Mother Charged With Child Abuse, Torture

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. - A metro Detroit mother of five was charged with child abuse and torture Wednesday after she called the police on herself.

Reyna Valentina, of Hamtramck, is accused of putting her 4-year-old daughter inside a heated oven and burning her eyes with a metal object.

"She stated that, 'Mom cooks me like a turkey in the oven," said Hamtramck police Detective Ben Bilecki. "The youngest daughter also said, 'Mama gave me the boo boos in my eyes.'"

The 40-year-old mother is also accused of beating her 6-year-old with a metal bar.

Valentina has been charged with two counts of first-degree child abuse and two counts of torture.

Valentina's children are ages 9 months old, 4 years, 6 years, 8 years and 9 years old.

"All of the kids are terrified of their mother, the defendant in this case. They do not want to go back to her," Bilecki said.

Valentina's husband, Randy, said his wife is a good mother but is suffering from mental illness.

"Reyna is a fantastic mother. She's a very loving mother. She has a mental illness that she's dealt with for 20 plus years since she was a child," he said. "The things that she has done are only when she's off medication. When she's ill, those things present themselves."

Randy said that when his wife is on medication and keeps up with her therapy, "She's perfect."

The children have been taken into protective custody.

Officials told Local 4 the children have been removed before.

If convicted, Valentina could spend the rest of her life in prison. Her preliminary exam is set for Feb. 12.

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