Family members allegedly beat 14-year-old to induce abortion

DALLAS — Four members of a Texas family have been arrested on suspicion of beating a 14-year-old relative to induce an abortion two years ago after she had been raped by a member of the family, Dallas police said on Wednesday.

Cedric Jones, 27; Sharon Jones, 45; Cecila McDonald, 25; and Lonnell McDonald, 27, were arrested on Tuesday and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, according to online jail records.

The relationship between the victim and her relatives was unknown. The suspects are being held at Dallas County jail, with bail set at $150,000 each.

The four tried various ways to end the pregnancy and eventually beat the girl for six hours, repeatedly kicking her in the abdomen, a police arrest affidavit said.

The teenager eventually gave birth to a stillborn baby, whose body was thought to have been burned in a charcoal grill and buried at an unknown location, it said.

The young girl told police she became pregnant after a sexual assault by a family member but was too embarrassed to report it to authorities.

Police said the four relatives discovered the teenager was pregnant and used various methods to terminate the pregnancy out of fear that Child Protective Services would remove the other children living at the home.

Police said a woman who witnessed part of the incident took the girl to a station last month to report the assault. The woman was not identified.