SOUTH SALT LAKE — The mother of a 5-year-old who was found bruised and beaten to death was charged with the girl's murder Tuesday.
Police responded to a South Salt Lake apartment at 726 W. Timbercreek Way (3875 South) on the report of a child in full arrest on July 27. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene.
According to charges filed in 3rd District Court, the girl's father had been at work for about four hours when around 12:30 p.m. his wife called him and said their daughter wasn't waking up.
The father advised his wife, Angeles Cadillo-Castro, 31, to try rousing her again but shortly after received another call saying the little girl would still not wake up, charges state.
Gerardo Jesus Espindola-Olvera later told police he drove home from Midvale and upon arrival found his daughter covered with a blanket up to her neck, looking "white" or "pale," and called 911. Charges also state that Espindola-Olvera asked his wife why she didn't call for help. Cadillo-Castro said she wanted him to come home so they could decide together what to do, police said.
Police noticed bruising on the lateral edges of both upper thighs of the victim's body. Investigators also saw extensive bruising on the upper portion of her hands, as if she had tried to defend herself from a beating, charges state.
State Medical Examiner's Office representatives found even more extensive bruising on the girl's back, from her neck down to her knees, along with open wounds and pockets of blood on her back.
Examiners also saw several pattern marks indicating the girl likely had been hit or whipped with some sort of object, charges state. Police later recovered several objects from the apartment consistent with the victim's injuries.
By 10 p.m., the girl's parents were arrested and booked into Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of child abuse and a 2-month-old child was removed from the home.
An autopsy performed the next day confirmed the girl had died as a direct result of blunt force trauma and that her death was a homicide, charges state.
However, the chief medical examiner said it appears the fatal injuries were caused within a few hours of the child's death. Charges also state that confirmation of the exact timing of the injuries is awaiting "microscopic examination of those areas of the victim's body."
Prosecutors say they believe Cadillo-Castro was the only one caring for the girl when the fatal injuries were inflicted.
Cadillo-Castro was charged with first-degree felony murder. Espindola-Olvera has not been charged.
e-mail: lgroves@desnews.com