Two charged in brutal attack on Tarboro toddler
A 2-year-old child beaten beyond recognition at a babysitter's house in Tarboro earlier this month was also sexually assaulted, authorities said Tuesday, after charging two people in the attack.
Posted — UpdatedCirilo Torido-Bastida, 41, of Macclesfield, faces two counts of first-degree forcible sex offense and one count of assault inflicting serious bodily injury. He was placed in the Edgecombe County jail Tuesday under a $855,000 secured bond.
Chelsey Elane Speight, 20, of Tarboro, was charged with accessory after the fact on all three counts and placed in the Edgecombe County jail under a $355,000 secured bond.
Investigators say Speight was watching two children for a friend the night of Nov. 3. When the mother returned, her 2-year-old had been savagely beaten but the other child was unharmed.
The mother said the injuries were so severe that she didn't even recognize her own child. She also said Speight told her a dog had attacked the child.
Speight, of 374 Northwoods Country Road, was initially arrested Nov. 4 and charged with felony child abuse and misdemeanor child abuse. She posted $1,500 bond and returned home.
But medical examinations confirmed the extent of injuries to the child, who has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at her grandmother's house, leading to the new charges against Speight.
Due to the nature of the crimes, the child and mother's name are being withheld by WRAL News.
No other information was released. The relationship between Speight and Torido-Bastida was not disclosed.
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