BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Several months after Genesis Mata was found killed in a bath tub at a La Quinta Inn, an official cause of death has yet to be determined. This is in part due to the totality of injuries that the child sustained.
That's according to testimony given by a forensic patholigist Tuesday during a preliminary hearing for Ray Mata Jr. and Graciela Bustamante, the father and stepmother accused of torturing and killing of the 8-year-old earlier this year.
Prosecutor Leanne Wilder led witnesses through hours of evidence collected from the La Quinta Inn on Riverside Drive, where officers discovered Genesis’s body in a bathtub in early August. Photos shown in court depicted the young girl severely emaciated, covered in burns, puncture wounds, and scars.
As photos of the child were shown, members of the audience and even law enforcement became emotional.
Sgt. John Ryan, one of the first detectives to process the scene, said Genesis remained in the bathtub as investigators documented the scene and the deputy coroner arrived. Ryan, who later witnessed the autopsy, told the court it was among the most difficult cases he had encountered.
Dr. Chanikarn Lopez, a forensic pathologist with two decades of experience, testified that the autopsy of Genesis Mata was one of the longest she had ever performed. She said Genesis had injuries “from head to toe,” including scalding burns on her face and pelvis, deep puncture and slash wounds on her back and buttocks, and torn tissue inside her mouth. Lopez explained that since the child’s death was caused not by a single fatal injury, she has not yet determined the exact cause or time of death, though she ruled the manner of death as homicide.
The court also heard evidence about a forensic interview with one of Mata’s sons, who told interviewers about alleged repeated abuse by Bustamante, including being struck with a phone cord and burned with boiling water. The child said Genesis was also abused, often forced in a closet that was tied shut and hidden to conceal her injuries.
Both Mata and Bustamante remain charged with first-degree murder, torture, and multiple counts of child abuse.
The case has sparked public outrage and renewed scrutiny of Kern County Child Protective Services, as records show previous concerns were raised about Genesis’s safety before her death.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue Wednesday in Kern County Superior Court.
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