A Florida couple has been arrested and charged with severe child neglect after authorities discovered that four children had been living in the cabin of a semi-truck for nearly six years, deprived of education, medical attention, and basic living conditions.
According to arrest documents, the children had been residing in the vehicle since December 2019 while Keisha Apps, 51, worked as a long-haul truck driver on routes between Miami and Atlanta.
The children told investigators that for approximately five years they were not permitted to attend school. They also reported being given insufficient time to shower, use bathroom facilities, or exercise outdoors.
All four children slept together on a single small cot, forced to lie "curled up next to each other because there was no room," according to the documents. A detective investigating the case noted that the children walked with an abnormal gait as a result of their prolonged confinement in the cramped space.
The children received inadequate nutrition and were denied medical or dental care, even in emergencies, according to court filings. One of the girls recounted suffering severe burns from hot noodles that caused significant bleeding, but said she was not taken for medical treatment and was left with a permanent scar.
Apps and her fiancé, Tamara Marshon Stewart, 37, were arrested on August 6. They now face four counts of child neglect, one for each child.
