12-Year-Old Girl Locked in Closet For a Year Because She Wanted to Eat, Say Texas Police
Photo: Leticia Ines' mug shot.
The girl was released to go to school, eat or use the bathroom in the family's small home, officials said. She would do her homework by a thin sliver of light shining beneath the closet door.
One of her three brothers came to her rescue by alerting school officials. Her mother, Leticia Ines, told police she was trying to keep the 12-year-old from stealing food from the refrigerator.
Photo: Alfredo Ines' booking photo.
According to Rio Grande Valley, Texas news station KRGV, the girl was told to use a bucket as her bathroom at night and was forced to clean it every morning. The station also reported that neighbors were unaware of the alleged abuse.
Jail records indicate that the father, 43-year-old Alfredo Ines, and the mother, 40-year-old Leticia Ines, are being held on charges of unlawful restraint and injury to a child. The 12-year-old is in foster care, according to the station.