A Missouri woman who has fostered over 200 children is under investigation for child abuse following reports that after years of abuse, she allegedly traded one of her foster children for a monkey.
Brenda Ruth Deutsch, 70, of Winfield, has been charged with two counts of child abuse or neglect and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood.
Police were alerted to the case after the victim's school reported her extended absence. Investigators learned Deutsch sent the teen to Texas to live with a friend, where she was reportedly left alone in unsanitary conditions with exotic animals, KSDK reported.
"A witness said that they had been asked to bring the child down to Texas and bring the monkey back in return," Prosecutor Wood revealed. "Obviously we have to do more investigation to see if that's actually credible."
The 16-year-old victim told police Deutsch had beaten her with a paddle, shoes, and wooden trim, and on one occasion had someone hold her down while she was struck on her bare buttocks. She also alleged that Deutsch punished her by stealing and giving away her clothes, and sent her to psychiatric and residential facilities for extended periods.
Despite fostering hundreds of children, authorities say there were no prior criminal reports tied to the residence, although community members indicated the home had a long-standing reputation for abuse. "These types of abuse and emotional neglect had been going on for what seemed to be perhaps a decade," Wood said of the reports.
Wood described the allegations as "particularly heinous and just disturbing to read," especially given "the number of children that had been fostered through that home."
The victim is now in the custody of child protective services in Texas.
Deutsch was taken into custody over the weekend, with bond set at $250,000.
