Vigilant neighbors helped notify Moore police of alleged child abuse, leading to parents’ arrests
By Meghan Mosley
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MOORE, Okla. (KOCO) — What appeared to be a child lost on the streets of Moore ended up being something much more sinister and led to police arresting the 6-year-old’s parents.
On Sept. 21, Moore police responded to a house in a neighborhood after a resident called police about an unusual and upsetting discovery.
“He was kind of wandering in and out of the traffic and roadway,” Clint Byley with the Moore Police Department said. “The child told the resident and us he had ran away from home due to abuse, alleged abuse, that had been occurring in the home.”
Police noticed an open wound on the child’s foot that was infected and unhealed.
“Officers witnessed visible scars, injuries, on his feet,” Byley said.
The parents then showed up at the scene because they had noticed their child was missing.
“A few minutes later, the parents arrived at the scene to talk about their missing child, and we informed them he had been found. Then we escorted them back to the Moore Police Department where they had been interviewed,” Byley said.
During that interview, the child was taken to a hospital for his injuries.
The parents admitted to the abuse, saying they used lighters to burn the bottom of the child’s foot, according to police records. The child was also found malnourished.
“Unfortunately, my initial reaction was, ‘Here we go again,'” Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy said.
He said this type of abuse is alarming, but he said it’s because of vigilant neighbors that the alleged abusers were arrested.
“The number one thing that you should watch for is isolation. Oftentimes, families that abuse children try to keep those kids isolated,” Dorman said.
He also said people can watch for parents acting suspiciously.
“If the parents are acting suspicious, it certainly doesn’t hurt to check, and if you don’t feel comfortable checking yourself, contact the authorities,” Dorman said.
Both of the parents in the case are now in the Cleveland County Detention Center on child abuse charges. The child is safe in state custody.
KOCO 5 is not identifying the parents to protect the child’s identity.
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