The parents of two young autistic boys who are both non-verbal were arrested after police said they locked their children inside of a closet, where blood and scratches were located on the drywall, according to news reports citing court documents.
Casey Farthing and Stephanie Harmer, who are both from Richmond, are facing charges including five counts of first-degree criminal child abuse, two counts of first-degree unlawful imprisonment and first-degree criminal mischief, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Farthing, 41, and Harmer, 36, were arrested on Saturday, March 7, jail records viewed by Us Weekly show. They were detained in the Madison County Detention Center.
It was not currently clear whether the couple had hired attorneys who could speak on their behalf or whether they had entered pleas as of Wednesday, March 11.
Farthing and Harmer have three children in total, including their sons, ages 8 and 9, and a daughter who is 5, according to court documents obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Authorities arrested the children’s parents after their former landlord reported to police that the couple’s old apartment in Saddlebrook was left in a “deplorable” state, according to police, WDKY-TV reported.
An arrest citation viewed by the TV station says officers found the apartment — where Farthing and Harmer had vacated about a week earlier — had a cockroach infestation, and dirty diapers left around as well as old food and feces.
Afterward, officers visited the couple’s new apartment, confirming trash and feces were inside, according to the citation obtained by the TV station, which noted their new home was deemed “not as severe” as their prior residence.
At the new apartment, police also found scratches and blood inside of a closet, according to court documents, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
Farthing and Harmer’s daughter allegedly reported to Child Protective Services that her parents locked her brothers inside there “when they’re bad,” court documents viewed by the newspaper say.
Farthing and Harmer reportedly denied the accusation.
Authorities noticed that one of the boys, the couple’s 8-year-old son, “had dried blood on two of his fingers” and that “the fingernail on his ring finger was also broken off,” the newspaper reported, citing court filings.
All three children have been removed from the couple’s custody, according to court records, WDKY-TV reported.
Farthing and Harmer are being held in jail on $25,000 bonds, according to the TV station.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
