A 43-year-old Hialeah mother faces two felony child abuse charges after surveillance cameras at Fatty’s Market recorded her hitting, biting and pulling the hair of her two sons, ages 7 and 8, according to police.
Police said the video shows Madelein Inurrieta-Martinez pulling and squeezing one child’s ear for six seconds while the boy screamed. Later footage shows her grabbing the other son by the hair and biting his ear, and investigators said the beating continued outside the store.
Fadi Malouf, whose family has run the market for 20 years, called police after he watched the footage. Officers found Inurrieta-Martinez about five blocks away. Investigators said she had facial bruises, including a black eye, when officers found her. She told investigators she got them while trying to break up an unrelated fight.
Inurrieta-Martinez remains in jail on a $5,000 bond. Jail records show a hold on her release tied to her immigration status. A Hialeah Police spokesperson said officers did not ask about her immigration status and played no role in the hold.
At a bond hearing Sunday evening, Judge Christina Miranda ordered her to have no contact with her sons until the case is resolved. Inurrieta-Martinez, a Cuban national who does not speak English, listened through a translator and pleaded not guilty.
