A mother and her partner are facing charges of child abuse and child cruelty in northern Virginia after police discovered two children chained by the ankle in their apartment. The 47-year-old mother and her 29-year-old partner admitted to chaining the 9-year-old boy and his 7-year-old sibling to prevent them from leaving the apartment, as stated in court documents. The incident came to light when the 9-year-old boy managed to borrow a cellphone from a roommate and sent a photo of his chained foot to his older sister, who then contacted 911. Upon police arrival at the apartment in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, they could hear the sound of chains rattling from inside.
A search warrant affidavit revealed that the children were regularly chained when the mother and her partner were not at home. The boys have since been placed in the custody of their father, who was not living with them at the time of the incident and was not charged. The father expressed shock and disbelief upon learning about the situation and emphasized that children should never be subjected to such treatment.
This recent arrest is not the first time the mother’s parenting has raised concerns. Previous court records indicate that in 2019, one of the mother’s teenage daughters obtained an emergency protective order due to alleged misdemeanor assault by the mother. Details regarding the outcome of that case remain unclear from juvenile court records.
The mother has been released pending trial, while her 29-year-old partner remains in custody. The public defender’s office representing the mother and the court-appointed attorney for the man were not available for immediate comment. A pretrial hearing for the case is scheduled for October 2nd.