The parents of an 11-year-old girl from Oklahoma were arrested and charged after their young child was forced to give birth at home without the presence of a doctor.
Authorities revealed that 33-year-old Cherie Walker and 34-year-old Dustin Walker were arrested after allegedly failing to provide supervision or medical assistance for their daughter. The 11-year-old girl was said to have delivered a full-term baby on Aug. 16.
Parents Arrested After 11-Year-Old Daughter Gives Birth
The Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson added that the girl's parents claimed that they had no idea she was even pregnant. Court documents also showed that the 11-year-old has been carrying her baby for around 36 weeks.
Investigators said that the young girl had not seen a doctor in more than a year and did not receive any prenatal care. Officials only learned about the case after the 11-year-old was brought to the hospital after giving birth at home.
Both of the young girl's mother and stepfather have been charged with felony child neglect and are being held in the Muskogee County Jail on a $100,000 bond each. They are both scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 3, according to the Independent.
Hutson said that officials may file additional charges against the suspects and are currently waiting for paternity test results to determine who the father of the 11-year-old girl's baby is. The district attorney noted that the young girl is "traumatized" by the entire incident.
She added that they believe the 11-year-old girl may have been homeschooled, along with several other children. The child's grandmother spoke out in defense of the couple, saying that none of them knew what exactly was happening.
Charged With Child Neglect
The grandmother said that authorities made her daughter and son-in-law look like monsters, adding that she hopes to see her grandchildren again. Hutson reminded the public that there are many ways to report suspected child neglect to help victims, People reported.
The district attorney said there are many resources available that allow people to reach out to law enforcement, the Department of Human Services, or the district attorney's office. They can then report when they see instances of abuse or neglect.
One neighbor, Cheryl Adkins, said that the 11-year-old girl and her five siblings were exposed to unstable and unsanitary conditions inside their home. She said that the family had no running water for the last two or three years, forcing her to make several calls to police and authorities, as per the Daily Mail.
