Florida authorities have revealed a case that investigators are calling one of the worst they have ever seen, after two truckers were arrested for allegedly holding four children captive inside the sleeper cab of a semi-truck for nearly seven years.
Attorney General James Uthmeier broke the news during a Tuesday press conference in Kissimmee, describing the rig as a “rolling dungeon” for the young victims.
According to officials, the children — two boys and two girls between the ages of five and nine when the alleged 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 began — were kept locked inside the truck as it traveled between Atlanta and Miami.
The suspects have been identified as Keisha Monique Epps, 51, of Atlanta, and Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, of Jacksonville.
Court documents claim the kids never attended school and were rarely allowed to step foot outside the vehicle.
Uthmeier said the evidence shows the girls were sexually abused by Stewart, and that the boys were physically hurt when they tried to speak up or report what they had witnessed.
The children were reportedly malnourished, rarely bathed, and often went without proper meals.
The truck would reportedly pull into rest stops where the adults would use the restroom or take a shower, but the children were left locked inside the cab.
“They were malnourished, they weren’t frequently fed, they weren’t cleaned, they weren’t given showers,” Uthmeier said.
“The evidence shows that the truck would, at times, hit a truck station where the adults would go to the restroom, they might take a shower, but they would leave the kids locked in this rolling dungeon.”
The attorney general said the children are now dealing with what he called “severe infirmities” as a result of the alleged 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮.
This case, he added, is “one of, if not the most, horrific that my team has ever had to work on.”
Authorities say a tip led investigators to step in and get the children to safety.
According to earlier reports, detectives noticed the kids were “walking with an unnatural gait” from being confined to the cab for so long.
Court records also claim one of the children suffered a burn from hot noodles and was never taken to a doctor, leaving her with a permanent scar.
The children reportedly never received medical or dental care during the years they were allegedly held captive.
Stewart now faces two counts of sexual battery by a parent, two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of battery of a child by expelling certain fluids or materials, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, and two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement.
Epps faces two counts of sexual battery by a parent, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement, and four counts of failure to report child 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮.
As for the children’s current condition, Uthmeier said they are safe but face a long road ahead.
“They are going to need a lot of help, a lot of therapy, lot of prayer,” he said.
“Let me be clear, here in Florida we have zero tolerance for anybody that wants to hurt kids,” Uthmeier added.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues in this story, help is available by calling the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
With both suspects now in custody and the children finally out of that truck, the big question remains: how could this go on for so long without anyone noticing?
