Abuse Arrests in Ohio Made Due to Child Victim's Email for Help

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, February 13, 2014

An abused child decided to take a chance and send an email asking for help to her teacher, who then called 911. The child, along with her sister and brother, were rescued from a horrible situation and are now enjoying proper care and just being children again.

"I'm sure like most kids she trusted in her teacher that she would get her help," Scioto County Sheriff's Capt. David Hall told the Associated Press. "We don't know if the opportunity was there that maybe no adults were around. Or maybe she just had enough."

According to the child, and substantiated by police reports, the girl, her sister and brother, were all repeatedly tied to their beds, beaten, and the young girls raped by their 44-year-old stepfather. The children told authorities that they were tied up with ropes and chains, sometimes for weeks, only to be untied to do homework for their online school. The children also said that they were beaten, and authorities found marks and bruises on their bodies to confirm the abuse.

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One of the young girls, ages 9 and 11, sent an email to her teacher asking for help because she and her siblings were "being tied to the beds and beat," authorities said. The teacher then called 911, which led to an investigation of the family. The children's mother, grandmother, and stepfather were all arrested and the children taken into "a very good home with a good family" in Ohio, police said.

The three suspects are currently in custody, with the stepfather being held on $1 million bond and the mother and grandmother each being held on $150,000 bonds. They are charged with child endangerment, but Captain Hall said he expects more charges to be filed.

Thankfully, the children are doing well in their new environment and enjoying being taken care of and attending a traditional school.

"They're getting to eat now," Hall said. "They have loving people around them. They're just little kids. They like to love and be loved, and they deserve all that."

Police have not released the suspects' names in order to protect the children's privacy.