Barranquilla: Two women jailed for alleged torture of a 7-year-old boy

Two women, Mileidys Nohemí Viloria Sanjuanelo and Sindy Patricia Santiago Echeverría, have been ordered to remain in prison following allegations of aggravated torture and personal injury against a seven-year-old boy. The Colombian Prosecutor General’s Office reported that the systematic physical and psychological abuse occurred between 2024 and 2026 in the Simón Bolívar neighborhood of Barranquilla and the Costa Hermosa sector in Soledad, Atlántico.

According to the prosecution, the child was subjected to repeated attacks using objects such as rods, belts, stones, and wooden sticks. The victim testified that the assaults included forced openings of the mouth that caused bleeding and strikes to the shoulders, back, chest, and feet.

A forensic report from the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences confirmed that the boy suffered a permanent facial deformity and required complex reconstructive maxillofacial surgery. While the medical-legal incapacity was initially set at 25 days, the severity of the injuries necessitated specialized hospital care.

The judge ordered the preventive detention of both women to safeguard the child's integrity. The boy has been placed under the custody of his biological father. Neither of the accused has accepted the charges.