EDINBURG, Texas — An illegal alien from Mexico and his wife have been arrested in connection with the abuse of a four-year-old girl, allegedly using hot water on her feet–causing second and third degree burns.

Miguel Hernandez, 41, and his 30-year-old wife Maria Teresa Lazcano, have been formally charged with one count of injury to a child and remain at the Hidalgo County Jail, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office revealed. Their bonds have been set at $100,000 each.

The suspects in question were confirmed to be guardians to the girl after previously suffering abuse from her parents, according to local law enforcement.

The case began last week when a nurse at a local elementary school in the border city of Alamo called authorities after noticing severe burns on the feet of a 4-year-old girl. Sheriff’s investigators began looking into the case while medical personnel took the child to a local hospital for treatment. At the hospital, doctors classified the burns as being second and third degree in severity and had the child transferred to a burn treatment center upstate.

Sheriff’s investigators interviewed Hernandez who told authorities that he allegedly placed the child in scalding water out of frustration, the information provided by authorities revealed. Lazcano told investigators that she had knowledge of the injuries but did not seek medical care nor reported the abuse to authorities. The child has been removed by Texas Child Protective Services.

Booking information obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed that Hernandez is listed as an illegal alien from the Mexican State of Chiapas while Lazcano is listed as being from the Mexican State of Veracruz; she is believed to have legal status.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project and you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.