Couple Sought in Abuse of Girl

Authorities are searching for a Los Angeles couple who are accused of burning an 8-year-old girl with barbecue tools, beating her and hiding her inside their apartment, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Tuesday.

Neighbors of the couple told police they saw the child for the first time only after the Oct. 1 earthquake, when she fled the building in the 100 block of East 29th Street in tears.

The child, who was taken into protective custody Oct. 23 after neighbors telephoned police, had burns and bruises over 85% of her body but has recovered from her injuries, Deputy Dist. Atty. Nicholas Koumjian said.

The girl’s mother, Delmy Carmen Martinez, 31, and the mother’s live-in boyfriend, Angel Francisco Martinez, 24, were charged with one felony count each of willful cruelty to a child. If convicted, they face a maximum of nine years in prison, Koumjian said.

The prosecutor said the child, who moved to the United States from El Salvador eight months ago, has been prevented from going to school and forced to sleep on a closet floor.

The couple is also accused of burning the girl with a barbecue fork and spoon on various parts of her body, including her tongue and genitals, beating her with a belt buckle and stick and pulling out some of her hair.