A Pahrump couple is facing child neglect charges after a 4-year-old girl was discovered bruised and alone wandering in the roadway, according to reports from the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Breanna Nelson found the child about 1:14 p.m. walking in the middle of Wilson Road near Leslie Street after being dispatched to the area for a service call, according to sheriff’s reports.
Visible bruises, no footwear
“The child was not wearing any shoes or socks and had a large scratch on her face going from her forehead to the tip of her nose,” according to sheriff’s reports. “Her legs were also covered in bruises and she was transported by medics to Desert View Hospital.”
The sheriff’s office posted a photo of the child on Facebook with a message asking for the public’s assistance in locating her parents. Father Jonathon Reyes called the sheriff’s office at 2:02 p.m. after he saw the post.
Reyes told the deputy that he had been watching TV and did not notice his daughter had gotten out of the house, according to the report.
“While speaking with Jonathon, I advised him we had been with his daughter for approximately one hour,” Nelson’s report said. “Jonathon was very nonchalant while speaking with me and did not seem concerned about his daughter’s whereabouts.”
Hazardous living conditions
A woman who was with Reyes at the time, Stephanie Vazzo, reportedly allowed Nelson to perform a walk-through of their residence.
Nelson said she observed trash on the floor of every room inside the home.
“The floor was covered in a sticky substance and my boots stuck to the floor while walking through,” according to the report. “There was dried blood on the wall that Stephanie stated was from the night before. The bathroom door had a child safety lock on it, however, Stephanie stated that the child could still open the door. Inside the bathroom there was a training toilet on the floor. Next to the training toilet, there was an open cabinet with a marijuana bong inside of it.”
Nelson noted that the inside of the toilet was dirty and had feces rising up the toilet bowl.
“In the living room area, there was a desk covered in trash, including a bowl of cigarette butts, that was within the child’s reach,” the report stated. “The kitchen counters were covered with dirty dishes and trash. The garbage can was overflowing and there were dirty diapers and dirty puppy training pads that were also on the floor.”
The report noted that neither Reyes nor Vazzo bothered to ask of the child’s whereabouts or if she was okay, according to the report.
Reyes and Vazzo were taken into custody on one count of alleged child neglect by allegedly allowing the 4-year-old girl to live in an environment that would place her in a situation where the child may suffer physical pain or mental suffering as a result of alleged abuse or neglect.
They were placed into custody and transported to the Nye County Detention Center.
Bail amount was set at $10,000 each.
The report did not indicate whether the child was returned to the residence.
Similar cases in the past weeks
On April 14, a Pahrump mother was charged with child neglect after deputies found her 4-year-old bruised and dirty and more than a mile from his home, after abandoning a go-kart near Barney Road and Prospector Lane.
On March 4, a Pahrump couple was arrested after their 4-year-old son was found running “nearly naked and afraid”near the intersection of North Barney Street and West Our Road.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes