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(Des Moines, IA) -- A Des Moines father and stepmother are facing multiple charges, including child abuse and neglect.
Investigators say 35 year-old Felipe Saldana and 36 year-old Isabel Saldana Valdez are accused of withholding food to two children as a form of punishment over a two year period. A criminal complaint in the case says the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services found the two children, ages 12 and 14, were found to be underweight, with the 12 year-old child being diagnosed with chronic malnutrition.
The children's father and stepmother were taken into custody this week.