Parents made 9-year-old sit on balcony in 104-degree heat for 4 hours over how she held a book, police say

PEORIA, AZ. (AZFamily/Gray News) - A father and stepmother in Arizona are accused of tying up, torturing and neglecting the man’s two daughters.

Jennifer and Jose Carrillo were arrested Sept. 17. Both are charged with two counts of child abuse. Jennifer also faces one count of unlawful imprisonment.

The allegations surfaced more than a year ago.

Authorities removed the 9- and 12-year-old girls from the Carrillos’ care last summer.

The couple allegedly hit, tied up and withheld food, water and bathroom access from the two girls beginning in June 2025, when a neighbor called police.

The neighbor told officers he found a “scared” little girl hiding under his bench on his patio and that her parents were trying to “drag her out.”

Detectives learned the victim lived in the unit above the neighbor and was 9 years old, but she looked more like a 5- or 6-year-old because of her small size.

The child told police she got in trouble with her stepmother, Jennifer Carrillo, for the way she was “holding a book.”

According to court documents, her punishment was to be left outside on the second-story balcony for four hours without food or water when it was 104 degrees.

“She was hungry. She was thirsty. So at that point, she decided to jump off of the balcony,” the prosecutor said.

Officers noticed the girl had injuries, and she was hospitalized for three days.

Medical staff expressed concern that she appeared malnourished, neglected and abused, weighing 43.5 pounds.

“She was below the fifth percentile in weight,” the prosecutor said. “Her hair was falling out. Her teeth were not developing as they should. There was scabbing and scarring to her buttocks as well as to her 12-year-old sister.”

The prosecutor outlined allegations involving prolonged mistreatment of the two sisters.

“Punishment that included having the daughters sit on some lids for a prolonged period of time and having to use trash bags to cover them up if and when they had to use the restroom,” the prosecutor said. “A shoelace being tied around the 9-year-old’s ankle that was attached to a door in order to ensure that she was not able to drink water at nighttime.”

Jennifer Carrillo’s attorney argued she did the best she could caring for children with special needs placed in the care of her and her husband by the Department of Child Safety.

Both girls are Jose Carrillo’s biological children, and police said neither victim has any developmental delays.

According to court documents, both girls are doing better and have gained significant weight, which has improved their health. They have been staying with a foster family and recently were reunited with their biological mother, but they remain in DCS custody.

Peoria police say they have no prior involvement with this family, and both suspects have previous minor criminal histories that do not involve children.