PALM BEACH, Fla. (
The Palm Beach Post) -- Two years ago today, a Road Ranger cruising Interstate 95 between Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard and 45th street spotted a red pickup on the side of the road before dawn. Two hours later, the truck emblazoned with a pest control company name was still there and the ranger decided to investigate.
He discovered a 10-year-old boy doused in an acid-like substance, badly burned and having seizures as his adoptive father was slumped in the seat beside him.
By day’s end, the body of the boy’s sister was discovered wrapped in a garbage bag in the truck’s bed.
That was the beginning of a grisly case of abuse and murder that rocked South Florida for months – the case of siblings Victor and Nubia Barahona and their adoptive parents Jorge and Carmen Barahona.
Jorge and Carmen Barahona have been indicted on charges of first-degree murder for Nubia’s death, as well as aggravated child abuse and child neglect charges. A trial date has not been set.
Meanwhile, Nubia’s death and Victor’s abuse sparked a review and eventually changes in how the state’s Department of Children and Families investigates abuse reports.
