Loera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in her adopted daughter's death.

A guilty plea is an admission resolving the counts she admitted. It is not yet a sentence. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, Maribel Loera pleaded guilty in Maricopa County to second-degree murder, concealment of a body, and multiple counts of severe child abuse in the death of her 9-year-old adopted daughter, under an agreement for 32 years in prison, including 22 years flat time, and lifetime supervised probation that avoids the death penalty. Formal sentencing is set for Oct. 16, 2026, at 9 a.m. MST, and that term has not been imposed.

Investigators say the child's skeletal remains were found in an attic after a January 2020 fire near 59th Avenue and Camelback in Phoenix. They say she died in late 2016 after Loera failed to get emergency care, and that the body was concealed in the attic for more than three years. Surviving children testified at the plea hearing about abuse. Those reported facts are the account behind the plea. They are not a sentence.

The 32 years, the 22 years flat time, and lifetime supervised probation are the agreed disposition. They are not a judgment the court has entered. Oct. 16, 2026, at 9 a.m. MST is the formal sentencing setting. Her husband and co-defendant, Rafael Loera, remains in custody. His trial is set for early 2027. His custody is not her sentence, and his trial date is not a verdict. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.