Officers were called to a residence in Rodeo, California on March 23, 2021 for a report of a young girl that needed medical attention. When they arrived at the residence at approximately 3:30 am they found that she was already dead.
The girl was identified as 11-year-old Annai Diaz by KNTV but as "Jane Doe" in court documents. According to the Contra Costa County District Attorney Derek Butts, she was found with both bruises and burns.
"The extent of her injuries on her body were tremendous, shocking, and help support the charges the defendants are charged with," he said.
Those defendants are her father, 30-year-old Rene Diaz and her step-mother 29-year-old Crystal Diaz. Both remain in custody in the Contra Costa County Jail in lieu of $1.4 million bail each.
According to Mercury News they are due in court on April 14 for an arraignment hearing. Their next court date listed on jail records is May 24.
Both have now been charged with torture for their "intent to cause cruel and extreme pain and suffering for the purpose of revenge, extortion, persuasion and for a sadistic purpose” between March 9 and 23, 2021.
Additional charges at this time include mayhem resulting from "permanent disability and disfigurement and deprivation of a limb, organ and body member" and four counts of child abuse that date back to November 27, 2020.
At this time, they have not been charged with Annai's death as the cause remains under investigation.
When announcing the new charges, Butts speculated that, "Perhaps if the child had been attending school in person her injuries would have been discovered or the abuse deterred. No child deserves that."