A Rohnert Park man has been sentenced to life without parole for his heinous crimes. He adopted three children and subjected them to years of sexual abuse, keeping them locked away in a house. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office announced the six consecutive life sentences on Tuesday.
Jose Centeno, 57, has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences and an additional 39 years in the California Department of Corrections. In July, he was found guilty of multiple charges including kidnapping for financial gain, torture, and sexual abuse of a child.
In 2006, Jose and Gina Centeno welcomed three young siblings into their family, who were just 2, 3, and 4 years old at the time.
In 2010, all three children were registered at John Reed Elementary School.
After a report was made to Sonoma County Child Protective Services by a school staff member regarding suspicions of physical abuse, the Centenos decided to withdraw all three children from school, according to prosecutors. The Centenos later concealed the three children, keeping them captive, while deceiving their extended family by claiming that the children had been returned to the state.
In 2012, other family members in the Rohnert Park area stopped seeing the oldest of the three children, Kaya. They were informed that Kaya had been sent away, according to the District Attorney’s Office. When the family no longer saw the other two children, they were informed that all the kids had been “sent away.”
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Prosecutors have revealed that the children were found inside the residence, confined to an upstairs bedroom with a boarded-up window and restrained to their beds. Amidst the distressing circumstances, Kaya, the eldest among the siblings, unfortunately fainted. Kaya’s siblings were informed that she had been relocated, and unfortunately, they never had any further contact with her. She still remains missing.
One of the two remaining children would only leave the room when Jose Centeno would unchain her and take her to another room in the house, where he would sexually assault her.
Despite keeping their three adopted children a secret, the Centenos managed to receive financial support from the Adoption Assistance Program and monthly payments from the state.
In either late 2018 or early 2019, Jose Centeno brought the two remaining children to Mexico and entrusted them to their relatives. Upon arrival, the children began recounting their experiences in Rohnert Park to others.
In July 2020, Mexico Child Protective Services reached out to Sonoma County Child Protective Services regarding reports of abuse. In August 2020, Jose and Gina Centeno were arrested after a criminal investigation was launched and the children were brought back to California.
Gina Centeno was also charged in this case, according to prosecutors. However, she unfortunately passed away before the trial.
According to witness statements, it is believed that she went missing around 2012. She was just 10 years old.