Left inset: Jose Carrillo Ayala. Right inset: Jennifer Carrillo (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Arizona apartments where Jose Carrillo Ayala and Jennifer Carrillo allegedly punished a 9-year-old girl by putting her outside on their balcony in 104-degree heat (KSAZ).
An Arizona couple allegedly forced a 9-year-old girl to sit on a balcony in 104-degree heat for at least four hours, which led to her climbing over to a neighbor's patio for help. The reason: She was "holding a book" wrong, according to the victim.
"As punishment, Jennifer sent [the girl] to the outside balcony, which is Jennifer's typical punishment of choice," an arrest affidavit says about Jennifer Carrillo, who is the victim's stepmother.
Carrillo and her husband, Jose Carrillo Ayala, are both facing child abuse charges in connection with the girl's alleged mistreatment. They were arrested Thursday and booked on two counts each. Carrillo faces an additional charge of unlawful imprisonment.
According to the affidavit, Carrillo and Carrillo Ayala made the victim and her 12-year-old sister "sit on plastic lids, consistent with storage containers," as punishment.
"They were assigned their own individual lids and they had to cover them in a garbage bag when seated on them in case they urinated or defecated while sitting," the affidavit says. "They were made to sit for long periods of time on these lids, to the point where they sustained pain in their buttocks."
The 9-year-old told investigators that she was also "disciplined to sit on the outside balcony for long periods of time," which is what she says happened after Carrillo caught her with the book, per the affidavit. The high was 104 degrees that day, according to police.
"[The girl] had gotten in trouble by Jennifer for the way she was 'holding a book,'" the affidavit says. "[The girl] stated she was outside on the balcony for 'four hours' and eventually got so hungry and thirsty that she didn't know what to do; therefore, [the girl] climbed over the balcony wall (which is located on the second landing of the apartment building) and landed in her downstairs neighbor's porch area."
The neighbor called police after finding the girl hiding on his patio while her parents were "trying to drag her out," according to the affidavit.
"The caller also stated he heard the young female state that she was scared because 'CPS was coming to take her away,'" the affidavit says. "The caller believed the family resided in the apartment above him."
The child was taken to a local hospital, where doctors allegedly found signs of prolonged abuse and severe malnutrition. The girl weighed about 43 pounds, placing her below the fifth percentile for her age, according to police.
Doctors also found bruises covering multiple areas of her body, hair loss and underdeveloped teeth that were consistent with severe malnutrition. The girl remained hospitalized for three days, according to the affidavit.
Hospital staff described statements that the girl made as "highly concerning for neglect, excessive punishment and child abuse," the affidavit says.
The 12-year-old sibling underwent a forensic medical examination that allegedly revealed similar injuries.
Police say Carrillo Ayala admitted to "using his belt" to strike the children multiple times. Another adult was allegedly living in the home with a private bedroom and bathroom, while the two girls slept on the living room floor.
The sisters could use their parents' bathroom, but only when they were given permission, the affidavit says.
"[The adult] reports to Jennifer when [the girls] do something they aren't supposed to, and even asks Jennifer, 'Are you gonna tie her up or something? I caught her talking to a some old lady but the old lady look like she didn't want nothing to do with the situation,'" police allege, citing text messages recovered from their phones.
A few days before the balcony incident, Carrillo Ayala sent Carrillo a text saying, "The girls are sleeping … I have the cameras on them and [the 9-year-old victim] tied up," according to the affidavit.
The couple allegedly gave investigators conflicting accounts about the children's circumstances and living situation. Carrillo said the younger girl had "mental health issues" and behavioral problems at school. Carrillo Ayala denied the claim, while police noted that school records did not document the behavioral problems Carrillo described.
Each was ordered held on a $50,000 bond.