PHOENIX (AP) - A Maricopa County grand jury has indicted a Phoenix-area couple on first-degree murder charges for the death of their adopted daughter.
County prosecutors said 57-year-old Rafael Loera and 51-year-old Maribel Loera also were indicted on abandonment or concealment of a dead body and child abuse.
In addition, Rafael Loera was charged with arson of an occupied structure.
It was unclear Monday if the couple has lawyers yet for their cases.
The couple has been in custody on child abuse and other charges for more than a year.
Authorities said the remains of 13-year-old Ana Loera were found in a house fire in January 2020.
They said the teen was last seen alive in 2006 and when asked about it, Rafael Loera said she had moved to Mexico.
Prosecutors said he later admitted the girl had gotten sick in July 2017 and she didn’t get medical attention for several days before her death.
The couple allegedly kept the girl’s body in the attic, then later placed it in the backyard before setting their home on fire.
The Office of the Medical Examiner ruled the teen’s death a homicide.
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