WOMAN ARRESTED FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILD IN HER CARE; ALLEGEDLY FORCED HIM TO DRINK TOILET WATER

Claudia Velediaz-Bonifazi was taken into custody on April 3 after school officials informed authorities that she allegedly harmed a child in her care. The incident occurred in Woodway, Texas, and apparently this wasn't the first time that she had been caught hurting the child, according to People. As per the statement released by Woodway Public Safety Department, there were other incidents when the woman perpetrated violence against the child, who she was responsible for. Her behavior came to light when the boy arrived at his school in tears and the teachers took him aside for a conversation after noticing his distress. It was then that the boy revealed what was being done to him by the woman meant to take care of him in the house. 

The boy shared graphic details with teachers and described how “he was dragged to the bathroom by his hair and his head was forced into the toilet where he was forced to drink toilet water,” as per the statement. The ordeal was so harsh that according to the boy he was missing pieces of hair and the teachers quickly informed Woodway police and Child Protective Services about the situation at hand. The police department swung into action and while they were probing one incident, officials found out about the woman's violent history with the child. In the woman's custody, the child had been subjected to violence which included “being punched, hit with miscellaneous objects, and not being fed for long periods of time.” All of this gave the police enough reason to arrest Velediaz-Bonifazi and charge her with injury to a child with the intent to cause bodily injury.

At the same time, the kid was placed in the care of a family member, while the documents don't exactly shed light on the relationship between the child and Velediaz-Bonifazi beyond the fact that he was in her care when the injuries were allegedly inflicted by her. Woodway Public Safety Department in their statement appreciated officials for the way they handled everything. "Great work school personnel for noticing and moving this investigation forward,” the department said. “Great work CPS and our local Advocacy Center for assisting with the investigation. Great work Woodway Officers and Detectives for completing this difficult investigation.” Cases of violence against children have surged in the past few years after the pandemic, and as many as 600,000 children were abused in 2021 alone. Apart from that, sexual abuse and psychological mistreatment of children has also been on the rise.