Three Houston residents have been arrested following a disturbing child abuse case involving a 2-year-old girl found duct-taped and malnourished in an apartment. Kenry Joseph Flukers, Toniesha Deshae Perkins, and Mya Jhari Breaux-McGruder are facing serious charges of injury to a child by omission and unlawful restraint. According to court documents, maintenance workers stumbled upon the horrifying scene on November 28, 2023, when they entered the apartment to fix a dishwasher and found the toddler restrained with her ankles taped together, laying on the living room floor, as reported by ABC13.
Upon police arrival, they were greeted by a scene that seemed perfectly normal except for the child in question. While five other children were in the home appearing in good health, the 2-year-old was underweight and suffering from head trauma indicative of abuse. The condition of the toddler was dire, medical professionals stressing that had she not received hospital care, she might not have survived another night. The child, now in the hospital, was found to have brain bleeds, anemia, and kidney failure resulting from the severity of the neglect, as detailed by ABC13.
Perkins, who is the child's cousin, initially claimed to Child Protective Services that the other children in the apartment were responsible for taping the child. However, in a stark twist of responsibility, Flukers, Perkins' boyfriend, suggested during an interview with authorities that it was Perkins who had duct-taped the child to prevent her from accessing the fridge, pantry, and trash. "She was getting into the refrigerator, trash can and pantry," Flukers said, explaining that the restraints were Perkins' solution to the child's behavior. This was corroborated by information obtained by the Houston Chronicle, which also pointed out that Flukers denied seeing the child's ankles taped.
While Flukers and Perkins have been held on $125,000 bonds each, the bond amount for Breaux-McGruder remains unspecified. Adding to the confusion, Breaux-McGruder, who is the child's aunt, initially denied seeing the girl's ankles duct-taped but changed her account after learning about the maintenance workers' photo. When questioned on the lock on the fridge, other children in the home accused Breaux-McGruder of disciplining the girl when she took off the tape, told the Houston Chronicle.
The case remains under investigation as the young girl receives critical care for her injuries. All parties involved have been taken into custody, as the legal system begins to untangle the web of allegations and piece together the events that led to this tragic discovery.
