Skeletal remains found in Phoenix home belonged to foster child

Parent now face additional criminal charges

PHOENIX, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Prosecutors now say a Phoenix couple accused of child abuse hid the remains of a foster child in their attic for years.

Phoenix police arrested Rafael and Maribel Loera last Wednesday after they say Rafael tried to burn down the family home. Firefighters discovered the skeletal remains while fighting that fire. However, police say they began investigating the couple days before the fire.

Officers say the couples 11-year-old daughter called 9-1-1 on January 20 claiming to be hungry and alone. Police say they found her living in filthy conditions and showing signs of abuse. The Department of Child Services (DCS) took her into custody.

Days later, DCS returned to take the Loera's other children into custody. Police say Rafael set the family home on fire just an hour later.

Prosecutors now say the 11-year-old told them about the disappearance of her older sister two years earlier. She says her parents told her her sister had been adopted. She claims one parent told her her sister was in Mexico, the other claimed the girl was in Colombia.

Investigators now say the child never left the Loera's home. Police say Rafael Loera claims the girl got seriously ill in July of 2017 and died on the way to the hospital. They say Loera told them he hid her body because he was afraid DCS would take away the couple's remaining children.

The medical examiner has yet to officially identify the body, or determine the cause of death.

Police say the couples 11-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son both show signs of prolonged abuse, including scars, burns, and abrasions. They say the little boy's body was covered with injuries in various stages of healing.

Investigators say it appears Maribel was the primary abuser, but they say, Rafael never reported it. Both now face charges of child abuse and concealment of a body. Rafael is also accused of arson.

Both are being held on cash-only bonds.