Residents said the Mahogany Drive neighborhood usually feels safe, making the police response and allegations involving four children especially startling.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Neighbors on an east Charlotte street described surprise and concern for four children after police responding to reports of screaming at a Mahogany Drive home arrested the children’s parents and documented extensive damage and hazards inside the residence.
The arrests of Gabriel Antonio Santos-Funes, 35, and Maria Valladares, 33, followed a police response on the night of Oct. 21. Court records say a neighbor called 911 after hearing screaming and reporting unusual activity at the home. In interviews after the arrests, residents described the surrounding area as normally quiet and said the family had moved into the neighborhood only months earlier.
One neighbor who asked not to be identified told WBTV that the couple had seemed pleasant and appeared to care for their children. The neighbor said the allegations came as a shock. Another resident interviewed by WSOC-TV similarly described the neighborhood as a place where serious disturbances were uncommon.
Some neighbors said there had been signs of unusual activity around the property before police arrived. Residents described hearing odd music or yelling and seeing furniture or other items outside the home. One neighbor told WBTV that others had compared the sounds coming from the property to a ritual or exorcism, while the original 911 caller described the activity as “black magic rituals.” Those descriptions came from witnesses and were not an official finding by police.
What officers reported finding inside the house became the central basis for the child abuse allegations. According to court records cited by local news organizations, four children ages 14, 11, 5 and 3 were present. Officers described damaged furniture and decor, broken glass, knives, blowtorch lighters and other hazards throughout the residence.
Police also reported finding live and spent .22-caliber ammunition, broken objects and drops of blood near the front porch. One of the children told responding officers she did not feel safe remaining at the house, according to the affidavit. Published accounts of the court records did not establish that any of the four children suffered physical injuries.
The police response grew more confrontational as officers investigated. Court records allege that Santos-Funes tried to rub garlic and a Bible on officers and later threw garlic at them. Police also accused Valladares of grabbing an officer around the neck, trying to bite an officer and spitting at officers after she was taken outside.
Both adults were arrested and face multiple criminal charges, including misdemeanor child abuse and offenses connected to resisting or assaulting public officers. The accusations remain allegations, and neither defendant has been convicted in connection with the incident.
Afterward, the condition of the property remained visible from the street. WBTV reported seeing broken glass, damaged windows, trash and crime-scene tape around the home. WCCB reported Friday that people were removing belongings from the property and that someone at the house said the couple was no longer living there.
Neighbors interviewed after the arrests repeatedly turned their attention to the children. One told WBTV that the children would need support after what they had experienced. Their current placement and the extent of any involvement by child welfare authorities were not detailed in the reviewed reports, and officials had not publicly released additional information about them.
Mecklenburg County jail records also showed immigration holds for Santos-Funes and Valladares, according to local reports. The immigration action is separate from their pending criminal cases. Both defendants are expected to return to court as the cases proceed.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.