ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Parents in St. Charles County have been jailed for allegedly locking their children up, denying them food, and forcing them to care for themselves.
According to probable cause statements from the St. Charles County Police Department, Amberly K. Britton and her partner, Mark A. Myers, were charged after a months-long investigation.
During multiple house visits, investigators with the Missouri Children’s Division described Britton and Myers as “evasive, impaired, or unresponsive” and claimed they couldn’t take drug tests. DCFS agents continuously observed odors of urine in the home and no bedding on any of the mattresses.
Police said the home was unsanitary, lacked heat, and was deemed uninhabitable by St. Charles County Code Enforcement. The children were removed from the home for their own safety after Brittany and Myers made no meaningful attempt at improving the conditions.
Padlocks were used to keep the children in their bedrooms, even overnight. Their windows had also been screwed shut. Britton and Myers also put locks on food cabinets to control when and what the kids would eat, police said.
One child suffered severe hunger pains and vomited as a result. She was then punished for vomiting.
Police said their investigation began Aug. 18 after one of their kids came to school with a severe laceration that required medical care. Britton and Myers failed to come to school and did not seek any timely treatment for the cut.
Two of the three children described to police being routinely beaten with belts, paddles, and other objects, and dragged by the neck and strangled. Police said the children’s bruises were hidden and the kids were told not to discuss anything that happened to them inside the home.
Eventually, Children’s Division requested county police check into the couple and visit the home.
While searching the home, police also found large quantities of methamphetamine and smoking paraphernalia in a bedroom and an outdoor shed.
While talking with investigators, police said Myers claimed the children lied and blamed them for any abuse or neglect they may have suffered.
Myers has prior convictions for second-degree statutory rape, failure to register as a sex offender, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He also has an open charge of another count for failure to register as a sex offender.
Britton has several active warrants for possession of a controlled substance and driving with a suspended license. She also has prior convictions for five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and driving with a revoked license. Like Myers, police said she blamed the children for their treatment and showed no remorse for her own behavior.
Britton recently received an inheritance, according to police, but there was no indication that any of the money was used for the children’s benefit.
The St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged both Britton and Myers with second-degree trafficking drugs and three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Both are being held on $250,000 cash-only bonds. Online records do not show when they’ll appear in court.