In a San Joaquin courtroom, emotions were stark as Jessica Chavez, restrained by shackles, wept while her husband Gregorio Ornelas stoically stood by. The couple face grave accusations in the death of their 2-year-old daughter, Jocelyn Ornelas. Detailed by ABC10; charges include child abuse causing bodily injury, child abuse resulting in death, torture, and second-degree murder.

San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office prosecutor Victor Bachand noted the harrowing nature of the case in court, mentioning that "this is a 2-year-old child who had no one to fight for her." As reported by ABC10, he revealed the child starved, although the final autopsy results have yet to be disclosed. The parents will return to court on September 26, and they have been informed that they will each be appointed an attorney.

It was in the early morning of Monday when police received a call to the family's apartment on the 300 block of W Oak Street in Stockton. At the scene, officials discovered Jocelyn emaciated and unresponsive. "Anyone who has a 2-year-old, knows they’re usually at least 25 pounds," he said, which Fox40 reported. Jocelyn weighed just shy of 12 pounds.

Moreover, Bachand commented on the concealment and isolation of the young child by stating, "From the information we have in this case, most, if not all, of her neighbors, were unaware of (Jocelyn's) very existence" an awareness echoed by neighbor Karen Smith who said she saw the Chavez's other children but never knew a girl existed in the family. Smith, in the conversation with ABC10.

As for the couple's two other children, they have been taken into the custody of Child Protective Services. Gregory Ornelas faces additional domestic violence charges unrelated to this incident, as per information by Fox40. The ongoing investigation and subsequent court proceedings will aim to unravel the full extent of the tragedy that led to the demise of Jocelyn, a child described by Smith as "She's with God now... she doesn't have to suffer," as reported by ABC10.