Six-Year-Old Flagstaff Boy Dies After Being Kept In A Closet For A Month With His Brother

A six-year-old Flagstaff boy passed away Monday after he was locked in a closet and not fed for up to a month. Officers responded to a home in the 31-hundred block of North Monte Vista Drive at around 12:39 p.m. regarding an unresponsive boy. Officers immediately began life-saving efforts until medical personnel arrived. They were not able to resuscitate the boy and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say the boy appeared to be malnourished and there was no obvious signs of trauma. The parents admitted to police that the boy, and his seven-year-old brother, were kept in the bedroom closet for about a month and denied food at times. The brother also appeared to be malnourished. The parents, and their grandmother, admitted the boys were being punished for stealing food by sneaking out of the house while the parents slept. The older brother is being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center. Two other children, ages two and four, are in the care of the Department of Child Services. Police arrested 23-year-old Anthony Jose Archiqebue-Martinez, 26-year-old Elizabeth Archibeque-Martinez and 50-year-old Anne Marie Martinez, on two counts of child abuse and one count of first degree murder. They are being held on a three-million dollar bond each. The investigation is ongoing.