A man and a woman have been accused of physically abusing an 11-year-old girl under their care by punching, strangling, slapping, and dragging her using a dog leash. Priscilla Mestaz, 37, and Anthony Machuca, 36, were taken into custody and charged with torture and multiple counts of child abuse after authorities found the young girl following reports of her being mistreated by her aunt on January 31.
Law enforcement officers, responding to the incident in Salida, California, conducted a search of the residence and uncovered security camera footage supporting the girl’s claims of abuse. The couple asserted that the 11-year-old had been under their care since the summer of 2024.
Following an investigation, Machuca was arrested initially, while Mestaz, who was pregnant at the time, was later taken into custody after giving birth. A criminal complaint was filed against the pair on March 16, charging them with 27 felony and misdemeanor offenses, including torture, child endangerment, assault, and criminal threats.
The abuse allegedly occurred between January 2025 and January 2026, with the couple reportedly subjecting the child to various forms of physical mistreatment, including strangulation, punching, and slapping. Authorities also claimed that the girl was forced to endure harsh conditions such as sleeping in an unheated garage during winter, physical exertion beyond her limits, verbal abuse, and inadequate nutrition leading to malnourishment.
Police stated that evidence showed the child spent most of her time in the garden and an uninhabitable garage lacking proper insulation or climate control, exposing her to unsafe temperatures throughout the year. Mestaz and Machuca are currently held on a $1,000,000 bail, with Mestaz’s employment as a child and family services case manager with a local organization coming to light during the investigation.
Moreover, authorities placed the newborn baby and a four-year-old child found at the residence during the arrests under protective custody.
