Court documents detail extreme child abuse allegations in Peoria apartment
PD: Children found neglected in Peoria
Court records detail severe punishments and malnourishment involving two children in Peoria. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi reports.
PEORIA, Ariz. - Jose Ayala, 49, and Jennifer Carrillo, 50, each face two counts of child abuse after prosecutors allege two children in their custody were malnourished, neglected and abused inside their Peoria apartment.
The children, ages 9 and 12, were the subject of a welfare check in June 2025.
What we know:
According to police, a neighbor found the 9-year-old hiding under a patio bench while her parents allegedly tried to "drag her out."
"All of this came to light when the nine-year-old had to jump off a second-story balcony because she had been there for too long," Stephen Garcia with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said in the couples' initial appearance.
Police say the girl climbed over a second-story balcony to escape being locked outside for four hours in 104-degree heat without food or water.
Police allege the girl was sent outside as punishment for holding a book wrong.
Investigators say the children told them being forced outside was one of Carrillo’s preferred forms of punishment.
"There were concerns of torture," Garcia said.
Police arrest couple in Peoria child abuse case
A Peoria couple, Jose Ayala and Jennifer Carrillo, face child abuse charges after police say two children were left abused and neglected. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi reports.
Dig deeper:
According to court documents, both children told investigators they were forced to sit for hours on plastic lids, resulting in bruising and chronic pressure injuries.
Doctors said the injuries would not be expected in active children who were allowed to move around.
"Having to use trash bags to cover them up if and when they had to use the restroom, you know, that’s enough, your honor, but it goes on," Garcia said.
The 9-year-old was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where doctors told police she appeared malnourished, thin and weak and weighed less than 44 pounds, according to police.
Police say doctors also documented bruising and abrasions, including patterned injuries consistent with being struck by an object.
Police also say hospital staff found ligature marks around the girl’s ankle, consistent with being tied up. Investigators said a shoelace had been tied around the child’s ankle and attached to a door.
The girl told police that water was often withheld from both children and said she was tied up so she could not get to the kitchen to get water, according to police.
What's next:
Both children were placed in foster care, according to court records. Doctors later noted improved nutrition and significant growth, the records say.
Ayala and Carrillo each have $50,000 bonds and are barred from contacting the children. The couple is due back in court next week.