Pictured: Toddler 'starved to death and left in toy box by his mother' was taken from her after birth by child services
The skeletal remains of Roman Barreras were found in a box on Tuesday in the back yard of an apartment building in Tucson, Arizona
His mother Raquel Barreras, 39, has been charged with murder after allegedly starving him to death
His father Martin Barreras, 45, is charged with child abuse
Authorities had taken Roman at birth because mother used methadone - but returned at a later date
The couple have four other children - a 12-year-old son and three daughters ages 4, 7 and 19 - all with the parents when they were arrested
Police were awaiting autopsy results to tell them when and how boy died
By Louise Boyle and Joshua Gardner
Published: 19:51 BST, 7 March 2014 | Updated: 22:30 BST, 7 March 2014
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A three-year-old boy, who skeletal remains were found left behind in a trunk at a family's former home, had been removed by child protective services at birth over fears for his safety.
The body of Roman Barreras was found on Tuesday in Tucson, Arizona, by landlords who went to clean up the squalid home after the tenants had been evicted. Police were awaiting autopsy results to tell them when and how the child died.
The mother Raquel Barreras, 39, has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly starving her son to death. Her husband Martin Barreras, 45, has been charged with child abuse as he reportedly did nothing to stop his wife.
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The body of Roman Barreras, three, was found on Tuesday in Tucson, Arizona, by landlords who went to clean up the squalid home his parents had been living in
Raquel Barreras (pictured right) has been charged with murder and her husband Martin with child abuse after their 3-year-old son remains were found stuffed in a 3ftx3ft box in an apartment where they once lived
According to court records seen by KVOA, baby Roman was taken from his mother after his birth in July 2010 by Child Protective Services (CPS).
The newborn and Barreras 'other children were seized because the mother tested positive for methadone although she denied using drugs while pregnant.
The older children were sent to live with relatives. It is not clear when baby Roman and his siblings were returned to their parents. The last contact that CPS had with the family was in 2012.
According to police, Roman was often kept in an 8ft x 10ft brick laundry room attached to the apartment near where his remains were found.
The owner almost threw the chest away, believing it was just filled with more trash on the garbage- covered patio where it was found. When they moved a pile of soaking blankets inside, they discovered the child's bones.
According to the criminal complaint, Raquel let her son wither away and her husband confronted her but did nothing to stop it.
Their older children confirmed the mother's treatment of the toddler.
Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villaseñor said on Wednesday that the couple had four other children with them at their arrest and had been evicted from the 2-bedroom property were all seven of them were housed together after living there for less than one year.
The couple have four other children - a 12-year-old son and three daughters ages 4, 7 and 19. Three of the children were taken into state custody. The fourth child, aged 19, was not taken into care. The other children appeared to be in good health.
Police found the family living in a home without running water near the Tucson Rodeo Grounds.
Owners of the apartment where the Barreras lived in a 2-bedroom unit with five children were cleaning up after the family was evicted for non-payment when they found the remains
Members of the boy's extended family expressed their shock on Thursday. They said that the Barreras family moved often and were secretive.
'Roman was a beautiful baby boy, he had a lot to live for. We're asking you to pray for him while we are trying to get through this,' said a tearful Erica Ortiz, Raquel's neice. 'Just remember him as a beautiful baby boy.'
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Martin Barrera's cousin Oscar Romero said: 'I don't know what caused this. None of us do. And the question now is to find out the truth.'
Raquel Barreras was put on two years probation in 2010 after obtaining narcotics by illegal means. She was previously arrested in 2009 after trying to steal a doctor's prescription pad to get Oxycodone.
A family in shock: Members of the boy's extended family gathered for a press conference Thursday in which they asked that Roman be remembered 'as a beautiful baby boy'
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Roman Barreras taken by CPS the week of his birth
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