PEORIA, AZ — A Peoria couple have been arrested and are facing charges following an extensive investigation into the alleged abuse and neglect of their two children.
Peoria Police Department officials say Jennifer Harrison Carrillo, 50, and Jose Antonio Carrillo Ayala, 49, were arrested September 17.
The investigation first began June 14, 2025, when Peoria Police officers responded to an apartment near 83rd Avenue and Paradise Lane for a welfare check. A neighbor reported finding a young girl hiding on his ground-floor patio after she came down from the apartment above.
Official say that responding officers observed multiple injuries on the 9-year-old. Peoria Fire-Medical personnel evaluated her before she was taken to Phoenix Children's hospital, where she remained hospitalized for several days. Medical personnel reportedly documented signs consistent with prolonged malnutrition, neglect, physical abuse and restraint.
During the initial investigation, officers learned that a second child — the girl's 12-year-old sister — also lived in the home. A medical examination revealed she also had injuries believed to be consistent with prolonged mistreatment.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety was notified, and both children were removed from the home.
Detectives conducted forensic interviews, reviewed medical and school records, examined electronic communications and interviewed the adults involved. Investigators developed probable cause indicating the children had allegedly been deprived of adequate food and water, restricted from using the restroom, forced to remain seated for extended periods, physically restrained and struck as forms of punishment.
Peoria PD says that follow-up medical records showed significant improvements in both children's health and physical development after their removal from the residence. Between June 2025 and March 2026, the 9-year-old gained approximately 27 pounds. Between June 2025 and June 2026, the 12-year-old gained approximately 40 pounds.
Harrison Carrillo, the children's stepmother, was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on 2 counts of Child Abuse, Class 2 felonies, and one count of Unlawful Imprisonment, a Class 6 felony. Carrillo Ayala, the children's biological father, was booked on 2 counts of Child Abuse, Class 2 felonies.
