A Miami man who publicly begged for help finding his missing 15-year-old daughter has now been charged with child abuse in connection with her disappearance, according to police.
Luis Cruz, 45, was arrested Wednesday by Miami Police and charged with child abuse with great bodily harm.
Just two days earlier, Cruz had appeared before cameras pleading for the public’s help, saying, “My daughter has been missing since Friday. It is Monday and we have no idea where she is at. I tried to call her, but it went straight to her answering machine. We are very worried about her. We want her to come back home. We love her and want her back home.”
Police said they found the girl the next day. According to investigators, she told officers she ran away because her father had harmed her physically.
Teen alleges assault after argument over family move
A police report states that the girl and her father had been arguing after he told her he planned to move the family to Connecticut. The report reads, “The defendant got upset and struck her 2 to 3 times with a closed fist in the face and kicked her in the knee causing a bruise.”
The girl also told police that Cruz had threatened to kill himself, and she responded by saying, “Go ahead and do it.”
Officer Mike Vega said the girl saw no way out but to flee.
“There is a thin line between abusing a child and disciplining a child and we have enough evidence to prove that he abused her. She didn’t see an alternative but to run away from home. It is very concerning because you don’t know why she is running away,” Vega said.
Brother alleges pattern of abuse and pressure to lie
The girl’s 17-year-old brother also told investigators he had seen his sister being abused. He further stated that in November, “he was struck in the chest, legs and face with an open fist,” according to police reports.
Vega said, “The 17-year-old brother told police that his father and family told him to lie to police if questioned about this.”
Cruz, meanwhile, denied any physical abuse, telling police that he would typically discipline his children by taking away their electronic devices when they misbehaved in school.
Court orders no contact
In bond court, Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer found probable cause for the charges and set Cruz’s bond at $5,000. She ordered him to have no contact with his two children.
“Your actions and words have results and you need to be careful what you say to kids and how you treat them and how you discipline them,” Glazer told Cruz.
In court, CBS News Miami learned that the children’s mother had died and the children are now in the care of their maternal grandfather.
The Florida Department of Children and Families has also become involved in the case.
