HOENIX, Ariz. — Maribel Loera, 57, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in connection with the death of her adopted daughter, Ana Loera, whose remains were discovered inside the attic of the family’s Phoenix home in 2020.
Loera entered her guilty pleas on Sept. 22. The agreement calls for a prison term of up to 32 years, including 22 years of flat prison time, followed by lifetime supervision after her release.
The case first came to light in January 2020, when Phoenix police responded to the family home after an 11-year-old girl called 911 and reported that she had been left alone without food. Investigators subsequently learned of allegations of abuse in the household, and child welfare authorities removed children from the home.
A few days later, on Jan. 28, the house caught fire. Firefighters searching the burned residence discovered skeletal remains in the attic the following day. Investigators later identified the remains as those of Ana.
Early reports identified Ana as 13 years old when her remains were found. Later forensic estimates placed her age at about 9 when she died. Investigators have said she was last seen alive in 2016, although the family later gave investigators a different account of when her death occurred.
According to investigators, Ana’s father, Rafael Loera, told authorities that the girl became seriously ill and died before the family could get her to medical care. He allegedly said her body was wrapped in a blanket and placed in the attic rather than reported to authorities.
Investigators also determined that the fire had been deliberately set. Rafael Loera allegedly told police that gasoline taken from a vehicle was used to start the fire.
The investigation also uncovered allegations involving other children in the household. An 11-year-old girl who spoke with police described being physically abused and left without adequate care. Other children were subsequently removed from the residence by the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
During Maribel Loera’s recent court hearing, Ana’s siblings also spoke about the abuse they said they experienced. One sibling described lasting scars from an alleged knife attack and told the court about the difficulty of losing Ana while dealing with the alleged abuse.
The plea agreement resolves the criminal case against Maribel Loera without a trial. Her formal sentencing is still to take place, with the current agreement calling for a total term of up to 32 years in prison and lifetime supervision afterward.
The criminal case against Rafael Loera remains pending.
The case has also highlighted how the initial welfare investigation in January 2020 ultimately led authorities to the discovery of Ana’s remains and a much larger investigation into what had happened inside the home.
