An Arizona grandmother faces felony abuse charges after the death of her special needs granddaughter.
Police arrived at the home Tuesday at 9 p.m. because the 13-year-old girl was not breathing. The girl's grandmother, Virginia Lujan, 55, told police the child had fallen down the stairs, AZFamily.com reported.
The girl, who, according to police, had the mental capacity of a 3-year-old, was covered in bruises and sores in various stages of healing, AZFamily.com reported. Police also found a makeshift cage that smelled and had feces inside of it.
"The best way to describe it is that it was a bunk bed, but the lower bed of that bunk was not there. And the bunk bed around the bottom was surrounded by baby cages and makeshift bars," the website quoted Tempe police spokesperson Jessica Ells.
The website reported that according to police Lujan and the girls mother admitted to keeping the girl in the cage.
Lujan faces felony abuse charges. The girl's mother has not been charged although the investigation into what happened is continuing and police said additional charges could be filed, AZFamily.com reported.
