Lawsuit Accuses Kern County Child Protective Services of Failing to Act on Reports Before Girl's Death

A federal lawsuit filed by the siblings of 8-year-old Genesis Mata accuses Kern County Child Protective Services of repeated failures to act on abuse reports that allegedly led to her death in August 2025, New York Post reported. The complaint, first reported by Bakersfield-based KGET and filed in federal court by a Los Angeles law firm, names the Kern County Department of Human Services, Director Lito Morillo, about 20 social workers, supervisors and investigators, and the La Quinta Inn in Bakersfield where police found the girl's body on August 2, 2025.

Court records state that Ray Mata Jr.

And Graciela Bustamonte forced Genesis to heat water in a microwave and pour it over herself, beat her with electrical cords, crushed her fingers in a door frame, and that Mata punched her in the abdomen, knocking her unconscious. Prosecutors allege the abuse lasted days.

The lawsuit states CPS received at least 20 reports that Genesis and her siblings were being abused, including from mandated reporters such as school personnel who noted missing school and visible bruises.

It alleges the agency failed to remove the children, follow up on reports, track Mata after he absconded, or protect Genesis. The suit quotes the complaint as stating, “The same system. The same failures.

It also references the murders of foster brothers Classic and Cinsere Pettus and the 2024 death of 3-year-old Alejandro Andres Perez Jr. A 2025 Kern County Grand Jury report found the agency underfunded, understaffed and burdened by high caseloads. After Genesis’ death, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved an independent review by the Social Policy Institute at San Diego University.