13-year-old boy forced to live in a dog kennel before being beaten to death by mother’s boyfriend

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A teenage boy who was found buried in a grave on the side of the road near his New Mexico home spent his final days living in a dog kennel without food, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

The body of 13-year-old Jeremiah Valencia was discovered on Sunday, buried along New Mexico State Road 503 near Nambe, two months after he was allegedly beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend, Thomas Ferguson, reports the Daily Mail. Continues on the next pages…

Child Abuse charges

Ferguson, 42; the boy’s mother Tracy Pena, 35; and Ferguson’s 19-year-old son Jordan Nunez were arrested on Monday and charged with abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence. They are currently being held without bond, the report says.

“I can honestly say that this poor child suffered at the hands of a monster”

The details are so sad and gruesome, it brought the Santa Fe County sheriff to tears as he described the horrendous abuse Jeremiah endured up until his death in November. “I can honestly say that this poor child suffered at the hands of a monster,” Sheriff Robert Garcia said. Garcia told reporters the boy was brutally beaten before he was taken and buried on the side of the road, reports WSPA News.

Ferguson and Pena

Ferguson and Pena have been charged with abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence.

According to the Daily Mail report, Valencia had allegedly been tortured for years by Ferguson. At the time of the abuse, the teen had been living at a home in Nambe, just north of Santa Fe, with Ferguson, Pena and Nunez. Valencia’s 13-year-old sister was also believed to have been staying at the home.

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