Prosecutors said the 31-year-old dad, later identified as Travis and his 33-year-old wife, Amanda, pleaded not guilty to the child abuse charges. The father was indicted on 33 child abuse and two kidnapping charges. The stepmother was indicted on seven child abuse charges and also failing to protect children from substantial bodily harm. They pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and will soon head to trial.
Prosecutors said the children, ages 2 to 11, were reportedly found in a one-bedroom unit. The responding officers said that the 11-year-old boy in the cage, who was not identified due to his age, reportedly had two black eyes that were swollen shut, multiple marks and bruises all over his body, and he was emaciated. The boy had been allegedly kicked in the head. His father told the responding officers that he believed the 11-year-old was already dead, according to court transcripts.
The 11-year-old boy also said that he was starved. He would have to share one large fry from McDonald’s with all the kids, and just that he was never really fed and that’s why he stole. His 9-year-old brother was also kept in the cage, police officials said. Travis was violent towards all the children, except a two-year-old, Amanda told police. He allegedly struck the kids with belts, extension cords, skillets, his hands, and feet, according to police reports. All the children are covered with marks from their neck down.
Travis is reportedly the father of all seven of the children found in the unit. Amanda, who is pregnant, is the stepmother to six of the children and the mother of the two-year-old. The incident came to light when Amanda, who reportedly worked as a pr0stitute for Travis, confided in an employee at a local pharmacy that Travis threatened to kill her. The employee called the authorities.
