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Father Beats Daughter to Death, Police Called Abuse 'Subhuman'

By Ruth Manuel-Logan on Mar 8th 2011 10:15AM
Filed under: News

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Father Beats Daughter to Death, Police Called Abuse 'Subhuman'


Prosecutors have determined that the 10-year-old Florida twin girl, whose decomposing body was discovered in a garbage bag last month, was the last bit of evidence they needed in order to officially charge her parents with the "subhuman" treatment she received at their hands.


Jorge Barahona (pictured above) is accused of punching his daughter to death on Feb. 11. Barahona's spouse, Carmen, is also facing charges as an accomplice to the inhumane acts committed against the children.

Nubia, and her twin brother, Victor, according to police, lived in a house of horrors. The twins were constantly subjected to torturous acts of violence by both parents.

Ironically, Nubia's death came just one day after the home was visited by an investigator with the Florida Department of Children and Families, after receiving an anonymous tip about abuse in the household. The social services worker concluded that the children were not in any imminent danger, although she did not know of their exact whereabouts.

Reportedly, on that fateful day, the boy, Victor, told authorities that he and his sister were locked in a bathroom. Barahona came and pulled Nubia, whose feet and hands were bound, out of the bathroom, and before she died, Victor said he heard her scream and did not see his sibling after that incident. Police records indicate that Barahona beat and punched the little girl about her torso as she screamed and cried until she took her last breath.

Barahona, three days later, placed both children in his pesticide flatbed truck, and police found him on Feb. 14, parked along a busy interstate outside West Palm Beach, Fla. Nubia's body was stuffed into a garbage bag and doused with chemicals, while Victor was covered in chemical burns and was discovered by police convulsing and overcome by fumes. The 53-year-old was then arrested, but police had to further investigate all of the abuse allegations.



The children had allegedly been treated as human punching bags - repeatedly struck with fists, beaten with objects and often left for days on end bound in a dark bathroom. Weeks before the children were found in their father's truck, Victor's lip had been split open and his parents chose not to seek medical help for him. Victor has a cleft palate which is a birth defect that occurs when the roof of the mouth does not develop normally.

Carmen, on the other hand ,is also accused of encouraging the beatings and was a willing participant in the abuse that went on in the home with the children.

Both parents have been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and child neglect in the girl's death.

A panel is investigating how in the world child welfare officials did not act more aggressively toward the Barahonas, especially since there have been several abuse allegations in the years before Nubia's death. School officials even got involved and reported to the state investigators that Nubia had been not only hoarding food at school, but the child had reported that Carmen hit her. Each allegation, however, fell on deaf ears, and nothing was ever done to delve into the accusations of abuse further.

Child welfare officials have acknowledged some oversights on their part, but said the Barahonas deceived many who were working with the family.

"These people are sociopaths," child welfare attorney Esther Jacobo told the Associated Press. She questioned what safeguards could have prevented the Barahonas from fooling officials only to "get us out of their life in a particular period of time so they can do whatever they are going to do."

Officials have referred to this case as one that should prompt prosecutors to seek out the death penalty.

Children need homes that are nurturing, safe and where accidents and injuries are the exception and not the rule. The most important person in a child's world are his or her parents. If you suspect that a child is being abused, it is critical to get them the help that they desperately need. Inaction can only mean years of pain and heartbreak for children who are unable to get out of a bad situation. In their helplessness, they must rely on capable adults who are willing to help them break out of a potentially deadly situation. Take a stand; it's better to be safe than sorry; stop child abuse if you suspect it.


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