Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed Tuesday that four children were allegedly held captive and sexually abused inside a semi-truck sleeper cab for six years by two women who worked as truckers.
Keysha Monique Epps, 51, of Atlanta, and Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, of Jacksonville, face charges of sexual battery, molestation and neglect of the four young victims, Uthmeier announced at a press conference in Kissimmee. The abuse allegedly began when the two boys and two girls were between five and nine years old.
“The evidence makes clear, the girls were sexually abused by Stewart,” Uthmeier said.
He continued, “The boys watched it, when they would confront Stewart or report it to Epps, they would be physically abused themselves and injured.”
The children were allegedly denied basic necessities throughout their captivity. Uthmeier stated, “They were malnourished, they weren’t frequently fed, they weren’t cleaned, they weren’t given showers.”
The semi-truck served as a mobile prison for the children, who were allegedly kept locked in the sleeper cab while the women drove routes between Atlanta and Miami. The victims reportedly did not attend school and were rarely permitted to leave the vehicle.
The abuse came to light after authorities investigated the case, which Uthmeier described in harrowing detail at Tuesday’s press conference. He noted that even when the truck stopped at stations for the adults’ comfort, the children remained confined.
“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,” he said.
Uthmeier characterized the semi-truck as a “rolling dungeon” where the children endured prolonged isolation and mistreatment while the women continued their trucking operations across state lines.
The case spans multiple jurisdictions given the alleged travel between Georgia and Florida, potentially complicating prosecution. The children’s current ages and how they were ultimately discovered have not been publicly disclosed.
Epps and Stewart’s legal representation and any plea entries were not immediately available from court records following Tuesday’s announcement.