Keisha Monique Epps, 51, and her fiancé Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, were arrested on August 7 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, and each charged with four counts of child neglect. Stewart is also facing a capital sexual battery charge and a probation violation.
Living in a truck cab since 2019
The pair told authorities they had been living in the truck’s cab while Epps worked as a truck driver. Investigators allege the children had also been living in the truck cab since December 2019, while Epps worked as an independent subcontractor driving routes between Miami and Atlanta.
One account said Epps did the driving while Stewart was left in charge of watching the children. A heavily redacted arrest report described horrific sleeping conditions, saying all four children slept in a single top bunk so cramped they had to “lay side by side and curled up because they could not fit”.
Allegations of neglect and abuse
The same report added they were “rarely allowed out of the cab of the truck, even if they needed to use the restroom”, the Florida Times-Union reported. “Additionally, they said they were fed poorly, did not attend school,” the arrest report said. “They did not receive medical care even when they were injured or sick.”
Detectives who found the children reportedly noticed them “walking with an unnatural gait from being confined to the cab”, which police say they were kept in for most of the day. Investigators believe the prolonged confinement deformed their developing muscles and bones.
Police also allege that while Epps drove or slept, Stewart sexually assaulted one of the children. When the other children reported the alleged abuse to Epps, Stewart allegedly retaliated by punching them in the head.
Medical findings and legal proceedings
A forensic medical assessment by the local Child Protection Team in May reportedly found the child who was assaulted had a severe, long-term, untreated sexually transmitted infection. The case spans multiple areas, True Crime News reported.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on July 23 about a “multi-jurisdictional capital sexual battery case” involving juveniles, according to the Florida Times-Union. The children were later interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center in Gainesville.
Epps is being held on four felony child neglect counts. Her bond was set at $400,012 (about £316,000), or $100,003 per count (about £79,000). If she makes bail, she must wear a GPS ankle monitor and have no contact with minors, victims or witnesses. Her next court appearance is scheduled for September 3.
Stewart is being held without bond. Prosecutors have indicated the capital charge could carry life imprisonment without parole - or the death penalty - if he is convicted under Florida law.
