Gallatin County Attorney Grant Axon plans to pursue criminal charges over a child-protection worker’s reported direction to return two girls to their home, putting the agency’s response under scrutiny. The six- and eight-year-old girls were later admitted to Cincinnati Children's for treatment, according to WKRC’s account.
The girls had been living with their mother, 29-year-old Phyllis Culp, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Kyle Reynolds, at the 127 Motel outside Warsaw for a couple of months, according to WKRC. When the girls arrived at school on August 28, staff noticed a black eye on one child and bite marks on the other's arm, prompting school workers to call the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. A social worker with the agency instructed the school to send both girls home, the station reports.
The school also called 911, and a 911 caller reported that Reynolds had physically harmed the children, per the outlet's account. The principal told the caller that Reynolds was screaming, cursing and making staff uncomfortable during the encounter. A Gallatin County sheriff's deputy arrived at the motel only after the girls had already been sent back home.
Beaten With a Shoe for Talking to a Social Worker
Sheriff Bud Webster said the girls were allegedly beaten with a shoe simply for having spoken to the social worker, according to the same report. Deputies who saw the extent of the girls' injuries arrested Reynolds; Culp was arrested afterward. Both are now jailed on $1 million bonds.
Investigators say Culp hid in the bathroom while Reynolds beat the girls, per the outlet. The children told investigators that Reynolds hit them with a closed fist, beat them with a belt buckle and a spatula, bit them, put fishhooks beneath their tongues, and choked them until they lost consciousness — with Reynolds allegedly telling them they would not wake up. Both girls were admitted to Cincinnati Children's for treatment of their injuries.
Culp and Reynolds now face assault, criminal abuse, strangulation and related felony charges, with Reynolds additionally facing an attempted murder count. Under Kentucky law, Attempted Murder is a Class B felony carrying 10 to 20 years in prison upon conviction, while First-Degree Strangulation is addressed under KRS § 508.170. The defendants also face criminal-abuse charges. The evidence against both defendants will be presented to a grand jury for possible indictments.
Social Worker Could Face Criminal Charges
Axon told WKRC he plans to file criminal charges against whoever at CHFS was responsible for directing the girls to return home. Kentucky Revised Statute § 620.030 requires any adult — including school employees and social workers — who has reasonable cause to suspect a minor is abused or neglected to immediately report it to law enforcement or child protective services. The duty cannot be delayed or delegated, according to the Legislative Research Commission.
Reporting and placement are separate decisions
Kentucky CHFS’s reporting handbook says centralized intake staff review and assess reports, follow up if necessary, and decide whether a report is accepted for investigation. That intake process is distinct from a decision about a child’s placement; the handbook information does not establish why the worker reportedly directed the girls home or what assessment was made in this case.
Public employees who knowingly fail to perform a legally required duty can be charged with Official Misconduct in the First or Second Degree under KRS §§ 522.020 and 522.030, offenses that range from a Class B to Class A misdemeanor depending on intent and the duty breached, according to a Lexington defense-law guide. WKRC’s account does not specify what charge Axon may pursue.
CHFS reversed course only after Reynolds was arrested, changing its decision to remove the children and opening a formal case, per the same account. The agency reassigned the social worker involved to a CHFS office in neighboring Boone County. In a statement, Kentucky CHFS said it could not comment on specific cases but said it treats allegations of abuse with the highest seriousness and urgency. The girls are now staying with relatives.
Sheriff Webster described the alleged abuse as one of the worst cases he has seen in his career, according to the station's report.
Gallatin County Lower Elementary School was where staff first spotted the girls' injuries.
