For most ten-year-old girls, their days are usually spent going to school, playing with their friends, watching TV, and doing all the things that little girls love to do. For Victoria Martens however, her life was cut short after an unspeakable act that involved, of all people, her own mother.
Her story kept on changing
Based on police transcripts, Michelle Martens, Victoria's mother, told varying accounts to investigators before admitting that she did not stop her boyfriend and his cousin from raping and killing her daughter, even after the child had pleaded for them to stop.
According to her initial story, she said that her boyfriend's cousin attacked them and was also responsible for killing her daughter. Her statements kept changing until she admitted that her boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, was abusing her daughter for weeks leading up to the murder.
In the end, she stops claiming that she was a victim and finally said that she previously allowed a number of other men to have sex with her child. She also admitted to watching her daughter's murder by her boyfriend and his cousin and even said that she had sex with the suspect 20 minutes later.
She was injected with drugs before she was killed
According to a report, the poor girl was injected with methamphetamines before she was raped, strangled, and then stabbed. After these unimaginable acts, her body was placed inside a blanket, put inside a bathtub, and was then set on fire.
Gorden Eden Jr., the Albuquerque police chief, said that the child's murder was “the most gruesome act of evil I have ever seen in my career.”
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez said that Victoria's rape and murder "is unspeakable and justice should come down like a hammer" on anyone who was responsible for her death.
What happened to Victoria is such an unbelievable act, more so since her own mother was responsible for her death.
Keeping your children safe from harm
Sexual abuse is a problem that needs to be addressed even before it starts. Knowing what steps to take to prevent it is very important for parents. Here are some guidelines that you can follow:
- Respect boundaries at home. Everyone at home should respect each other's privacy, especially during bath time, bedtime, and other personal activities. As a parent, these rules should always be enforced.
- Teach your children to say NO. They should say no if they don't want someone, especially an adult to kiss them, touch them, or do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Teach your children the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching. You should also talk to your kids and tell them to immediately talk to you if someone touches them inappropriately.
- Make sure to know the warning signs. Keep an eye on your children, and keep yourself updated on the things that they're doing online, the people that they're talking to, and any behavior that might seem out of place.
- Teach your kids to speak up. Most of the time, cases of harassment aren't reported because children are scared. Teach your kids not to be scared and that they always have you to lean on if anything happens to them.
- Be wary of boyfriends or girlfriends that come into your lives. Even if you trust your partner completely, you can't always know if they have any ulterior motives, especially since they may or may not have the same affection and love that you have for your child. Always make sure that you know your partner completely.
- Look out for people that act strangely in front of your child. This is true especially for relatives. Always be mindful of how they act in front of your child, and don't be afraid of calling them out if you see them doing anything inappropriate.
Sources: abqjournal.com, breitbart.com, ktla.com, stopitnow.org
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