(DailyVantage.com) – Massachusetts authorities have confirmed that a man suspected of abusing his stepdaughter repeatedly for several years has killed himself, along with the victimized stepdaughter. Police claim that Juliano Santana sexually abused his stepdaughter regularly until September 2021, when she contacted police and reported the abuse to Massachusetts investigators. Investigators believe Santana abused his stepdaughter for several years before she reported him to authorities.
According to investigators, Santana told his stepdaughter that she shouldn’t be afraid of him or tell her mother about the abuse. The victim recorded information about Santana and the abuse in her diary, along with dates and details about the abuse. Investigators also claim that Santana’s stepdaughter told her sister about the abuse, who encouraged her to report Santana to the authorities. Shortly after Santana’s stepdaughter reported him to the police, investigators arrested the suspected abuser and transported him to a jail in Malden, Massachusetts.
Despite arresting Santana for the heinous abuse, the court presiding over his case set his bail at $30,000, an amount many legal experts claim falls below the standard bail in similar cases. Santana paid his bail just days after his incarceration and secured his release. Investigators attempted to limit Santana’s movement by forcing him to wear a live ankle monitor, which recorded his location and let police know his whereabouts at any given moment. The victim’s mother also secured a restraining order against Santana to keep him away from her and her daughter due to concerns about their safety.
Another requirement of Santana’s release precluded him from being near anyone under the age of 18 without another adult present to avoid a similar assault. Although authorities arrested Santana in 2021, his case faced numerous delays and setbacks, with the trial eventually scheduled for July. Despite the various restrictions on Santana’s movements and police knowing his location, police claim the abuser managed to avoid detection when he kidnapped his former stepdaughter on May 30, 2024.
Investigators claim that Santana kidnapped his former step daughter as she walked home from school and transported her to the parking lot outside of his residence. Once police arrived to arrest Santana for the kidnapping, they found him and his former stepdaughter in his car, both dead. Investigators said that Santana shot his former stepdaughter in the head before turning his gun on himself.
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