Apr. 11—The tragic case of Renezmae Calzada moved toward a stunning conclusion Monday when Malcolm Torres pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2019 beating death of his 5-year-old stepdaughter.

Torres, 29, faces a minimum of 30 years and up to life in prison and will remain in federal custody until his sentencing, which has not been scheduled, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez.

The girl's disappearance and death gripped the area around Española in September 2019, sparking a dayslong search by hundreds of people, including law enforcement who took to the hills on horseback, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.

Torres, who lived in Española, was taken into custody as a person of interest after the girl's mother, Victoria Maestas of Santa Clara Pueblo, told police the girl had last been seen with Torres — with whom Maestas has a son.

When reached by The New Mexican on Tuesday afternoon, Maestas declined to comment, saying only the family would be issuing a statement soon.

Torres was home with the girl and his 18-month-old son and was "heavily intoxicated and not fit to supervise the children," according to Uballez's statement, which identified the girl only as "Jane Doe."

"While in Torres' care ... [she] sustained blunt-force trauma to her head, torso, and extremities," he said in the statement. "Torres became aware of [her] injuries while she was still alive but failed to seek or provide necessary medical care. Torres claims he was too drunk to remember how he injured [her]."

Torres and Maestas had ended a tumultuous four-year relationship months earlier, court records show, and were embroiled in a custody battle over both children at the time.

Law enforcement found Renezmae's body Sept. 11, 2019, in the Rio Grande River near Santa Clara Pueblo.

"The resulting investigation revealed that Torres had driven to the area 5.5 miles from his home and left her body there," according to the U.S. attorney's statement. "Over the course of interviews with the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office and the New Mexico State Police, Torres provided law enforcement with numerous conflicting statements, delaying the recovery of her body, and lengthening the wide-spread and vigorous efforts of law enforcement and the Santa Clara Pueblo community to locate her."

He later was charged with killing the girl.

Renezmae's death galvanized Rio Arriba County residents and officials who joined forces not only to search for her but to comfort her family following the discovery of her body.

Multiple local and regional law enforcement agencies collaborated on the investigation into her death, including the FBI, the Española Police Department, Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Police Department, Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico State Police, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Albuquerque Police Department Open Space Search and Rescue Team, Española Fire Department and Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Tribal Police Department, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Santa Clara Pueblo Governor Joseph Michael Chavarria declined through a spokesperson to comment Tuesday. Española Police Chief Mizel Garcia did not respond to a call seeking comment.

More than 200 mourners attended a memorial service for Renezmae, known to family members as "Mae Mae." At the time, community leaders spoke out about the need for more services to protect the wellbeing of the area's young people.

Española artists collaborated on painting a mural in Renezmae's honor following her death. The colorful painting on the side of the La Joya Fire Station depicts the youngster with a grin on her face and one hand on her hip, the other clutching a teddy bear with a tear falling from its eye.