Diaper-wearing man allegedly faked Down syndrome to meet women

GILBERT, Ariz. -- A man is facing sex crime charges after police say he duped female caregivers into believing he had mental issues that required him to wear a diaper.

Police say Paul Anthony Menchaca has a diaper-wearing fetish instead, and that he lured women into his home under the guise of needing medical help.

One caregiver told KNVX the man she was hired to care for had Down syndrome. Among her duties: bathe Menchaca and change his diaper.

"He acted like a child. His demeanor was child-like, so he would have tantrums, he would act like a child," the woman said.

But, last Friday, he was in a courtroom, soft-spoken but clearly communicating with a judge on the charges he now faces.

Police say Menchaca's scheme unraveled after he allegedly asked one caregiver to take a shower with him.

The traumatized woman told investigators she thought she was working to help a vulnerable adult with special needs. Instead, she says she noticed he was aroused whenever she would take off his diaper.

"He would just be clapping, he would be smiling and talking to us when we were changing (him)," the caregiver said.

Menchaca was arrested after police began investigating the allegations.

The woman says she feels some relief that she never complied with the shower request.

"He's going to get what he deserves for fooling everybody like this," she said.

Menchaca was fired from his position as a crossing guard for an Arizona school district.

In court Friday, prosecutors said the suspect allegedly posed online as "Amy," the mother of a man with special needs in need of a caregiver.

-----

Send a News Tip to Action News

Learn More About 6abc Apps