RIP: Teenage girl with mental disability allegedly kept in a cage and abused to death by her grandmother

A teenage girl in Arizona with a mental disability was allegedly kept in a cage and abused to death by her grandmother.

The grandmother, Virginia Lujan from Tempe, Arizona, has been arrested on child abuse charges. The 13-year-old girl had the mental capacity of a 3-year-old, according to local police reports... Continue reading here ▶

Lujan’s granddaughter was found unresponsive at the house and pronounced dead at a hospital the next day. Her body was covered in bruises and sores.

The girl’s mother, Jami Hodges, was also arrested but later released while investigators decide on charges. Hodges’ five children, including the deceased girl, were all living with Lujan.

Police say Lujan told them the girl fell down the stairs days before her death but did not seek medical attention.

Officers who searched Lujan’s home found a makeshift cage where the girl had been kept. The cage was dirty and filled with feces, according to reports. The house itself was also described as messy and unclean.

Hodges’ four remaining children are now in the care of child protective services.