Unnamed girl - 9 yo - / Accused: Timothy A. Phillips, father and Lacey A. Chaney, fathers girlfriend - Independence, KS

Nine-year-old girl locked in basement and forced to use the garden as a bathroom by her father and his girlfriend, police told

By Jessica Jerreat PUBLISHED:23:46 EST, 15 May 2013



Court records showed that the girl had been sleeping on an air mattress next to an exposed sewage pipe for three months.

A school nurse at Korte Elementary School in Independence, brought the girl's plight to the attention of the authorities after she visited the couple's home in Hazel Avenue on Friday.

The child had been sent to the school nurse because she smelt of urine, according to court documents. She complained that her 'private parts' hurt and the nurse noted redness and irritation.

When the child was taken to hospital she told medical staff she could not remember when she was last allowed to use the family bathroom.

Instead, she had to go in the garden, using a blanket to cover herself.

Chaney, whose son also lives in the house, told police she forced her boyfriend's daughter to urinate and defecate outside for three weeks, claiming she had caught an infection by sharing a lavatory with the child.

The couple also told police that the schoolgirl was locked in the basement because she had trouble controlling her bladder and because she had been suspended from school.


Locked in: The nine-year-old girl was forced to sleep in the basement of the family home in Independence

Phillips admitted that he 'popped' the child in the mouth and 'whupped' her on the 'butt' because she had been suspended. He said she was locked in the basement with food and water while he was at work.

He added that he could not afford to continue cleaning up after his daughter, who he bathed 'every five days or so'.

The father claimed that his daughter did not like to be washed because she had previously been sexually abused in a shower.

According to court documents, Chaney told police she believed the victim wet herself to 'keep people away and 'to make people not want' her.

Phillips acknowledged that the lack of washing could have contributed to the child's infection. Chaney was unable to say who the child's doctor was.

His girlfriend said the girl was made to sleep on an air mattress because the couple had been forced to replace five regular ones. She added that the girl had been sleeping in the basement since February.

Neighbour Hope Skinner said she had never noticed signs that the couple were mistreating the child.


Degrading: The schoolgirl had to use the back garden as a bathroom, using a blanket to cover herself

'He would not have been our neighbour for long if we had known about this,' Ms Skinner said.

She added however, that the girl was sometimes seen waiting for a long time for the school bus without a coat.

'They sent that little girl out every morning at 7.15am, with no coat, no nothing, but the bus didn’t come until much later,' Ms Skinner said.

Michelle Wright, who also lives nearby, told KCTV 5 News: 'I couldn't imagine hurting your own child.'

Another neighbour, who did not want to be identified, described the girl as 'very thin' and shy.


'I would say she looked like she should have been in kindergarten rather than 9 years old,' she told 41 Action News, adding that she wanted to cry when she heard details of the alleged abuse.


Although the main house, where Chaney's son lived, was well kept, authorities said the basement was covered in dirt and lit by a single bulb.

An interior door had been fitted with a lock and alarm that sounded when the door opened.

A cash bond of $100,000 each for Phillips and Chaney has been requested.

The girl’s mother, who was divorced from Phillips last year, declined to comment.

The child is now in protective custody.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325305/Nine-year-old-girl-locked-basement-forced-use-garden-bathroom-father-girlfriend-police-told.html

A nine year old having trouble controlling bladder! That's a big RED FLAG!!! That's a biological or psychological problem. You don't punish for that. You find out what the problem was. It said she was molested in a shower. If so why was she not getting psychological help??? Glad she's out of there now before she died. I hope she gets the treatments she needs. William

Looks like she was sexually abused at her mother's house, most likely by a POS boyfriend.

Poor little girl doesn't have anyone to care for her. I pray her foster family will care for her. So young to be all alone in the world.

Sounds like the girlfriend convinced the father she "caught it from the toilet seat". Only a fool would believe that.