Judge Geisa Marrero Martínez of the Carolina Court found probable cause for arrest on Wednesday against seven adults who allegedly caused burns to a five-year-old child in events in the municipalities of Canóvanas and Río Grande. The Department of Justice said in written statements that prosecutor Jesús Peluyera Berríos, of the Specialized Unit for Domestic Violence, Sexual Crimes and Child Abuse of the Carolina Prosecutor's Office, filed a total of 12 counts of child abuse against Delymar López Rodríguez; her partner, Jainaim Villegas Rivera; the child's father, John Michael Cruz Jiménez; paternal grandmother Debrale Jiménez Marcano; Emmanuel Díaz Delgado; Jorge Luis Cruz Jiménez; and Julio César Cruz Jiménez.
According to the preliminary report, the situation was reported on the afternoon of September 4, 2025, when the mother brought the child to a scheduled appointment at the Department of the Family offices. A social worker, who later filed the complaint, noticed a bandage on the child's right leg and alerted the 9-1-1 emergency system.
Justice said the CIC investigation in Carolina found the situation began in August 2025, when López Rodríguez allegedly assaulted the child, fractured his foot and did not seek medical care, then allegedly burned his left foot while trying to place him in a container of hot water. Villegas Rivera was allegedly present and did nothing.
The mother admitted an August 27 burn at their Canóvanas residence without medical care. The child stayed at the grandmother's Río Grande home from August 29 to September 4.