Miami

Young Witness Recounts New Tales of Horror in Sickening Barahona Case

The child said she was afraid to tell investigators what happened until now, for fear her family would punish her

A new account emerged of the horrific child abuse allegedly at the hands of adoptive parents Jorge and Carmen Barahona.

The couple has been in jail since 2011 when their adopted children, 10-year-old twins Nubia and Victor Barahona, were found along with Jorge on the side of I-95 in Palm Beach County.

Nubia was dead and decomposing in the back of the truck, Victor was badly burned and beaten.

A six-year-old, who knew them both, now tells investigators what she witnessed inside the couple's West Miami home long before the highway scene was discovered.

When asked to describe Carmen and Jorge's home she said "it was very scary at times." She went on to say she saw "Victor and Nubia in the bathtub tied with ropes or tape."

Prosecutors allege the twins were forced to stand inside a trash can. The young witness said that "sometimes lasted for at least two days," crying.

She said she and the children were sexually abused, adding that they were forced to "play doctor" and that "Jorge had Victor and Nubia to walk undressed in front of us."

The witness, who was six at the time, told her own mother about the abuse. She told investigators "she had picked me up that day and I told her what had happened and she told me that it wasn't her problem." The child's mother likely won't face charges for keeping quiet because the statute of limitations in a child abuse case is five years and now it has been six years. The child said she was afraid to tell investigators what happened until now, for fear her family would punish her.

The Department of Children and Family faced intense scrutiny in the case because there repeated reports of abuse by the Barahona couple and the children were still allowed to stay with them. The department has changed policies since 2011 to try and prevent a similar case from happening again. Jorge and Carmen Barahona are awaiting trial for Nubia's murder and aggravated child abuse. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

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