A Las Cruces woman suspected of strangling her young son and biting her daughter is now facing child abuse charges.
Monique Montellano, 32, of the 1600 block of Burke Lane, is charged with three counts of child abuse. All three counts are second-degree felonies.
Las Cruces police detectives learned that on Oct. 15, 2019, employees of a local daycare center called the Children, Youth and Families Department after noticing marks on the neck of Montellano’s 3-year-old son. Upon further investigation, the boy indicated that his mother grabbed his neck and strangled him, leaving visible marks.
Investigators also learned that Montellano’s 5-year-old daughter had a visible bite injury to her upper-right thigh. When asked how she received the injury, the girl indicated that her mother bit her because the girl could not find her shoes.
Montellano and her children underwent voluntary drug testing as part of the investigation. Montellano and her 3-year-old son both tested positive for marijuana.
Montellano was arrested Monday and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where she is initially being held without bond.
Information from Las Cruces Police