The mother of a boy who appeared as a gay week before death was charged with murder and torture

Anthony Avalos at the hospital after suffering serious injuries

The authorities state that the autopsy does not occur. is not over yet and that it would reveal the exact cause of Anthony 's death, said Wednesday the Los Angeles County sheriff, Jim McDonnell, at a press conference announcing the l' 39. arrest of Leiva. 19659002] RELATED: Boy, 10 years old, came out gay just weeks before his suspicious death, says the official

Officials of the county's Department of Child and Family Services, who ch investigated 13 previous allegations of child abuse at the boy's residence between February 2013 and April 2016, initially raised homophobia as a thread, they wanted to investigate the death of Anthony, Los Angeles Times reported. According to DCFS Deputy Director Brandon Nichols, Anthony's aunt said it would have been a courageous move for him to be gay in his home, the newspaper reported.

Anthony Avalos

Maria Barron / Facebook

But when asked on Wednesday whether homophobia was a motivation in the boy's death, Captain Chris Bergner of Los Angeles County Sheriff told reporters, "This has not been this time, no."

Sheriff McDonnell added, "We would not discuss motive at this point [in the investigation]. Too early."

CONNECTION: Mom's boyfriend arrested for suspicion of murder after the death of a ten-year-old boy who had said he loved boys

Eight children have since been abducted Mr. McDonnell stated: [traduction]

He described as "gross bidding warnings" earlier reports that Anthony's body was covered with cigarette burns. "Our detectives have not seen burns like that on the body of the victim," he said.

Anthony Avalos

Justice for Anthony / Facebook

Of the calls to DCFS alleging pre-residency abuse, the first in 2013 reported sexual abuse by a grandparent who did not did not live with Anthony – then aged 4 – or the other six children then living at home, according to the Times . He added that sexual, emotional and physical abuse, as well as negligence, included negligence, the newspaper reported.

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Anthony's aunt, Maria Barron, told the Times "

Maria says that she began to alert DCFS in 2015 of bruising and other injuries that 39 she began to notice about children, which she claims to have been caused by Leiva

. She told the department that the children alleged that Leiva had locked them in small spaces where they had to urinate and defecate on the floor, according to the newspaper.