California couple charged with torture, child abuse of 11-year-old girl
By Richard Ramos
A California couple is facing dozens of criminal charges, including torture and child abuse, after investigators say an 11-year-old girl endured at least a year of severe physical abuse while living in their custody.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint Monday charging 37-year-old Priscilla Mestaz and 36-year-old Anthony Machuca, both of Salida, with 27 felony and misdemeanor counts related to the alleged abuse.
Prosecutors allege the abuse occurred between January 2025 and January 2026 and included repeated physical violence such as strangulation, punching and slapping. Investigators also allege the girl was forced to sleep in an uninsulated garage without bedding during the winter months, denied adequate nutrition and made to perform strenuous exercise until exhaustion under threats of assault.
The investigation began on Jan. 31, 2026, when the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said an 11-year-old girl was refusing to return home and told authorities she was being physically abused by Mestaz, who she said was her aunt. The girl later expanded on the alleged abuse during an interview with detectives.
Deputies and detectives spoke to Mestaz and Machuca at their home and learned the child had been living with them since the summer of 2024.
Authorities said surveillance cameras inside and outside the home captured footage that corroborated what the child told detectives. Other evidence found indicated the girl had been living primarily in the garage and backyard.
The sheriff’s office said the uninsulated garage was not a converted living space and lacked proper heating and air conditioning, which left the child exposed to unsafe temperatures.
Authorities said the child was also allegedly restrained and dragged using a dog leash, while being subjected to sustained verbal abuse and threats.
Machuca was arrested when law enforcement officials first went to the home. Mestaz, who officials said was in an advanced stage of pregnancy at that time, was later arrested on March 12 after giving birth.
That newborn and a 4-year-old child who was also in the home at the time were taken into protective custody by Stanislaus County Child Protective Services.
Mestaz and Macuha are each being held in jail on $1 million bail.
The charges filed against the pair include torture, conspiracy to commit torture, child endangerment under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death, inflicting injury on a child, assault with a deadly weapon, assault likely to produce great bodily injury and criminal threats.
Investigators say the case remains ongoing as they review a large amount of digital and physical evidence to determine whether additional charges may be filed.
Authorities also discovered that Mestaz worked as a child and family services case manager for a local organization.
