On Monday, September 22nd, 2014 Corlei Scavo (age 18 from Casa Grande) reported to one of her professors at the Central Arizona College that she missed two weeks of school because her two-year-old son was abused by his father and has been in intensive care at the Chandler Regional Medical Center since September 6th, 2014.
The professor reported the allegations to the Central Arizona Campus Police Department who interviewed Scavo. She confirmed the same information she had given to the professor, stating her child “almost passed away but may be released from the hospital today”.
The Central Arizona Campus Police Department notified the Pinal County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Bureau who took over the investigation. After several calls, detectives determined Scavo’s two-year-old son was not a patient at the Chandler Regional Medical Center or at any other hospital in Arizona.
Detectives drove to an address in Arizona City which was listed on Scavo’s driver license. They made contact with Scavo’s mother, step-father and her two-year-old child. The child was in good health and was not abused. They learned Scavo left the child in their care on Sunday, September 21st.
Scavo’s step-father said they have suspected Scavo of lying to them in the past. He claimed Scavo “always needs a babysitter for emergencies then they find out she is lying”.
Detectives were able to speak with Scavo over the phone and she denied speaking with officers from the Central Arizona Campus Police Department or reporting to her professor that her child was abused. She claimed she spoke with her professor about some “personal matters”, but never reported her son was in the hospital or abused.
On Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 detectives made contact with Scavo at her residence in the 2000 block of North Trekell Road, Casa Grande. She was arrested and charged with False Reporting to Law Enforcement Agency, and False Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect.
Scavo was booked into the Pinal County Jail in Florence on September 23rd and released from custody on September 24th, 2014.
Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “In Arizona teachers have a mandatory obligation by law to report any information related to a child being abused. The professor was concerned for the welfare of his student’s child and he properly reported this case to law enforcement. Corlei Scavo was contacted by campus police and confirmed her child was in the hospital because his father had abused him. PCSO detectives began searching for Scavo and her child to investigate her allegations against the child’s father. In the end, it was determined Scavo lied to her professor and law enforcement about her child.”