Parents arrested for Posting “Abusive” photos on Facebook

Parents arrested for Posting "Abusive" photos on Facebook

In Phoenix, Arizona two parents were arrested by Coconino County deputies after apparently posting pictures on Facebook that showed their children, an infant and a toddler, bound with duct tape on Thursday.

Frankie Almuina and Kayla Almuina, 20 and 19 years old respectively, were arrested by the sheriff's deputies on suspicion of two counts of child abuse on Wednesday after being alerted to the photos by an anonymous tip in their northern Arizona home.

A person who saw the postings called the Arizona Child Abuse Hotline. The caller knew the names of the parents and their residency and most likely knew the couple.

The photos of a 2-year-old toddler and a 10-month-old infant were seen online tied up with duct tape on their wrists and ankles with their mouths taped shut. One of the children was shown hanging upside down on an exercise machine as Commander Rex Gilliland stated.

The arrested parents told investigators that the photos, posted were a joke and that the children were not harmed.

Gilliland said that it’s clear in our minds that these children were placed in a very extreme situation and by the look on their faces, they were in sheer terror. I don't know how this could have been a joke.

About 175 miles north of Phoenix, in Williams, Arizona investigators seized about a dozen similar photos, some that were not posted online from another couple.

The couples were being held in a county jail and the children have been turned over to another family member, Gilliland said.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday December 31 2011, 3:36 AM EDT. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0