What did Elizabeth Archibeque do? Arizona mother pleads guilty after 6-year-old starves to death

Elizabeth Archibeque has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of Deshaun Martinez, her six-year-old son. The young boy tragically lost his life in March 2020 after being locked inside a small bedroom closet without food.

Elizabeth Archibeque faced charges alongside the boy's father, Anthony Martinez, and his grandmother, Ann Marie Martinez. Disturbingly, the adults admitted to regularly locking the young boy, along with the victim's siblings, inside a cramped closet in their east Flagstaff apartment as a form of "discipline," a report by Arizona Daily Sun stated.

Elizabeth Archibeque is now awaiting sentencing and is scheduled to appear before Judge Ted Reed later this summer. If convicted, she could face a life sentence. As part of the plea agreement Elizabeth Archibeque recently signed, Archibeque has waived her eligibility for probation. If ultimately sentenced to life in prison, she will not have any chance of parole or work release.

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Elizabeth Archibeque case: Kids were kept in confinement for 16 hours a day for a month

According to police investigators, the kids were, sometimes, confined to a closet for approximately 16 hours each day for a month. In addition to their confinement, they were denied food. Following the tragic incident, the surviving siblings, aged two, four, and seven at the time, were immediately placed in the custody of child protective services.

The autopsy report confirmed that the six-year-old boy weighed a mere 18 pounds at the time of his death, way below the average weight for a child his age. Initially, Elizabeth Archibeque and the child's father attributed his malnourishment to a supposed medical condition or the ingestion of diet or caffeine pills.

However, as the investigation progressed, Elizabeth Archibeque and the other accused people eventually confessed to the crime. While the victim passed away due to the torture, his older brother managed to survive the ordeal.

A makeshift memorial for the 6-year-old boy in 2020 (Image via KPNX)

The surviving seven-year-old sibling was subsequently admitted to Flagstaff Medical Center and is presently under the care of the Department of Child Safety.

The remaining two siblings, a four-year-old girl and a two-year-old, did not exhibit signs of malnourishment, and the four-year-old regularly attended school. Investigators have confirmed that all four children are biologically related to Anthony Martinez and Elizabeth Archibeque.

Notably, the Department of Child Safety had not conducted any prior investigations or visits to the residence.

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Cases of abuse against children not uncommon

Similar to the Elizabeth Archibeque case, there is the case of eight-year-old Joseph Barney, who tragically passed away in a New York hospital in 2022. Police arrested Barney's parents, who faced charges of murder, manslaughter, manslaughter of a person under 11 years old, and aggravated manslaughter.

According to the police, Joseph Barney's parents took him to an emergency room on June 1. He was unconscious and unresponsive. Medical professionals noted no apparent signs of trauma but were alarmed by the boy's condition. Despite their efforts, the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

At the time of his death, the victim weighed a mere 30 pounds, significantly below the average weight range of 46 to 78 pounds for a boy his age. Moreover, the police disclosed that there were multiple indications of child abuse present in Joseph's case, further deepening the gravity of the situation.

According to childprotect.org, there are 3.6 million cases of child abuse that are reported every year in the U.S. Statista.com stated: "In 2021, about 4.8 children died each day of abuse and neglect in the United States. This is an increase from 1998, when about 3.13 children in the United States died each day due to abuse and neglect."