North Carolina – A North Carolina woman was taken into custody last week and charged with multiple counts of chiId abuse after a 6‑year‑old chiId Ieft in her care was found dead under conditions authorities described as prolonged and severe, court records and police reports show.
The elderly woman, 61‑year‑old S. Robbinson, was taken into custody by the North Carolina authorities and charged with one count of intentionaI chiId abuse resuIting in serious physicaI injury and four counts of misdemeanor chiId abuse. Another woman, 51-year-old Tonia, who was also living in the home, was arrested two days later on the same charges. The defendant’s famiIy member, 22-year-old Teryn, was later arrested on identical charges, and prosecutors have indicated that more charges, including possible murder charges, could be filed as the investigation continues.
The investigation began earlier this month when first responders were called to a home in North Carolina after reports that a child was not breathing. Officers found the 6‑year‑old unresponsive and transported her to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. The victim weighed only twenty seven pounds at the time of her death, far below typical weight for a child her age, and had extensive injuries and signs of long‑term abuse, according to police affidavits and court records.
Detectives with the local police department and child welfare agencies secured the scene and began a full investigation into what led to the child’s death. The home was described by officers in sworn affidavits as unsanitary and unsafe, with human and animal feces present in several areas and infestations of ratts and cockroaches. There was no functioning central heat in the residence, and investigators documented holes in walls, floors and the roof.
In addition to the conditions of the home, investigators found physical evidence that the child had been restrained and mistreated over an extended period. Court records allege the girl was forced to live in a dog crate in the living room, and when she broke the animaI encIosure months earlier, she was allegedly forced to sleep on a bathroom floor described as being covered in f-ces. Officers also reported finding photos on the caregiver’s phone showing the child bound with black duct tape, with swoIIen hands and feet.
The affidavit detailed multiple injuries on the child’s body in various stages of healing. These included a healed ligature mark around her right ankle, healed scars on her right arm, right foot and outer right leg, and an open wound on her left ankle that appeared to be a burn.
She also had several open wounds on her knees, face, arms and legs, a fractured pinky toe, and four fractured ribs at different stages of healing, according to law enforcement. Some of the worst injuries were consistent with prolonged exposure to f-ces and urlne, reflecting that the child had been forced to remain in a soiIed diaper for extended periods.
Neighbors told investigators they had sometimes heard children crying from the residence, but none reported the situation to authorities before the call that brought police to the home on December 16. Crews who visited the property described visible damage to the house, trash in the yard and other signs of neglect.
According to the North Carolina authorities, the 6-year-old chiId, Domnique, was abused over approximately a year and a half while under the care of the 61-year-old woman, who had been court-appointed by the Department of Social Services to serve as her guardian. Police allege that the defendant, along with her co-defendant, starved the chiId, duct-taped her hands and feet, forced her to stay in an animaI encIosure, and made her sit in soiIed diapers for extended periods.
The child suffered from multiple serious injuries, including healed ligature marks on her ankle, circular scars on her legs and foot, an open burn on her left ankle, minor open wounds on her knees, face, arms, and legs, as well as fractures to her pinky toe and multiple lower ribs at different stages of healing.
Investigators reported that she was extremely underweight, weighed only twenty seven pounds, and had an extreme rash caused by prolonged exposure to ur-ne and f-ces. She and the other adults reportedly failed to provide medical care or report the abuse despite witnessing the child’s suffering, and the home conditions were described as cluttered, unsanitary, infested with rats, and dangerously cold, with minimal heating.
All three women were identified as the primary caregivers for the children in the home. Investigators allege that the 61-year-old defendant and the others knew the abuse was occurring but failed to intervene, call 911 or report it to authorities. She told police she had seen the child punished for stealing food but did not take steps to stop or report the mistreatment, according to prosecutors.
Four other children between the ages of 5, 4, 2 and 1 were also found living in the home. North Carolina authorities have said those children were removed from the residence and placed in the care of state child protective services. The conditions in the home and the children’s living environment remain part of the ongoing investigation.