BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Genesis Mata, the 8-year-old girl whose heavily scarred body was found in a motel bathtub, died from “multiple inflicted injuries and chronic child maltreatment,” coroner’s officials said in a release sent Friday.
Her death was a homicide, officials said.
Ray Mata Jr. and Graciela Bustamonte, the child’s father and stepmother, were charged with first-degree murder, torture and other charges after her naked body was discovered Aug. 2 at the La Quinta Inn on Riverside Drive.
Timeline: The last days of Genesis Mata
Eligible for the death penalty, Mata and Bustamonte are being held without bail and due back in court June 30.
The couple allegedly burned Genesis with boiling water and whipped her with a cord, among other horrific abuse. Both admitted to harming the child…