Boys Found Abandoned in Del Mar Hotel : Mother, Boyfriend Sought in Abuse of Twins

San Diego County sheriff’s detectives were seeking a mother and her Phoenix boyfriend Monday for questioning in connection with the abandonment, abuse and molestation of twin 2-year-old boys found Saturday in a Del Mar hotel.

The boyfriend, Charles Thomas McCoy, 27, whose last known address is in Phoenix, was identified by one of the twins and two employees of the hotel who viewed a photo lineup Monday, said Mary Stables, detective in the sheriff’s child abuse unit.

The twins, who were found Saturday night by employees at the Del Mar Inn, were in Children’s Hospital recovering from their injuries, including bruises that were 4 to 5 days old, Stables said. Stables described the injuries as “deep bruises from hand imprints on their faces like they were shoved, cuts on their necks and cigarette burns on their stomachs and sides.” Both boys had been sexually abused, she said.

The boys had refused to give investigators their names, making the case difficult to work, Stables said.

Mother Also Wanted for Questioning

“The children are not talking about how they were hurt,” Stables said. She added that the mother, who has yet to be located, is also wanted for questioning.

Stables said the mother called the hospital Monday afternoon, told a hospital employee she wanted to see her children, but did not appear after saying she would, Stables said.

Stables said it was not known whether the mother was at the hotel Saturday or if she could be linked to the abuse of the twins.

“We don’t know if she had a hand in it,” Stables said. “That’s why we need to talk to her. Hopefully, she’ll come forward and talk to us.”

McCoy, who is an unemployed tile setter, listed a Phoenix address as of March 14, according to California Department of Motor Vehicles records. From November, 1987, until then, he listed a Genine Drive address in Oceanside.

McCoy Previously Arrested

McCoy has been arrested before, but not in connection with child abuse, Stables said. She declined to say what he had been arrested for, or whether he had been convicted of any crimes.

The first break in the case came when sheriff’s detectives were able to identify the twins. Detectives received a phone tip Monday afternoon from a friend of the twins’ baby sitter, who gave them information leading to McCoy and the identities of the boys and their mother, Stables said. The call was one of many that poured in after photos of the boys were broadcast on local television news programs.

After detectives determined McCoy’s identity, his photo was shown to both boys and one of them pointed to it and said McCoy had hurt them, Stables said.

According to Stables, the boy used McCoy’s middle name, saying: “Tommy hurt me. That’s Tommy.”

The twins, who are expected to stay in the hospital for at least three more days until they can be placed in an emergency foster home, were recovering and starting to eat and drink, said hospital spokesman Mark Morelli.

“They’ve been getting great support with money and clothing coming in,” Morelli said.