CHARLOTTEN.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The house at the center of a child abuse investigation, where a young girl was killed, was intentionally set on fire on Christmas Eve, according to the Charlotte Fire Department.
Around 10 p.m. on Dec. 24, crews responded to a fire at a residence on the 7600 block of Gwynne Hill Road in east Charlotte, just hours after the third suspect, 22-year-old Tery’n McKnight, was charged in connection with an ongoing child abuse investigation.
CFD said it took about 40 minutes for 30 firefighters to control the blaze. No one was injured in the fire.
On Friday, investigators determined the fire was intentionally set, causing an estimated $65,000 in damage.
Child abuse investigation
According to court documents, a 6-year-old was found with wounds from rashes on her genitals and buttocks for “prolonged exposure to urine/feces-filled diapers, broken bones, healed ligature scars and burns to her body.”
Documents also revealed that the child had various open wounds throughout her body and only weighed 27 pounds when she went to the hospital.
The 6-year-old was one of four children living in the home that officers described as “unkempt,” containing both human and animal feces in each room of the home, with no centralized heating source, and was infested with rats and cockroaches, which bite the children.
None of the neighbors on Gwynne Hill Road that QCN spoke to on Friday said they had any idea that the alleged abuse was taking place.
Arrests made
So far, three people have been arrested in this case: Tery’n McKnight, 51-year-old Tonya McKnight, and 61-year-old Susan Robinson.
All three women were charged with four counts of misdemeanor child abuse and felony intentional child abuse, inflicting serious physical injury.
None of them received a bond, according to court records.
