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By Jasmine Laws
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A couple has been arrested and is now facing child abuse charges as investigators allege they had been locking a non-verbal, seven-year-old child with autism in a trunk with urine-soaked blankets, according to a statement from a Tennessee sheriff's office.
Mikki Dee Moody, age 36, and Sean David Moody, age 39, of 311 Blevins Hollow Road in Carter County, were charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect and child endangerment.
Carty County Sheriff's Office investigator Preston White said a brown trunk was found in the living room of their home containing "urine-soaked blankets, a pillow, half-eaten pizza, and clothing that contained a substance consistent with blood."
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The investigators also say the residence was "unsanitary" and that "multiple electrical wall outlets contained exposed wiring, and animal and human feces was discovered on the floor coverings." Authorities did not clarify how the boy came to be in the couple's care.
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On August 15, the Carter County Sheriff's Office worked with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to carry out a search warrant on the couple's residence on an unrelated case.
At the time, the TBI took Mr. Moody into custody over charges of abuse relating to his sister, who has a developmental disability and is classed as a vulnerable adult in his care. Investigators searched the property as part of the search warrant, the TBI report states, and the investigation into this case remains ongoing.
Following the alleged discovery of the trunk, the couple were booked into the Carter County Detention Center on Thursday, although Ms. Moody was released from custody after posting a $75,000 bond. Mr. Moody remains in jail with a $75,000 bond charge, plus the additional $10,000 charge from the case relating to his sister.
The investigation into this case also remains ongoing. The Department of Children's Services was reportedly notified, and they then took custody of the boy, according to the news outlet Law and Crime.
According to The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data, there were 66,497 reported cases of child abuse and neglect in Tennessee in 2023. The number of cases has been decreasing since 2021; in 2021 there were 72,805 cases and in 2022, 70,350 cases.
Across the U.S., there were 558,899 victims of child abuse in 2022, according to data from Statista. Not only was this is a decrease from the previous year, when there were 588,630 victims of child abuse, it was also the lowest number of victims since 2012.
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