Foster dad ‘jams backscratcher down 13-year-old boy’s throat’ then ‘beats him to death’

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Police were called to a home and found a young boy covered in ‘marks and lacerations’ after he was beaten by his foster dad, court reports say

A man who fostered a 13-year-old boy has been charged with his murder after allegedly beating him to death over several gruelling hours. Cesar Delgadillo, 39, beat the young boy and jammed a back scratcher down his throat, according to court reports.

Police entered the property after being called there, to find the 13-year-old covered in marks and lacerations from a beating. He was quickly taken to hospital, where he later died from the trauma. The foster father Cesar Delgadillo, and his wife Virginia Delgadillo, were then arrested after officers saw security footage in the home.

Cesar has since been charged with homicide, in addition to child endangerment, evidence tampering and obstruction. He will appear in a court hearing later this month.

Virginia, 34, has been charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of children, four counts of corruption of minors, and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

Court reports state that the young boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was left to die in his bedroom at the home in Drums, Pennsylvania, US. The foster parents left him there after the bloody attack.

The incident allegedly lasted several hours, from Sunday night into Monday morning. Footage captured on a home security system also showed some of the couple’s other four foster children trying to clear up blood around the property, which spilt during the violent attack, as reported by local news channel, WNEP.

It quotes a police affidavit, which reads: “The video captures large amounts of blood being deposited on the floor during the assaults. Some of the children who reside in the residence were observed actively cleaning blood from the floor.”

The news channel also reports two other foster children woke the foster mother on Monday morning and she called emergency services after the mum seeing the 13-year-old child unresponsive in his bedroom.

Police officers arrived at the house along with paramedics, and the boy was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital in nearby Hazleton.

At the hospital, he was declared dead.

The family’s five foster children range from five to 16 years old, according to local media.

These publications also report that the four living foster children are now in state custody, as Cesar and Virginia await court hearings in Pennsylvania later this month.

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