A 43-year-old Cuban mother was arrested in Hialeah, Florida, accused of violently assaulting her two young children inside a supermarket, where security cameras recorded her pulling their hair and ears, hitting their faces, and even biting the right ear of one of them.
The woman, identified as Madelien Inurrieta-Martinez, a resident of Miami, is facing two charges of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, according to NBC Miami.
The incident occurred at Fatty's Market, a establishment located at 893 Palm Avenue, and was recorded by both the interior cameras and those installed outside the business.
The two minors, approximately four and seven years old, were placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), while a court ordered the accused to stay away from them.
The cameras captured the assaults both inside and outside the supermarket
According to the police report cited by Local 10, Inurrieta-Martinez entered the establishment accompanied by her children and sat on several boxes of beverages.
While sitting, she grabbed the eldest by the ears and pulled them forcefully. Then she took hold of his hair and violently yanked it again, according to the investigators' description.
The aggression continued when he turned to the youngest brother, whom he also grabbed by the ears before biting him on the right side.
The surveillance footage recorded the events and allowed the screams of the children to be heard during the incident.
The violence did not end inside the supermarket. According to the police report, the exterior cameras also recorded the woman simultaneously hitting both minors in the face as they left the establishment.
The lieutenant Eddie Rodriguez, spokesperson for the Hialeah Police, described the recordings as some of the most violent he had ever seen and expressed his dismay at the cries of pain from the children.
The business manager discovered the images and alerted the police
The case came to light thanks to the intervention of the supermarket staff.
The manager of the establishment, Fadi Malouf, discovered the assaults while reviewing the security footage and decided to inform the authorities about what had happened.
Malouf, who claimed to have spent two decades observing how parents discipline their children within their businesses, stated to CBS Miami that he had never heard screams like those recorded on this occasion.
The merchant rejected the idea that the woman's actions could be considered a form of discipline and questioned what could happen to the minors when no other people were present.
According to CBS Miami, one of the recordings shows the accused pulling one of her children's ear for about six seconds while the little boy was screaming.
After receiving the report, the investigators examined the images and began efforts to locate the suspect.
The agents later found Inurrieta-Martinez in the vicinity of East First Avenue and 13th Street in Hialeah, and proceeded to arrest her.
The woman denied having assaulted her children, according to information released by NBC Miami.
The accused appeared before a judge and received a restraining order
During her court appearance, the accused faced allegations regarding the assaults recorded at the supermarket.
The judge Christina Miranda ordered that Inurrieta-Martinez have no contact with his children while the criminal proceedings are underway, as reported by CBS Miami.
The bond was set at $5,000.
The accused participated in the judicial proceedings through an interpreter, as she does not speak English, and pleaded not guilty.
Another detail mentioned by that source is that the woman had visible bruises on her face, including a black eye, when she was photographed in custody.
According to the researchers, Inurrieta-Martinez stated that those injuries occurred while he was trying to separate several individuals involved in a fight unrelated to the case.
The authorities did not publicly link those brands to the alleged assaults on the children.
The Cuban mother is also facing immigration detention
In addition to the criminal process, Inurrieta-Martinez is subject to a migration hold, according to penitentiary records cited by local media.
The woman remained in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, according to information published on Monday, November 9.
Immigration detention is a separate issue from child abuse charges and can affect your release, even if you meet the conditions to post bail.
A spokesperson for the Hialeah Police clarified to CBS Miami that the officers involved in the arrest did not investigate the immigration status of the accused and that the police department did not intervene in the imposition of that detainment.
The consulted reports do not specify the administrative reasons for the measure nor indicate that there is a final deportation order in place.
The two children were placed under the protection of the Florida authorities
After their mother's arrest, the siblings were placed under the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), the agency responsible for intervening in situations where children's safety may be at risk.
The police indicated that the children have different parents and that one of them is outside the United States, a circumstance that could complicate decisions regarding their care.
The authorities had not publicly announced a definitive solution regarding the custody of both minors in the reports consulted.
The case was also reported by Univision, which showed images of the assaults and highlighted the court order that prevents the accused from approaching her children.
While the legal proceedings continue, Inurrieta-Martinez faces two criminal charges arising from the assaults captured by the supermarket's cameras, in addition to the immigration hold noted in his detention records.
Filed under: