New Mexico father, grandmother accused of beating, burning 2-year-old girl to death

A New Mexico father and grandmother have been charged in the death of a 2-year-old girl who was burned and malnourished, police said.

The child, Diana McGrory, was found dead with apparent burns, bruises and signs of malnourishment on Oct. 1. McGrory, and her three siblings had been staying with their father and grandmother in a trailer park in Northeast Albuquerque, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.

The girl’s father, Michael David Garcia, was arrested immediately, but detectives determined the evidence warranted charges against the grandmother, Diana Marie Garcia, as well.

Police said the child had visible bruising to the majority of her body, as well as burns to her back thigh and hands, according to KOB 4 News.

Michael Garcia reportedly claimed the girl fell in the bathtub and burned herself on the stove, but did not seek medical attention for her, despite his mother’s pleas, according to the report.

Court records show Garcia petitioned for custody of his daughter and his three other children within a month of being indicted in 2017 for allegedly physically abusing the mother of the kids, according to The Associated Press.

An Albuquerque woman filed for a restraining order against Garcia, alleging he beat her, choked her and threatened to kill her and their unborn son in 2015, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

“I feel society needs to know what this man is capable of,” the woman reportedly wrote in the motion.

On the day of the child's death, a neighbor told police he heard Michael Garcia yelling inside the home on multiple occasions and believed he had “anger issues.” Michael Garcia’s mother reportedly told police her son found the victim unresponsive after she came home from work and tried to do CPR, according to ABQJournal.com.

Police said the other children in the home are now in the custody of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.