Authorities have revealed that a Florida couple allegedly confined four children in the sleeper cab of a semi-truck for approximately six years, subjecting them to sexual abuse and neglect. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated Tuesday that the tractor-trailer became a "rolling dungeon" for the children, who were reportedly kept from attending school and rarely allowed outside.
Keisha Monique Epps, 51, and Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, face charges including child neglect. The accusations detail that the abuse occurred while the pair drove the truck between Atlanta and Miami. When the alleged abuse began, the two boys and two girls were between five and nine years old.
According to Uthmeier, evidence indicates Stewart sexually abused the girls. The boys reportedly witnessed these assaults and faced physical abuse and injury when they attempted to report the incidents to Stewart or Epps. The children were allegedly malnourished, infrequently fed, and not maintained with proper hygiene.
"The evidence shows that the truck would, at times, hit a truck station where the adults would go to the restroom, they might take a shower, but they would leave the kids locked in this rolling dungeon," Uthmeier said. Epps and Stewart are charged with child neglect for confining the children in the truck. For those affected by issues raised in this story, the Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-330-0226.