A 3-year-old Indianapolis girl is in critical condition after police say she endured severe abuse at the hands of her father and his girlfriend.
The brutal beatings have left the little girl with a brain bleed and covered in bruises, doctors say.
Authorities responded to a home on Aug. 7 following a report that the child had “fallen” and was unresponsive. Officers arrived to find the girl soaking wet, with visible injuries across her body.
Her father, Joshua Cajigas, 24, described her as “limp, like a rag doll.” His girlfriend, Mellie Jackson, 22, allegedly warned him that the child appeared to be in shock, but he dismissed her condition, calling the girl “melodramatic.” Moments later, she collapsed.
Doctors who treated the child reported catastrophic injuries, including a brain bleed and widespread bruising, noting the likelihood of survival was slim.
Court documents allege that Cajigas forced his daughter to perform “discipline drills” and whipped her as punishment — including for wetting the bed at night. Despite his claims that he only struck her legs and buttocks with a belt, medical professionals documented injuries on her shins, forearm, biceps, elbows, stomach, forehead, shoulder, and both eyes.
Investigators say Cajigas and Jackson initially gave inconsistent explanations, including blaming a fallen dresser.
A Mother’s Warnings Ignored
The child’s biological mother, Lexus Burnette, who lost custody in May, said she repeatedly warned the courts about Cajigas’ abusive behavior. She now claims those warnings were ignored, leaving her daughter in danger.
Cajigas and Jackson have both been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury. Cajigas also faces charges of domestic battery causing serious bodily injury and battery causing serious injury.
The Indiana Department of Child Services has opened an investigation into the case, which is now raising urgent questions about whether systemic failures in custody and child protection laws allowed the abuse to escalate.
For now, the focus remains on a young girl whose fight for survival has become a devastating reminder of the consequences of ignored warnings and unchecked abuse.
