It took one text message to a teacher to uncover years of alleged abuse that a 15-year-old girl said she suffered at the hands of her caregivers, but police say that at least two relatives knew what was happening long before and failed to report it.
The girl’s message to her teacher asking for help in October led to her being examined at a Broward County hospital, where she told Margate Police that she was forced to sleep in a locked closet; that her caregivers restricted her access to food and water, making her visibly malnourished; and that she was tied up, beaten and left with permanent scars from the nearly 10 years of brutal abuse, according to court records.
Margate Police, as of this week, have arrested a total of four of the girl’s relatives in connection with the alleged abuse. They expect more arrests to come, Lt. Al Banatte said Saturday.
Her caregivers Latricia Crawley, 46, and Benjamin Lockett, 43, were first arrested in late October. Shankyria Clayton, 20, was arrested a few days later in early November. Treaunshae Gibbons, 29, who is Crawley’s daughter, was the latest to be arrested on Wednesday.
Signs of abuse
The teen messaged her online school teacher on Oct. 25 and said she needed police to come to her home. Officers found the girl with a bloody and swelling cut on her head after Lockett allegedly punched her, and her head hit the corner of her desk, according to the probable cause affidavit for Crawley’s arrest.
Lockett allegedly punched the girl because he thought she ate candy, the affidavit for his arrest said, and he “repeatedly told her he wanted to hurt her.” Lockett told officers the girl had fallen. Officers noted the girl “appeared terrified and had anxiety and repeatedly stated how hungry she was.”
At Broward Health Coral Springs, officers noticed physical signs of “significant long-term trauma” on the girl’s body while she was being examined: scars, ligature marks, bruises, insect bites and malnutrition, the affidavit said. She told officers in detail what had been happening to her at the home since Crawley and Lockett gained custody of her in 2014, when she would have been about 6 years old.
She told officers that over the years the abuse included Lockett kicking her in the chin when she was 11 years old that she still has a scar from; Crawley oiling her knees and making her kneel on rice for hours until her knees were scarred when she was 13; Crawley tying her and hitting her toes with a hammer when she was 13; Crawley and Lockett both tying her with rope to different objects multiple times when she was 14; and Crawley throwing a boiling pot of water on her when she was 14, according to the affidavit.
Officers saw a lock on the outside of two closets at the Margate home and drops of blood inside one of them from when the girl ran inside after she was punched, the affidavit said. She told officers she would sleep in the locked closet throughout her 10 years living there, sometimes bound with cable ties, and was given a bucket to use as a toilet. The girl said Crawley would pour cold water on her while she was sleeping “just to see her wake up,” the affidavit said.
The girl broke down while telling officers about another form of abuse where Crawley allegedly taped her eyes shut and submerged her head in water. The outline of her bones were visible, notably on her spine, the affidavit said.
While the girl was being treated at the hospital, Crawley did not attempt to find where she was or check on her, the affidavit said, and Crawley “expressed her desire to release custody” of the girl.
Crawley and Lockett were re-arrested recently, and prosecutors have filed additional charges against them, court records show. They were again released from jail after posting bail.
Crawley faces in total eight felony counts of aggravated child abuse and one felony count of child neglect with bodily harm. Lockett faces in total five felony counts of aggravated child abuse, two felony counts of child abuse, and one felony count of child neglect with bodily harm.
Lockett’s defense attorney Eric Clayman declined to comment Friday night. Lockett pleaded not guilty last week.
Crawley’s defense attorney Michael D. Weinstein said prosecutors filed additional charges for what they “claim is forensic evidence that came out later” in examinations. Weinstein said Crawley maintains her innocence and is pleading not guilty.
“She’s a mother and grandmother, and she’s taking care of her grandkids without incident … Her grandchildren are entrusted in her care by her children,” he said.
Weinstein said he is not aware of any other previous Child Protective Services investigations involving Crawley.
Failing to report
Clayton and Gibbons are accused of living at the home with the victim within the decade of abuse and either participating in it or failing to report it, according to probable cause affidavits.
Gibbons, whose mother is Crawley, lived at the home with the victim between 2015 and 2019, the probable cause affidavit for her arrest said. The girl told officers she slept in the locked closet for the entire time she lived at the home.
The abuse was allegedly occurring when Gibbons was living there, the affidavit said, and after moving out, Gibbons visited regularly and would have seen the girl’s malnourished state. The girl told officers Gibbons witnessed Crawley hit her once and that when she confronted Crawley, it “nearly became physical.”
Gibbons worked for Kids in Distress beginning in November 2020, according to the affidavit. The nonprofit based in Wilton Manors aims to prevent child abuse and provides services for victims of abuse and families.
She noted in her job application for the nonprofit that she had over a year of experience as a case manager for Children’s Home Society and ChildNet, the lead child welfare agency in Broward and Palm Beach County. A background check showed that Gibbons lived for five years in the home where the victim was allegedly abused, the affidavit said.
Gibbons was fired for violating policy related to reporting abuse, according to the affidavit.
Lt. Banatte said the nonprofit began an internal investigation based on the police department’s investigation, and Gibbons was fired on Nov. 28.
An email to Kids in Distress seeking information was not returned Friday.
The lead detective wrote in the affidavit that Gibbons’s employment history showed she knew of the system for reporting abuse, what constituted abuse and neglect and that she had training and experience in identifying victims of abuse.
Gibbons in a recorded phone call in the investigation allegedly gave her mother Crawley advice “on how to interact with the police during this investigation,” the affidavit said. She is facing one count of child neglect with bodily harm and one count of failure to report child abuse.
Clayton is facing one count of aggravated child abuse, one count of child neglect with bodily harm and one count of failure to report child abuse. Her arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 2.
Clayton is accused of participating in, witnessing “and/or” knowing of the abuse, the probable cause affidavit said. She did not on multiple occasions give the girl food, water or medical care and allegedly kept her locked in the closet. She did not give officers a statement when she was arrested.
Attorney information for Clayton and Gibbons was not available Friday. They have both been released from jail after posting bond.
At least one other additional relative was found to be living at the Margate home while the alleged abuse was happening, according to a probable cause affidavit. The victim told police that relative had lived at the address for several years.
The relative is a sex offender whose address was registered in New York and was taken into custody early last month for failing to report staying at that address, the affidavit said.
Margate Police Det. Joshua Baer, the lead investigator on the case, wrote in the recent affidavit for Gibbons’s arrest that his investigation remains active.
The minor girl remains in Child Protective Services custody, Banatte said, and is “doing well.”
“The officers, detectives and victim advocate involved in the case check up on her frequently,” Banatte said.