Dad, step charged in beating death of 4-year-old girl (Bernalillo County, New Mexico)

Once again we have a father involved in the murder of a young child, and an unspecified custody situation. Did Daddy have full custody? Weekend visitation? No indication here. Not only that, the little girl's mother has been completely erased from the story. Is she dead, alive? We have no idea. We are given no clue to how this abuser dad and the step secured access to this child, or by what process. Sure would be useful to know if this was a court-ordered set up that resulted in this little girl's beating death. But that might make a judge accountable for a bad call, and they don't like that, do they?

Dad is identified as ANTHONY CHAVEZ.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2793707.shtml?cat=500

Dad, stepmom charged in beating death of girl, 4

Posted at: 10/08/2012 3:21 PM | Updated at: 10/08/2012 5:40 PM

By: Joe Vigil, KOB Eyewitness News 4; Tracy Dingmann, KOB.com

The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department says a 4 year old girl is dead and her father and stepmother have been charged in her death.

Authorities tell us Anthony Chavez and Gayla Hernandez have been charged with child abuse, child abuse with great bodily harm and conspiracy in the beating death of the child, identified only as "R.S." 

According to a criminal complaint, the girl died Sunday after suffering a brain herniation from possible head trauma.

The child also had numerous bruises and scratches on her body, in various stages of healing.

The child was apparently with the couple in an apartment in the 4200 block of Williams SE.
.