2 Accused of Locking Girl in Dresser Drawer

A Los Angeles couple are in custody facing child abuse charges for locking the woman’s 5-year-old daughter in a dresser drawer, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.

Isidra Gomez, 24, is accused of punching her child, hitting her with a high-heeled shoe and putting her in the drawer, Lt. Dan Mulrenin of the Abused Child Unit of the LAPD’s juvenile division said at a news conference. Gomez is charged with felony child abuse and felony child endangerment.

Her husband, Juan Medina, 41, faces one count of child endangerment because officials believe he knew about the abuse of his stepdaughter but did not try to prevent it, Mulrenin said.

The couple’s two other children--a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old--were not harmed.

According to Det. Theresa Standford, who is investigating the case, the couple said the oldest daughter, who moved here from Mexico three months ago, was punished because “she was not behaving and was hyper.”

“These are people that didn’t care what they were doing with their child,” Standford said. “They thought it was appropriate. They didn’t see anything wrong.”

The girl was found in the drawer by tenant Cesear Galindo who rented a room in the couple’s two-bedroom apartment on the 1700 block of West 48th Street.

Galindo said he heard noises coming from the other bedroom after the couple and their two younger children had left. He found the girl shaking uncontrollably in the bottom drawer of a built-in dresser, Mulrenin said.

“As soon as he saw the child, he knew what he had to do: Protect the child,” Standford said.

Galindo fed the girl, who reportedly said she hadn’t eaten in three days. Then he took her to the LAPD’s Southwest Division.

Police took the girl, whose name is being withheld, to Children’s Hospital, where she was treated for bruises on the face and torso, dehydration and a fractured rib.

Before moving to Los Angeles, she lived with her grandmother in Mexico, Mulrenin said.

Police said the child was frequently locked in the drawer for hours at a time.

“This is particularly horrific because the abuse appears to be calculated and ongoing,” Mulrenin said.

The younger children are in protective custody. The 5-year-old is in good condition at a foster home, Mulrenin said.

“This man, Cesear Galindo, saved this child’s life,” Mulrenin added, urging others to follow his example. “If they become aware of abuse, please call their local law enforcement agency.”