California lesbians charged with torture

Here is an update on an earlier story about lesbian child abuse:

The stakes just got higher for a couple accused of starving and abusing their three young children and keeping a young girl chained to a wall inside their Russell Road house in Salinas.

Prosecutors amended criminal charges against Christian Jessica Deanda, 44, and Eraca Dawn Craig, 31, on Wednesday by adding two charges: torture and personally inflicting great bodily harm.

If the two women are convicted of torture, they could be sentenced to a life prison term.

Deanda and Craig remain behind bars and their preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 6. They have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Monterey County Sheriff's investigators said the women abused the girl and two boys, ages 3 and 5, over a long period of time.

Craig is the biological mother of the 3-year-old boy and is a former prison guard. The girl and 5-year-old boy are biological brother and sister, and Craig and Deanda and their legal guardians. Deanda and Craig are domestic partners and had planned to get married this month.

The warrant, which refers to the 8-year-old girl as "Jane Doe," stated that when deputies arrived at the house for a welfare check on the children, the girl had several physical injuries, a scar on her head, dark circles under her eyes, and she weighed just 40 pounds.

"Jane Doe stated she was chained up to a wall with a collar around her neck. Jane Doe reported that her hair was shaved off and videotaped. Jane Doe reported that Christian kept a journal as well. Jane Doe was hit with a black belt and was forced to be chained up all day, every day," the warrant states.

Sheriff Scott Miller said the girl looked like someone who had come out of a concentration camp when she was rescued from the house.

"All the children were taken out of schools to prevent contact with police or counselors," the warrant states.

Here is the search warrant with more info, but many questions are unanswered. Who thought that it was a good idea to give a couple of kids to these lesbians? Who is the natural father to the third kid?