Apr 3, 2009 12:20 am US/Pacific
San Pablo Women Accused In Horrific Child Abuse
SAN PABLO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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56-year-old Faasese Fiu (left), and 34-year-old Satu Diaz are accused of being three children, leaving them outdoors for hours and feeding them only once a week.
CBS
Three children have been placed in protective custody after they stumbled into a San Pablo bar and told patrons they had been beaten, malnourished and locked up in a nearby home.
Prosecutors charged their grandmother, Faasese Fiu, and their aunt, Satu Diaz, each with three felony child abuse charges with enhancements Wednesday.
The victims—a 13-year-old girl and twin 11-year-old boys— showed up at La Movida Night Club last week in tattered clothing with bruises all over their bodies.
Police were notified and the children were transported to Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo because they had "injuries and conditions consistent with what they were telling us" about the abuse, Lt. Mark Foisie said.
The children allegedly were fed only once a week, were forced to stand outside the home all day and late into the night, had to bathe with a garden hose, and would be beaten when they asked to go to the bathroom, Foisie said.
He said the children were not allowed to go to school or leave the home.
On Monday police arrested Fiu, the children's grandmother, and Diaz, their aunt, Foisie said.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office charged both women with multiple counts of child abuse on Wednesday, according to Foisie, who said bail has been set at $450,000 for each woman.
The children are currently being taken care of by child protective services, Foisie said.
Authorities determined that their father, who lives in Samoa, had sent the children to live with his mother about two years ago.
Police say the abuse began after he stopped providing financial support.
They noted that other children in the household didn't show the same signs of abuse.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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