BEVERLY, W.Va. — Two Beverly parents have been arrested by West Virginia State Police after they received a tip about an 11-year-old child restrained with zip ties in a bathroom in the family home.
The witness told troopers they saw 11-year-old child of Manual Ortiz Jr., 69, and Licha Ortiz, 54, in the garage bathroom with her hands behind her back and her ankles restrained with zip ties. The witness went on to describe the bathroom door that appeared to be sealed with spray foam and a conversation the father was having with the child through a crack in the door.
Troopers and officers with the Elkins Police Department then served a search warrant and found large amounts of trash and clutter throughout the home.
Troopers said the 11-year-old had ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and her feet appeared swollen and red. Police also verified the spray foam around the door and found a broken zip tie behind the toilet.
Troopers said there were writings on the bathroom wall that said, “They love my brother but not me…no one on my side just me.”
Both have been charged with child abuse creating risk of death and conspiracy and are being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on cash-only $150,000 bonds.