Tempe grandmother indicted for child abuse charges after death of teen allegedly kept in cage

PHOENIX — A Tempe grandmother accused of playing a role in the death of her disabled granddaughter was recently indicted, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Authorities first heard about the case of 55-year-old Virginia Lujan, her daughter, 33-year-old Jami Hodges, and her granddaughter, a 13-year-old girl, on Jan. 21, 2025.

On that day, Lujan called 911 to report that her granddaughter wasn’t breathing. Officers who responded to the home found the teen covered in bruises and sores in various stages of healing, police said.

Tempe girl kept in cage, police say

The teen was brought to a hospital after, but she died the next morning.

After her death, investigators executed a search warrant at Lujan’s home and found a cage that contained feces and a foul odor.

Lujan and Hodges allegedly told police they kept the victim in the cage to control her. Both women were arrested on felony child abuse charges.

Tempe child abuse case led to death of 13-year-old, police say

Authorities with the Tempe PD Criminal Investigations Bureau later found the victim had the mental capacity of a 3-year-old.

The victim, who had epilepsy and cognitive impairments, had fallen down the stairs a few days before Lujan reported her as being unresponsive, police said.

However, she wasn’t taken to a hospital because Lujan thought she would be fine, according to police.

Charges for Tempe grandmother in fatal child abuse case

Lujan was indicted on several charges:

• Two counts of child abuse.
• Two counts of tampering with physical evidence.
• One count of tampering with a witness.
• Three counts of contributing to the dependency of a child.

She is currently being held on a $500,000 secured appearance bond, prosecutors said.

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