Federal charges filed against sisters accused of holding 12-year-old captive in Texas home
By Jessica Willey
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Federal prosecutors have filed kidnapping and forced labor charges against two sisters accused of brutally abusing and imprisoning a 12-year-old girl in a rural Montgomery County home.
According to court documents, the child wore makeup to hide bruises caused by repeated beatings. Investigators say she was held captive, forced to work as a personal servant, and subjected to ongoing abuse before escaping last September, malnourished, injured, and still wearing a zip tie on her wrist.
The allegations stem from events inside a brick home along a rural road near Splendora, where the girl told investigators she endured months of violence. Court records state she was beaten with cords, laptop chargers, a cane, and sticks, often while naked, and forced to do all household labor, including laundry and caring for animals such as roosters, ducks, and dogs.
Last October, sisters Tania Garcia, 37, and Brenda Garcia, 39, were arrested on state charges, including injury to a child, unlawful restraint, and invasive visual recording. Now, federal authorities have taken over the case.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a two-count federal indictment charging both women with kidnapping and forced labor.
According to the criminal complaint, the girl told investigators that Brenda Garcia and a family friend initially removed her from an abusive relative and reported the sexual abuse to Child Protective Services. However, when CPS followed up, records state that Brenda Garcia falsely claimed that the child had been sent back to Honduras to live with her mother. The girl said Garcia then threatened her that, “no one would be looking for her anymore,” records show.
Federal court records also reference photos and videos allegedly documenting the abuse. One video, according to investigators, shows Brenda Garcia shaving the girl’s head after she made an outcry to Garcia’s mother months before her escape.
Attorney Steve Shellist, who is not involved in the case, says federal charges significantly raise the stakes.
“They want justice for this child, and this is a case they can really put their resources and time into,” Shellist said. “As a defendant, you’d much rather be on the state side. You don’t want to be in federal court with a case like this.”
Both women are in federal custody. If convicted, they face up to life in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
Since their arrests, the girl’s male relative has also been charged with continuous sexual abuse and is being held in the Harris County jail on a $100,000 bond.
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