HOBBS, N.M. – Authorities in New Mexico are searching for two parents accused of child abuse and their four children after they skipped out on a home visit with a social worker.
Hobbs police recently issued warrants for Luiza Badea and Andrei Cristian Ducila for custodial interference.
The state Children, Youth and Families Department said Wednesday that it couldn’t comment specifically on the case but that it’s common practice to notify law enforcement whenever contact is lost with a parent or guardian. The agency then works with authorities to relocate them.
Albuquerque television station KOB-TV reports that the abuse case involving Badea and Ducila stems from 2019 when the couple was panhandling with their children. who were ages four and under. The couple was holding a sign claiming they needed formula, food and gas money.
The children had various health problems such as diaper rash, dehydration, tooth decay and sunburn, according to a criminal complaint.
According to Hobbs police, the children were placed in the custody of the state child welfare agency and the parents were arrested and charged with four counts of child abuse. Over the next year, a court decided to allow home visits on a trial basis as part of an effort to reunify the family.
On May 2, a state caseworker told police the family was a no-show for the home visit but didn’t believe the children were in danger.
Aside from the warrants naming Badea and Ducila, a motion was filed Tuesday in state district court to review the parents’ conditions of release related to the 2019 child abuse charges.
If the family is found, the Children, Youth and Families Department would assesses the children’s safety and then determine an appropriate course of action. Spokeswoman Melody Wells said the agency would consider “all placement options in the children’s best interest.”
