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In a disturbing case that has shocked the community, a family services caseworker and her boyfriend are facing serious charges for allegedly abusing an 11-year-old girl under their care. Priscilla Mestaz, the caseworker, and her boyfriend, Anthony Machuca, stand accused of a series of heinous acts, including torture and starvation, against the child.
The charges against Mestaz and Machuca are severe, encompassing 27 felony and misdemeanor counts. These include torture, conspiracy to commit torture, child endangerment with the potential for significant harm or death, and assault with a deadly weapon. The allegations have been detailed in a statement released by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, as reported on their Facebook page.
The investigation was set into motion on January 31, when deputies responded to a call about a young girl refusing to return to the home she shared with Mestaz, who is both her aunt and a child services manager. The girl, whose identity remains protected, bravely disclosed to the deputies that she was a victim of physical abuse.
Authorities, including deputies and detectives from the special victims unit, approached Mestaz for clarification. She revealed that her niece had been living with her and Machuca since the summer of 2024. The investigation took a more serious turn when a search warrant allowed the sheriff’s office to uncover surveillance footage from the home. This footage reportedly supported the victim’s allegations, painting a grim picture of the abuse she suffered.
During the investigation, the sheriff’s office said they obtained a search warrant and discovered surveillance cameras at the house that “corroborated statements made by the victim.”
They also determined, per the statement, that the girl had been primarily living in an uninsulated and unheated garage in the backyard, “leaving the child exposed to unsafe temperatures year-found.”
According to a criminal compliant filed March 16 by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, which was referenced in the sheriff’s statement, the girl was also subjected to severe physical abuse between January 2025 and January 2026 that included “strangulation, punching and slapping.” The couple is also accused of “withholding adequate nutrition” from the victim, causing her to be “malnourished” and forcing her to complete “strenuous physical exercise” or be threatened with assault, according to the compliant.
The victim was also restrained and dragged with a dog leash and subjected to “sustained verbal abuse,” prosecutors said.
Machuca was arrested the day deputies made their initial contact, but Mestaz—who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy—was not arrested until March 12, after she’d given birth, the sheriff’s office said.
The baby and another 4-year-old child living in the home were taken into custody by the Stanislaus County Child Protective Services.
The sheriff’s office said its possible additional charges could be filed against the pair as they continue to review the digital evidence in the case.
Both defendants are currently being held on $1 million bail after detectives completed a bail enhancement in the case.
They are both scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on March 26, according to court records reviewed by Oxygen. An attorney was not listed in the records for Mestaz. Oxygen reached out to Machuca’s attorney Joseph Cox, but did not receive an immediate response.