A couple facing allegations of horrifying abuse towards two teenagers has been accused of using BB guns to shoot at them and confining them in a chicken pen. Chantel Hayford, the mother, and her boyfriend, Jerry Menees, were arrested for what authorities described as two years of severe neglect and mistreatment experienced by the 13 and 14-year-old victims. The couple reportedly organized “fight nights” where the teenagers were coerced into physically harming each other in a continuous pattern of abuse. Shockingly, at one point, the children’s mother supposedly offered to trade them for a phone, valued at $77 per child.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was alerted in December after the Division of Family Services raised concerns when a “guardian” reported that the boys had visited during the summer, pleading for food. Following a search of their Missouri residence, Hayford and Menees were taken into custody, and the teens disclosed the alleged horrors they endured at the hands of their mother and her partner.
Authorities claim that one of the teens fell into a deep depression, resorting to eating bugs, leaves, and even stealing food, while the other was reportedly forced to consume caulking material typically used for sealing gaps in buildings. It is alleged that one of the distressing incidents of abuse occurred during a child’s birthday celebration.
A concerned adult who brought the situation to light shared troubling accounts of the children’s suffering inflicted by their mother. Police documents revealed that the mother offered to exchange her children for a phone and a phone plan valued at $231, or approximately $77 per child, to the guardian.
The teenagers were said to have never been enrolled in school and lacked basic reading and writing skills appropriate for their age. A doctor who examined them reportedly found them severely underweight. Additionally, Hayford and Menees are accused of providing drugs and alcohol to the teens, as per WTOK. The couple allegedly used real firearms to threaten the children, warning them of dire consequences if they disclosed the abuse.
Police reports describe the property where the abuse occurred as being in a filthy condition, with feces smeared on floors and beds. Menees faces charges including first-degree kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, armed criminal action, and child abuse or neglect. Hayford is charged with offenses such as first-degree kidnapping, domestic assault, sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, and abuse or neglect of a child.
Both individuals are currently in custody and are being held without bail.