Woman who said attacker burned her and a child made the story up, Monroe police say
A Monroe woman who previously said a home invader burned her and a 2-year-old child she was babysitting in April made up the story, according to police.
The Monroe Police Department said Maria Esquivel has active warrants for filing a false police report, felony child abuse and felony obstruction.
Previously, Esquivel reported to the police that a Black man attacked her from behind while she was entering a home on East Talleyrand Avenue in April, demanding cash.
She alleged the man assaulted her, and also burned both her and the 2-year-old, who had second-degree burns to his face and head. The assailant left after robbing the home, she told the police.
At the time, the department said it couldn’t say whether or not she knew the assailant.
In a previous interview with Observer news partner WSOC, Esquivel said it was the “worst moment of her life.”
“He’s a horrible human being,” she told the news channel. “He’s no good, and he’s a person, I don’t know how to describe, he’s like the devil.”
But after investigating, police said evidence did not corroborate what she alleged.
The department said Esquivel admitted to fabricating the event, and police determined that the child was accidentally burned by incense when left unattended.
Esquivel was taken to the hospital, and the child was taken to the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem for treatment following the incident.
The child was released from the hospital and is recovering at home, the department said.
