Gallup girl beat with board

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Gallup police are investigating an incident where a Gallup girl was struck on the head with a piece of wood by an alleged intruder.

Police arrived at a trailer park in the 2500 block of East Aztec at about 5:20 a.m. to find the girl inside the trailer's bathroom drenched in blood. The girl's mother, Verida Wauneka's clothing was also stained with blood.

Blood smears lined the room's walls and led to a bedroom located at the west end of the home. According to a police report, Wauneka was hysterical when police arrived at the scene and told investigators that an unknown man, dressed in all black, broke into the home. The man then reportedly bludgeoned the girl several times with a 2x4.

According to the report, police found no signs of forced entry into the trailer, but noticed a small string wrapped around the door's handle had been broken. Police also found no fresh foot prints leading to or from the location.

Police did, however, question a man they found asleep in a field located southeast of the trailer park. But the man did not match the description of the alleged intruder that was provided by the girl.

Police found a block of wood inside the home and that was stained with a drop of blood. The girl was transported by Med-Star ambulance to Public Health Services where a CAT scan was conducted to determine whether the attack caused any internal injuries.

Detective Erin Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said the incident is under investigation and detectives are interviewing the girl's family members hoping to glean additional clues regarding the battery.