Girl infected with STD when 'raped, murdered and dismembered' by mother and boyfriend
Victoria Martens had the human papillomavirus (HPV) before her death, doctors have discovered.
A 10-year-old girl who was allegedly raped, murdered and dismembered by her mother and boyfriend had been infected with a sexually transmitted disease at the time of her death.
Victoria Marten was discovered dead by police in her New Mexico home on 23 August 2016.
Her mother, Michelle Marten, has admitted giving her child methamphetamine and using dating app, Plenty of Fish, to hunt for men to sexually assault her daughter before she was murdered.
Now a newly-released autopsy report has revealed Victoria died from strangulation and was suffering from human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause genital warts, contracted before she was found dead.
Michelle, 35, has been charged with murder and rape in the case along with her boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, 32, who she allegedly met on Plenty of Fish, and Gonzales' cousin Jessica Kelley, also 32.
Court papers reveal police believe Martens watched as Gonzales raped and strangled Victoria. It is alleged that Gonzales and Kelley then dismembered the child before setting her body on fire in a bathtub.
According to warrant documents obtained by the Albuquerque Journal, Martens gained gratification from watching her daughter being assaulted, and went on to have sex with Gonzales 20 minutes after the killing.
Police discovered Victoria's body wrapped in a blanket after being called to a disturbance at Arroyo Villas Apartment Complex in Albuquerque. Officers could see smoke coming from the bathroom and made the macabre discovery inside.
Although no methamphetamine was found in her system, police believe Michelle injected her daughter with a dose prior to her death. Officers say the suspects did this "to calm her down so they could have sex with her".
Martens has denied involved in the murder of her daughter.
Martens and Gonzales also face multiple charges, including child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.
Kelley, who was reportedly just realised from prison, was injured jumping from a balcony in an attempt to evade arrest.
The trio remain in jail awaiting trial, scheduled for October.
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