Years before child's remains found in attic, family was investigated and cleared of abuse

MARY JO PITZL   | Arizona Republic

The parents of a child whose remains were found in the family attic were investigated twice, years earlier, for alleged abuse or neglect, but no problems were found, state records show.

One of the complaints involved the child whose remains were found in January 2020. In 2013, child-welfare investigators checked out a complaint about Charisma Marquez, whose foster parents took her to Phoenix Children's Hospital because the child, then 6, had a swollen right eye.

She said she got the injury while playing hide-and-seek at her daycare center. Although a Phoenix Children's doctor said the injury was not consistent with her story, neither Phoenix police nor Arizona Department of Child Safety investigators found any evidence of intentional abuse or neglect.

The reports indicated the foster parents, Maribel and Rafael Loera, took the proper precautions in bringing the child to the hospital and said they had been cooperative. The Loeras later adopted the child and changed her name to Ana.

In October 2014, DCS received a complaint when another child in the Loera home displayed bruising on his or her buttocks. The reports keep the child's identity private; the Department of Child Safety only releases a child's name if the child has died.

Similar injuries were reported for the same child several weeks earlier in 2014. But again, police and DCS found no evidence of abuse and closed the case.

The Loeras eventually adopted two of Charisma's biological siblings. Records show there were no reports involving the Loeras until January 2020, when one of their adopted children reported she was home alone and afraid. That led to the discovery several days later of Ana's remains in the Loeras' west Phoenix home. Officials say Ana died in 2017.

The Department removed three other children from the home. Police say the children were routinely abused. 

A Department of Child Safety spokesperson previously told The Arizona Republic that the Loeras' last adoption was finalized in 2016, after which the Department was no longer involved with the family. 

The Loeras are awaiting trial in Maricopa County Superior Court on murder and child abuse charges. 

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.