The brokenhearted family of an alleged torture victim is being blocked from burying the child.
The 3-year-old girl, identified by the family as Guadalupe Correa, was taken to San Joaquin General Hospital at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday and was pronounced dead about four hours later.
Maria Bettancourt, 38, was booked into jail late Tuesday on suspicion of torture, child abuse, child abuse resulting in death and corporal injury to a child, records show.
Bettancourt is the girlfriend of the child's father, Alberto Correa, according to family members.
Relatives told KCRA 3 that Alberto Correa, who had custody of Guadalupe Correa and in whose care she died, has disappeared.
"We are wondering if there is something we can do to get this baby because we need closure, she has a lot of brothers and sisters," the girl's grandmother, Victoria Torres, said.
An autopsy determined that trauma was the cause of the girl's death.
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Daniel Hurtado, who raised Guadalupe from a baby and is the foster father to her other two sisters but was forced to give up the child to her natural father, said he saw the signs of abuse and contacted child protective services.
Jessica Torres, who identified herself as Guadalupe's mother, said she hasn't even seen her daughter since the tragedy.
County child protective services said it cannot comment on abuse allegations because of confidentiality rules.
Betancourt could be arraigned Thursday.
