Police officials said the father, later identified as Keith, and the mother, later identified as Candy, were taken into custody and later charged with child abuse and child neglect. The parents reportedly beat their 8 children with a wooden b0ard and locked them in a bathroom for several days without water or food. According to the statement, the parents’ children range in age from 2 to 17 years old. Police officials responded to the parents’ home after receiving a call from the Department of Human Services, which was concerned about several children left home alone.
Police officials also received calls from several other people who relayed concerns about what could have been happening inside the home. After the second visit at the couple’s home, officers were allowed inside where they made contact with the victims. The responding officers discovered that the parents beat the children with a wooden board, sometimes up to 40 times per beating. They are also accused of locking the kids in a bathroom for several days without food and water as punishment.
Officers reportedly spoke with 14-year-old girl, who reportedly told them that her parents beat her regularly. She was covered in bruises, police officials said. The girl also told investigators that her father hits her on her arms and legs with both a belt and the board. She said that whenever her father gets mad, he will hit them with the belt or the board, which usually starts at the waist and goes down the legs. The girl also said that she was struck about 40 times because her mom couldn’t find her makeup and accused the child of taking it. Another of the couple’s children, 16-year-old girl, told investigators that her father would hit them for reasons that shouldn’t require whipping, such as not having the clothes figured out for the three youngest children.
She also told investigators that she was locked in the bathroom for 3 days because someone at their church said that she said they were bad parentsS he was not allowed food or water while being locked. During an interview with investigators, the children’s mother reportedly denied being present while the beatings were taking place. She said it was possible her husband beat the kids when she wasn’t around and denied that any child was locked in the bathroom for days. During an interview with investigators, the children’s dad reportedly said that it’s possible that when he hits them, he blacks out and doesn’t know how many or how hard he hits them.