Phoenix Adoptive Mother Gets 32 Years for Killing Girl, 9, Hidden in Attic for 3 Years

Phoenix, Arizona — A Maricopa County judge on Oct. 16 sentenced Maribel Loera to 32 years in prison plus lifetime probation for the death of her 9-year-old adopted daughter, whose skeletal remains were found in the attic of the family’s Maryvale home in January 2020. Investigators say the girl died in late 2016 and that her body was hidden for more than three years while abuse of other children in the home went on.

The girl’s birth mother has said Arizona’s child welfare system took her children from her in 2012 over a drug problem and that the children were later adopted by Loera and her husband, Rafael Loera.

What happened in court

Loera, 57, pleaded guilty on Sept. 22 to second-degree murder, concealment of a body and multiple counts of child abuse, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. FOX 10 reported that the 32-year term includes 22 years of flat time, followed by lifetime supervised probation.

This was a cruel, heinous, and depraved murder.

Judge Bradley Astrowsky, Maricopa County Superior Court, as reported by ABC15

Two of the surviving children described the abuse in court. ABC15 reported that one said Loera would bang her head against walls and floors, and that a brother said the children had been told their sister was sent with family to Mexico. Court records describe abuse of three other children, ages 4 to 11, including beatings with cords and sticks and burning, according to Arizona’s Family.

Loera apologized and asked the victims for forgiveness, according to ABC15. Rafael Loera has pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder, child abuse, arson and concealment of a body. His trial is expected in early 2027.

The record

Investigators say the girl died in late 2016 after Loera failed to get her emergency medical care following an injury, FOX 10 reported.

The case surfaced on Jan. 20, 2020, when an 11-year-old girl who had been left alone in the home for two days called police because she was hungry. Police turned her over to the Department of Child Safety. Patch reported at the time that child protection officials said they were unaware until Jan. 28 that other children lived in the home. Workers returned that day to remove a 9-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl.

Shortly after those children were taken, firefighters responding to a fire at the house found a child’s skeletal remains in the attic. Police summaries say Rafael Loera set the fire, according to Arizona’s Family. Court documents cited by Patch show he told police the remains were those of a girl the couple had adopted.

Where the system failed

The girl’s birth mother told FOX 10 in 2020 that the state took three of her children in 2012, that her parental rights were terminated and that the Loeras later adopted them. She told Arizona’s Family this month that the children first went to a relative’s home and then to the Loeras.

The state removed my kids because I had a drug problem. They said I was unfit.

The girl’s birth mother, to Arizona’s Family

In 2020, she blamed the agency for not checking on the children and questioned how the couple passed a background check, according to FOX 10 and Patch. At the time, the department said it could not comment because of the open criminal investigation. The sentencing coverage reviewed by FAN included no statement from the department.

What’s next

Rafael Loera remains jailed awaiting trial, expected in early 2027. The birth mother opposed the plea deal that spared Maribel Loera the death penalty, Arizona’s Family reported.

A state that removes children from a parent over drug use takes on the duty to place them somewhere safer. In this case, according to the birth mother, the state took three children and they ended up with the Loeras. By the time the state’s child protection agency removed the surviving children in 2020, one of them had been dead for more than three years. Her birth mother says she learned of it from the news. FAN tracks these cases as part of its record of foster care system problems.

Key facts

• Maribel Loera, 57, was sentenced Oct. 16, 2026, to 32 years in prison plus lifetime probation.
• She pleaded guilty Sept. 22 to second-degree murder, concealment of a body and multiple child abuse counts.
• Investigators say her 9-year-old adopted daughter died in late 2016 without emergency medical care.
• The girl’s remains were found in the attic of the Phoenix home on Jan. 28, 2020, after a house fire.
• The birth mother says the state removed her children in 2012 and they were later adopted by the Loeras.
• Rafael Loera has pleaded not guilty; his trial is expected in early 2027.

Sources

• ABC15 — Adoptive mother sentenced to 32 years in abuse, death of girl whose remains were found in attic (2026-10-16)
• Arizona’s Family — Surviving siblings recount trauma as Phoenix woman sentenced for murdering girl (2026-10-16)
• Arizona’s Family — Birth mother may speak at sentencing in Maryvale attic child remains case (2026-10-16)
• FOX 10 Phoenix — Phoenix mom spared death row after murdering adopted daughter, 9 (2026-09-23)
• FOX 10 Phoenix — Mother claims remains found inside Phoenix home are those of her daughter (2020-02-04)
• Patch — Bio mom of child whose remains were found in attic asks why (2020-02-06)

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