An Oceanside couple have been arrested for allegedly smuggling a 12-year-old girl into the country from Mexico and holding her as their sex slave.
The couple, 43-year-old Inez Martinez Garcia and her husband, 45-year-old Marcial Garcia Hernandez, were taken into custody Thursday by members of the North County Human Trafficking Task Force, following a two and a half year investigation that had at one point been labeled a cold case, according to the North County Times.
The victim, who is now an adult, came forward to authorities about the abuses she suffered at the hands of her alleged captors, the Garcias. The victim says she was taken by the Garcias under the promise of a new and better life with them in America. Once situated at their home, the victim says she was made to care for the couple's three children, clean, and cook--all under the constant threat of physical harm.
Additionally, the victim said she spent nearly two years being forced to have sex with the husband, and if she did not comply or perform to expectation, she was beaten. Ultimately the couple allegedly forced the girl to have sex with other men for payment, which the couple kept.
The Garcias allegedly secured work for the girl at a restaurant, which required the girl to lie about her age. Her paycheck was turned over to the Garcias.
On Thursday, the Garcias were "booked into jail on 13 felony counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 14," notes the North County Times. The couple is expected in court for arraignment on Monday, adds CBS8.com.
