Parents appear in court after missing daughter found safe

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque police are still investigating what happened to 5-year-old Oreyanna Clinton while she was missing, and they’re not ruling out charges for her father.

It’s just the latest chapter for a family that’s faced law enforcement many times before.

Oreyanna Clinton has faced a lot during her short five years. CYFD took her into custody after the Amber Alert incident.

Police say she was reunited with out-of-state family members. While neither of her parents are facing charges right now, both have a lengthy criminal history, much of which involves their little girl.

Both of Oreyanna’s parents faced a judge this week just hours after their 5-year-old daughter was reported missing and later rescued by Albuquerque police.

It was Nicholas Clinton’s first hearing for reportedly assaulting a peace officer while his daughter was missing Monday night. While Kimberly Mariano is accused of violating her probation in a 2019 case where she reportedly smuggled drugs into a prison.

Both hearings are just the latest in a long history of criminal activity between the girl’s parents, most of which appears to be directed at each other.

The earliest case dates back to 2018. Court records show Marinao was charged with battery against a household member after reportedly attacking Clinton while she was drunk.

Eight months later, Mariano is arrested for child endangerment after she and Clinton reportedly tried to pull Oreyanna away from each other during a drug deal.

Later that year, Clinton is accused of strangling a household member.

Fast-forward to 2022, Clinton is charged for battery against a household member three more times before an incident in Santa Fe.

According to court documents, the couple took their daughter to Santa Fe in September. Mariano reportedly took fentanyl and attacked Clinton while he was holding their daughter – she was arrested.

All of that leads to this week when police say Clinton was blocked from boarding a bus with Oreyanna because he was drunk. Hours later, he showed up to a shelter without her.

In most of these cases, one or both of Oreyanna’s parents were reportedly drunk. Many of the charges were dismissed due to prosecution issues.

The Albuquerque Journal is reporting CYFD has taken custody of Oreyanna three different times, including this latest Amber alert incident.

We asked CYFD for answers about Oreyanna’s safety, but they told us they can’t reveal anything because of the children’s code. However, the agency has addressed concerns with us before, but not today.