Parents 'murdered daughter, 2, who had just been returned to them from foster care'



The parents of a toddler who died from malnutrition months after being released from foster care have been charged with her murder.

Jennifer Dalhover, 36, and Joseph Sandoval, 21, from Los Angeles, appeared in court today and were held in lieu of $1-million bail. The parents did not enter pleas and are scheduled to return to court March 21.

Vyctorya Sandoval died months after she was taken out of foster care and returned to her biological parents last April.

When she died, bruises covered her body, a rib was fractured and blood tests suggested she died thirsty and hungry.

Concerns: The death of Vyctorya Sandoval last April raised concerns about Los Angeles' County's Department of Children and Family Services, which pushed to reunify the girl with her parents despite a long history of mistreatment

'The arrests bring a general sense of relief for everyone who knew and loved Tori,' said Elise Esparza, a friend of Tori's relatives, told the LA Times. 'You know, it felt at times like they were going to get away with it. It was just so frustrating to be waiting for this.'

According to the LA Times, only months before her April 24 death, a two-page letter was given to the judge's chambers at the Los Angeles County Children's Court, registering 'grave concern' for the well-being of the toddler, who was known as Tori.

Linda Kontis, co-founder of a foster family agency that contracted with the county to provide care to the girl, complained that the court system hadn't properly considered the risks of returning Tori to her parents.



Ms Kontis' letter was one of two warnings officials received about the welfare of the child in the months before she died, though details of her life and health have yet to be disclosed.

Charged: Jennifer Dalhover and Joseph Sandoval have been charged with murdering their daughter last year

A friend of Tori's former foster parents, Jennifer Nichols, said the couple phoned in a report to the children services department after hearing from the girl's relatives that Tori's condition was worsening.

According to the LA Times, Esparza said she barely recognized the once-boisterous toddler when she saw her the month before she died.

She noticed that she was very pale and gaunt looking and knew that 'something was wrong'.

She also said she was present when the toddler's mother allegedly described how Tori used to pull out her own hair and pinch herself.

Despite the warnings, the court and the county allowed the two-year-old to be returned to her parents and remained there, even though social workers who visited the family in their Pomona apartment noted that her weight dropped from the fiftieth percentile to below the fifth percentile for children her age.

In memory: The former foster parents held a memorial for Tori last year

Tori's case once again placed the spotlight on the county's child protection bureaucracy, who have come under fire after more than 70 maltreatment deaths over the last three years of children who had been under the system's supervision.

Tori was removed from her parents after her birth and joined eight older siblings in foster care, according to the letter sent by Ms Kontis.

The family are said to have had 11 referrals to child protective services for alleged domestic violence, child abuse and other issues, according to other sources with access to the family's files.



The couple had a tempestuous relationship that included allegations of domestic violence and sexual abuse committed by Dalholver against Sandoval when he was a minor, according to Ms Kontis' letter to the court.

