GARDNER, Mass. — A woman who was previously living in Massachusetts is facing charges, along with three others, in connection to the death of her 3-year-old daughter in New Mexico.
Kerri Anne Santos, 33, last known address of Gardner, is charged with child abuse resulting in death, child abuse resulting in great bodily harm, and aiding/abetting in criminal sexual contact of a minor.
Albuquerque Police say Santos showed up at the University of New Mexico Hospital on Saturday around 4 a.m. with three young children, including her 3-year-old daughter wrapped in a blanket. Medical staff attempted to pull back the blanket to examine the child, but Santos pulled away, asking why they needed to, according to a criminal complaint. Officials say staff were eventually able to get the girl from her mother and brought her into the emergency room, where they discovered the child was already dead.
According to a criminal complaint, Santos told detectives the child hadn’t been feeling well and she stopped at a gas station so the 3-year-old could use the restroom. Santos claimed the child fell from the toilet, injuring herself, and that was when she drove to the hospital.
Detectives were suspicious of the story, noting several inconsistencies with the timeline of events and the child having several bruises on her body in different stages of healing. Santos said she was traveling from Massachusetts to New Mexico to get away from a bad situation and had no end destination in mind, according to the complaint.
Police inquired with the Gardner Police Department to learn more about Santos, and discovered there were multiple domestic violence reports filed against her and an investigation by DCF about suspicion of Santos using drugs around her children. Santos didn’t bring this up to Albuquerque detectives, according to officials.
Authorities worked throughout the day to determine the cause of death for the 3-year-old. The other two children with Santos were placed on a 72-hour hold with the Children, Youth and Families Department.
Investigators learned two other adults, Christina Hopkins Pena-Cantor and her son, Austin Bing, drove with Santos and her three children to New Mexico. They had been in Albuquerque for a few days and stayed at an apartment with another man, James Welch, on Gold Avenue SE.
According to the criminal complaint, one of the adults would tie the 3-year-old girl at the ankles and wrists with shoe laces. The complaint also says that all three children had been sexually molested and the injuries to the 3-year-old occurred at Welch’s house.
Court records show on Friday night, the 3-year-old was taken to the bathroom when she fell and hit her head. Santos allegedly argued with Pena-Cantor and Bing to bring her to a hospital but agreed to lie about what happened.
Police executed a search warrant on Welch’s residence and arrested Pena-Cantor, Bing, and Welch.
Pena-Cantor is charged with child abuse resulting in death, and two counts of child abuse. Bing is charged with child abuse resulting in death, and child abuse.
Santos, Pena-Cantor, Bing, and Welch are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.
Santos’s 6-year-old daughter and 6-month-old child are in the custody of New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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