TEMPE, AZ — A medical examiner has ruled the death of a 13-year-old girl a homicide after Tempe police found a "makeshift cage" inside the home earlier this year.
A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office said the death of Melony Granados was ruled a homicide.
ABC15 previously reported that Granados was covered in bruises and sores, all in various stages of healing. Her grandmother, 55-year-old Virginia Lujan, told investigators the girl had fallen down the stairs at the home. Lujan did not seek medical attention because she believed the girl would be fine, police say.
Tempe police said the girl had a cognitive delay and had the mental capacity of a 3-year-old. Police said Lujan told them the girl was kept in the makeshift “cage” to keep control of her.
Lujan was later indicted on charges of child abuse.
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The Tempe Police Department was awaiting a report from the medical examiner’s office before submitting more possible charges against Lujan. However, the ABC15 Investigators have confirmed that Lujan died earlier this month while in the Maricopa County Jail.
A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said Lujan died of natural causes but did not elaborate.
The Sheriff’s Office usually keeps an updated list on its website of inmate death notifications; however, it has not been updated since July.
A spokesperson for the agency said in an email that MCSO has switched to a new vendor for the website, and the latest deaths are currently being added.
Few details have been released by the Arizona Department of Child Safety about the case, including whether the family had any involvement with child services.
DCS posts preliminary fatality reports on its website, but Melony’s name is not on the list.
A spokesperson for DCS said in an email that they can only release information on a death or near-death if it has been proven that a child died because of abuse, abandonment or neglect by a parent, guardian or caregiver.
The Tempe Police Department said Granado’s death is still an active investigation.
Later, on November 17, DCS released a preliminary fatality report into Granado's death that reveals the family was known to the department.
The report details that DCS had prior involvement with the grandma, Lujan, that dates back to 2008, but the allegations were unsubstantiated.
Then, in 2019, DCS substantiated neglect allegations by Granado's parents. The children were then removed from their parents and placed with Lujan. The kids were turned over to Granado's mother in 2020.
Then, a year later, Granado and her siblings were removed from their parents again and placed with Lujan in 2021. In October 2022, another report came in to DCS alleging neglect by Lujan to Granado and a sibling, but the allegations were unsubstantiated. DCS received a neglect report stating that Granado and a sibling had not been to school in two years, nor seen a doctor or dentist.
In a statement issued earlier this month, DCS said it did not find evidence to support the allegations.
A spokesperson for DCS said that there were no open complaints against Lujan at the time of her death. If there were, DCS says there would be monthly in-home check-ins.
