say the girl was found in a closet at the apartment, her mouth duct taped shut. According to Montgomery, the girl had several injuries and showed signs of sexual abuse.

"In contrast and comparison to the kindness I received growing up by the families of friends that I lived in, with the treatment of some children in our community it's absolutely heartbreaking," said Montgomery.

The girl's mother has denied knowing that her child was being held in captivity or that she was being abused. She told police that she let Covarrubias babysit her daughter for days at a time while she worked at Taco Bell.