Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
An Oklahoma grandmother has been detained following a series of charges linked to an incident where an 11-year-old girl reportedly gave birth at home without medical assistance.
Michelle Justus, the grandmother of the 11-year-old, faces six counts of felony child neglect after the child delivered her baby on August 16. Justus initially stated that no one was aware of the pregnancy.
The girl’s mother, Cherie Walker, 33, and stepfather, Dustin Walker, 34, were apprehended and charged last month. Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson informed KOTV that even the parents were unaware of the girl’s pregnancy until she gave birth.
Disturbingly, DNA testing indicated that the stepfather was a 99.9 percent match for the baby’s father.
2 News reported that Justus claimed her daughter and son-in-law were portrayed unfairly as ‘monsters’. However, prosecutors allege that the grandmother was aware of the pregnancy and neglected to notify the authorities.
According to NBC News, prosecutors stated that Justus resides just across the street from the Walkers and served as a ‘caretaker’ for the 11-year-old and five other children living in the household.
Court documents assert that Justus did not provide appropriate supervision or medical care for the children, resulting in their living in squalid conditions.
It is alleged that Justus had frequent contact with the 11-year-old, seeing her almost daily, including the day of the birth, yet failed to report the circumstances to authorities.
Justus previously told 2 News: “I just want people to know, we did not know this was happening. None of us.”
The charges against Justus pertain to all six children in the residence, and she is currently held on a $75,000 bond.
Cherie Walker faces charges of enabling child sex abuse, while Dustin Walker is charged with sexual abuse of a child under 12.
Both parents also face six counts of felony child neglect and are being held without bond.
Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson labeled the case as ‘one of the most, if not the most, serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases [she has] ever prosecuted’.
“I was horror-stricken to find out it’s an 11-year-old little girl who’s given birth,” she previously stated to 2 News.
“And that she had no medical care, and she had no one to be with her.”
The 11-year-old and her siblings have since been removed from the household.
For anyone affected by these issues or seeking confidential support regarding child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is available 24/7 and receives calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.