HAMTRAMCK — The license plate in the window of the family Cadillac reads “Best Dad.” But a 4-year-old girl told police Mom wasn’t nearly so kind.
“Mom cooks me like a turkey in the oven,” she told police. Hamtramck cops stumbled onto the graphic allegations of burnings, beatings and torture after the girl’s mother phoned police Jan. 23 and confessed to “harming her children,” Detective Ben Bielecki said Thursday. The allegations belied outside appearances of a happy family, shocking neighbors of the family whose front picture window is adorned with the sign “1 God.”
“They were new to the neighborhood,” said Deandre Martin, 28, who lives next door to the white, two-story home near Holbrook. “I didn’t realize what was going on. It’s horrific. I’m just happy the kids are alive.” Reyna Valentino, 40, a mother of five, faces life in prison on allegations that she burned her 4-year-old daughter in an oven, used a hot nail or screwdriver to singe her eyelids and beat her 5-year-old daughter’s leg with a pry bar.
The 4-year-old gave her account to investigators. “She said, ‘Her heart is hurt and broke because momma doesn’t love me anymore,’ ” Bielecki read from the report. ” ’Mom cooks me like a turkey in the oven. I felt fire. It burned my back,’ ” he read. “ ’She hurts me with a screwdriver all the time.’ ” Police said Valentino’s husband, Randy, wasn’t home and there’s no evidence that he abused their children. After the incident, Valentino called police about 3 p.m. to come get her. “She said she is harming her family,” Bielecki said. “It’s extreme. It’s an awful thing that’s happened. I just hope she doesn’t get custody of the kids — ever.” All five children are in foster care and doing well, he said. Martin said police removed them from the house about a week ago. Martin said the family moved in during the fall. He never saw Valentino but said her children were always smiling, laughing and seemingly healthy.
It doesn’t surprise me that the kids seemed happy, I guess when you grow up in a hellish environment, you have no idea what normal is, and you don’t miss it.
Very sad, all you can say is why?
Yes remove her from society; but, should try to understand her reasoning, if there is any.
Understanding in no way means excusing. Given kid’s first want and need is love, how any parent could do such an extreme opposite. Why get pregnant, if you can’t give you kid’s love?
Unfortunately foster care will be no picnic for these kids.
No easy answers.
Sadly she may still be able to do this again when she pops out another kid fathered by a prison guard.
She looks like an idiot.
That’s one fucked up tale.
The lady looks like a dead ringer (sic) for the 14 babies chick, who in real life is said to look (and act?) somewhat like Angelina Jolie.
Maybe big lips are bad for you?
Wow, that is pretty frakked up.
She should sue the police photographer.
Her defense will be God made me do it…
Huge blemish on a cool city.
Think she’d like to be treated the way she treated her daughter? I say let’s find out.
For those of you with a hard on to punish this mother==she turned herself in:
“After the incident, Valentino called police about 3 p.m. to come get her. “She said she is harming her family, ”
Because you folks are sick in other ways, why can’t you see the pretty obvious need for mental health intervention here?
Actually, you f&ckwads demonstrate the attitude that needs to be punished. You are “rational”–she isn’t.
It is interesting how the kiddies adapted to this behavior. Still looking for love and finding it in their one and only constant companion?
Psychology.–Its what we all are.
Take her out back and shoot her in the head. I’m sick of these people who are animals and they should be delt with like you would deal with a rabid animal. One shot to the head with a .45, Case closed.
There are a lot of screwed up people here.
This episode is screaming “postpartum depression”. Through no fault of her own, this woman has gone off the deep end. As Bobbo points out, she needs mental assistance.
Save that .45 for the Republican political appointees that totally screwed this country.
As messed up as she is and sick, at least she recognized that she was hurting her family and removed herself from causing them more harm. Such a sad situation.
We make people take a driving test, and pass bare minimum standards for be a safe driver. So they don’t take to the streets and slaughter the innocent. But… they doesn’t seem to be any minimal testing for parental skills or sanity. After hearing more of these child abuse cases cropping up, it might be time to start some kind of mandatory testing. But I’m sure the more fanatical “religious” types will freak out that they’re being unfairly judged. Well, maybe they need to be, if they think the devil must be driven out of little ones, with an oven and screwdriver. Too often “God” is made the scapegoat for some form of insanity. And society pretends everything is fine, whenever it hear the “God” defense.
#14, Glenn,
There is nothing in the story about her doing this because of “god” or “the devil”. I have no idea where you came up with crap like that.
The woman needs some mental health assistance.
I agree with you Mr. Fusion.
I’m a parent myself, and it make me feel vey sad, to think of this woman.
She must have had some serious problems, and one day, when they are dealt with, she is going to be filled with such sorrow and remorse when she remembers what she’s done.
I’m not saying she is blameless, but sane mothers dont do this to their children. I cry when I wonder what this mother went through that left her this detetched from reality and sanity.