Bodies Of Two Children Found In Storage Unit In Northern California
The dead bodies of two children have been found inside rubber storage containers in California. Tami Joy Huntsman, 39, and Gonzalo Curiel, 17, have been arrested for the alleged child abuse, torture, and murder of the siblings. Another unidentified little girl, believed to also be a sibling, was also found and taken to a Redding area hospital for treatment. The condition of the surviving child and her possible relationship to the slain children has not yet been released to the public.
The children found wrapped in plastic inside the storage containers are believed to have been about 3 to 5-years-old. The county medical examiner has not yet completed an investigation into their deaths or finished reviewing the remains. Although the autopsies are not finished, the case is reportedly being treated as a double homicide. Redding is located in Plumas County in northern California and is about 300 miles from San Francisco.
Two people arrested on torture and abuse charges after two siblings between ages of three and five are found d… https://t.co/zgWjAslNQf
— intinbox (@intinbox) December 15, 2015
Police reports appear to indicate that Tami Joy Huntsman was related to the children, but the exact family connection remains unconfirmed at this time. The minor, Curiel, is allegedly Huntsman’s boyfriend. The charges levied against Huntsman and Gonzalo Curiel also include at least one count of “mayhem.” The charge is levied when the suspect “intentionally disfigured” the victim, according to KSBW News. A Redding Police Department news release stated that both Huntsman and Curiel are from the Salinas area.
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Pumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood said that both his deputies and staffers at the local hospital were “emotionally affected” by not just the discovery of the remains of the young children, but by the condition of the surviving child found during what some are calling a welfare check, which was prompted by child abuse allegations.
“This has shaken my staff to the core. That little girl had been subjected to the most unspeakable measure of torture for an extended period of time. This is child abuse, the likes of which we haven’t experienced here.”
The surviving little girl was also “severely abused” and underwent some type of surgery for about five hours after being found and rushed to the hospital, according to the Plumas County News. The 9-year-old girl had been “starved,” but the accounting has not yet been confirmed by a police report or media release. The local media outlet also states that Huntsman is an aunt to the girl and became her guardian after the child’s mother killed herself two years ago.
Children’s bodies found in Calif. storage unit https://t.co/wfEaEku256 via @usatoday
— Vintage Allies (@vintageallies) December 15, 2015
Details related to the investigation and the discovery of the children remain scant at this point. California police investigators searched an apartment that reportedly belongs to a distant relative of the children found dead inside the storage unit, on Monday. The apartment resident might have been the custodian of the siblings at the time of their deaths, the Daily Mail notes.
A pair of 12-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, were removed from the home where Tami Joy Huntsman and Gonzalo Curiel were staying and placed in foster care. Huntsman might be the biological mother of the twins. The couple reportedly moved to East Quincy from Salinas on December 7 and neglected to enroll any of the children in school. The couple reportedly rented the storage unit on December 4. Redding police officer cut the lock off the unit and found the remains of the young children shortly after walking inside.
[Image via Shutterstock.com]
