A bombshell federal lawsuit accuses California child welfare officials of years of systemic failures that allegedly led to the torture and death of 8-year-old Genesis Mata, claiming Kern County CPS ignored repeated warnings that could have saved her life.
The complaint, first reported by Bakersfield-based KGET, alleges Kern County Child Protective Services repeatedly failed to intervene despite numerous reports that Genesis and her siblings were being abused. Filed by her siblings, the suit argues those failures directly led to Genesis’ death in August 2025 and reflect a broader pattern of child welfare breakdowns in the county.
“The same system. The same failures. More dead children,” the lawsuit states.
Filed in federal court by a Los Angeles law firm, the lawsuit names the Kern County Department of Human Services, Director Lito Morillo, about 20 social workers, supervisors and CPS investigators, as well as the La Quinta Inn where Genesis was found dead.
Born in November 2016, Genesis was described by relatives as a bright, affectionate girl who loved anything that sparkled. The lawsuit says her biological mother left Genesis and her brother with relatives in 2018 before custody was awarded to her father, Ray Mata Jr., and stepmother, Graciela Bustamonte.
Police discovered Genesis’ body on Aug. 2, 2025, inside a bathtub in a locked bathroom at a La Quinta Inn in Bakersfield.
Prosecutors allege Genesis endured days of horrific abuse before her death. Court records say Ray Mata Jr. and Graciela Bustamonte forced the 8-year-old to heat water in a microwave before pouring it over her, causing severe burns. They also allegedly beat her with electrical cords, crushed her fingers in a door frame and, prosecutors say, Mata punched her in the abdomen, knocking her unconscious.
The lawsuit claims hotel guests heard screaming from the room and alerted staff, but police were never called.
According to the complaint, CPS received at least 20 reports that Genesis and her siblings were being abused but failed to intervene.
“The child protective services division was notified at least twenty times that Genesis and her siblings were being abused,” the lawsuit states. “Mandated reporters, including school personnel, reported that the children were missing school and appearing with visible bruises.”
The suit alleges CPS failed to remove the children, follow up on abuse reports, track Mata after he absconded or protect Genesis despite repeated warnings, arguing the agency’s inaction placed the children in “state-related danger” that ultimately led to her death.
The complaint also argues Genesis’ death fits a broader pattern of child welfare failures in Kern County, citing the murders of foster brothers Classic and Cinsere Pettus, whose bodies have never been found, and the 2024 death of 3-year-old Alejandro Andres Perez Jr., who prosecutors allege was fatally beaten by his foster mother.
The lawsuit further alleges Kern County has a longstanding pattern of understaffing CPS, inadequately training social workers, failing to investigate abuse reports and leaving children in dangerous homes. It also cites a 2025 Kern County Grand Jury report that found the agency was underfunded, understaffed and burdened by overwhelming caseloads.
Following Genesis’ death, the Kern County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an independent review of Child Protective Services. The investigation is being conducted by the Social Policy Institute at San Diego University and is expected to examine the agency’s policies and practices.
The allegations contained in the lawsuit have not yet been proven in court, and Kern County officials have not publicly responded to the claims detailed in the filing.
