The two women charged in the death and starvation of a 3-year-old girl made their initial appearance in Honolulu District Court this morning.
Janae Perez, 25, the mother of the deceased child, and Ashleigh Utley, 33, the mother’s live-in girlfriend, were arrested and charged Thursday with second-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, first-degree assault, multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, persistent non-support and first-degree hindering prosecution.
The judge reconfirmed their bail at $1 million each.
They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 4 in district court.
Sarai Perez-Rivera was found unresponsive in their Kapolei home on June 13.
She was malnourished, with ashen skin, bruises to her back, head, legs, hips, arms and face, as well as abrasions and scab wounds to her hands and back.
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The Medical Examiner’s Office, after extensive testing, found on Feb. 24 that she died from dehydration and starvation and had numerous contusions on her head and extremities.
A preliminary autopsy June 14 initially deferred the cause and manner, pending further testing and review of medical records.
Perez told police her 5-year-old undiagnosed, autistic son punched and kicked the girl while she was on the ground and was regularly aggressive with her and blamed him for her injuries.
Police said investigators found the boy did not harm his sister the night of the incident, and instead found the two women routinely hit the children to their faces, heads and other parts of their bodies with hands, sticks paddles slippers and belts.
The Perez-Rivera’s three siblings were taken into protective custody after the initial investigation, police said.
The 5-year-old boy and a boy, 6, were admitted to the hospital for extreme dehydration, while a 2-year-old (of undisclosed gender) was examined and released.