A woman has been arrested over claims she swapped foster children for a monkey, after “becoming frustrated”. Brenda Ruth Deutsch, 70, is charged with three felony accounts of neglect, child abuse and child endangering.
Lincoln County sheriffs found several exotic primates at her home in Missouri, US, and are investigating reports two of the mammals arrived after Deutsch arranged for them to be swapped for children under her care, who were sent to Texas. Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood told NBC News before her arrest more than 200 phone calls were made to Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division about Deutsch’s home.
He told NBC News: “It was described to me early on the defendant here, Brendan Deutsch, became frustrated with this individual child and asked her friend in Texas if she would just take the child and keep her.
“At that point I think is when she says, ‘You know, why don’t you send a monkey and you can just keep the child?’
“At least two witnesses have come forward with information regarding the transportation of the monkey back to Missouri after the child was delivered.
“But we will have to further investigate whether that was actually a trade for the child or if it was something that does not rise to the level of any type of trafficking.”
“This has the potential to be an egregious human trafficking case.
“Or, at bare minimum, it certainly is a very disheartening and disturbing abuse and neglect case.”
Lincoln County Sheriff Rick Harrell said several monkeys were recovered from Deutsch’s home, where she has fostered more than 200 children in two decades.
Court documents claim the child was left alone in the Texas property and instructed to look after various exotic animals.
A Texas resident is being investigated but had not been arrested or charged.
Deutsch is accused of striking the child in the face between September 2022 and January of this year, using a paddle, shoes and a wooden trim.
Since Detsch was charged more people have come forward with allegations and the police says more charges are likely to follow in the future.
A teenage boy also living at the property was arrested and taken away by child protective services.
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