Indiana – In a deeply disturbing case from Indiana, a 3-year-old girl is recovering in critical condition after enduring prolonged abuse at the hands of her 24-year-old father, identified as J. Cajigas, and his 22-year-old girlfriend, identified as M. Jackson—despite repeated warnings from the child’s biological mother to authorities. The suspects, Cajigas and Jackson, have been arrested and charged following the girl’s hospitalization on August 7. Cajigas now faces multiple felony charges: neglect of a dependent resulting in catastrophic injury, domestic battery causing serious bodily injury, and battery causing serious bodily injury. Jackson has been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury. Prosecutors have scheduled a jury trial for both defendants on October 14.
The call that brought police to the home came in just before 6 p.m. on August 7 as a vague and incomplete 911 call. Dispatchers eventually reached the caller, who claimed a child had fallen and was now unresponsive. When police department officers arrived, they encountered a scene that shook even seasoned responders. The child was “stiff, unresponsive, and emaciated,” according to investigators. Her small body was soaked and covered in visible marks. Cajigas allegedly described his daughter as being “limp, like a rag doll.” She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where doctors discovered she had suffered a brain bleed and had a high likelihood of death.
As medics worked to save the girl’s life, child abuse detectives from the police department took over the investigation. Members of the department’s homicide unit and the Indiana Department of Child Services also responded to the scene. The Department of Child Services had previously been alerted to concerns about Cajigas’ parenting—concerns that, tragically, went unheeded. The girl’s biological mother, identified as L. Burnette, lost custody in May 2025 but said she repeatedly warned authorities that her daughter was being abused under the couple’s care. Speaking to local reporters, Burnette said, “I tried to tell them this is what I saw and what I’m noticing, and they kept ignoring me. They could have protected her, and they didn’t. … Instead, they tormented her.”
Initially, both Cajigas and Jackson claimed that a dresser had fallen on the girl, causing her injuries. But that story quickly unraveled. Cajigas eventually admitted to investigators he beat the girl and that the injuries were linked to what he called “discipline drills”—a form of punishment he used when the girl was disrespectful or wet the bed. In court records, he allegedly stated that she was forced to perform these drills as a form of correction. Cajigas admitted that the child “pees the bed multiple times a night” and “that’s also why she is disciplined.” Yet the visible signs of abuse told a much darker story—one of repeated harm and neglect, not discipline.
The girl’s injuries were described as catastrophic. Doctors treating her noted signs of prolonged malnourishment and physical trauma. The abuse had clearly escalated well beyond any isolated incident. Cajigas and Jackson were taken into custody shortly after the incident and are currently awaiting trial. Authorities have not released further details about the child’s current medical condition, but confirm she remains under critical care. The case has reignited public scrutiny of child protective services and the consequences of missed warning signs. As the trial approaches in October, the legal system faces the burden of delivering justice for a child whose suffering could have been prevented.
