Alfonso Regulo Alvis Arrieta: Colombian Man Used Mentally Disabled Wife, Sold Children For Cash And Appliances

A Colombian man repeatedly impregnated his mentally disabled wife in order to sell the offspring for cash and household appliances, Colombian authorities report.

According to Colombia Reports, the abuse took place over a period of 14 years.

The 39-year-old victim, Nelcy Garcia Navarro, suffers from cognitive impairment. She was forcibly made pregnant every year by 60-year-old Alfonso Regulo Alvis Arrieta, according to Bolivar police commander Colonel Hugo Homes.

Arrieta sold at least eight of the infants to American and Colombian families in exchange for money, electrical goods and food. Two of the children currently reside in the U.S.

However, the mentally impaired woman may have given birth to as many as 14 children.

A midwife, Higira Gutierrez Vargas, assisted Arrieta in the delivery and exchange of the children. Vargas may have been Arrieta's girlfriend, as Caracol Radio states, but authorities have not confirmed a romantic relationship between the two.

Police began an investigation into "the child factory" after neighbors noticed and reported the disappearance of children from the property. Arrieta and Gutierrez, who were arrested following the investigation, are both currently awaiting trial for a trafficking of minors charge.