A California father and his partner have been charged with murdering his 8-year-old daughter after police found her body in a hotel bathtub in Bakersfield on Saturday, August 2. Ray Mata Jr. and Graciela Bustamonte face charges of first-degree murder, willful cruelty to a child, and torture in connection with the death of 8-year-old Genesis Ariah Mata.
Police say the child was subjected to severe abuse before her death. According to People, Genesis was burned with scalding hot water, beaten, and whipped. The couple also allegedly slammed the girl’s fingers in a door frame repeatedly, crushing her hand and causing her fingernails to separate.
