'Rolling prison': 4 children confined, abused in semi-truck for 6 years, Florida AG says
The AG says they will pursue the death penalty in this case
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. -- A couple is facing charges for allegedly abusing, molesting, and neglecting four children over the course of six years, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Tuesday.
"This is one of, if not the most, horrific cases that my team has ever had to work on," Uthmeier said.
The four victims are two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 5-years-old to 9-years-old, when the abuse began, according to officials.
"The evidence makes clear the two girls were sexually abused by Stewart. The boys watched it, and when they would confront Stewart or Epps, they would be physically abused themselves and injured," Uthmeier described.
Uthmeier said that the two suspects, Tamra Stewart and Keysha Epps, held these children captive in a trailer attached to the back of a semi-truck.
"This was a prison -- a rolling prison," Uthmeier said. "They were nonstop on the road -- these two sick individuals -- frequenting routes between Atlanta and Miami, crossing through many, if not most, Florida counties."
According to the arrest report, "the victims disclosed that they have not been allowed to attend school for approximately five years," and "had not seen a doctor or a dentist for urgent care or preventative care."
In addition, the attorney general says the children were rarely allowed to shower or use the restroom.
The two suspects are now behind bars, and Uthmeier says they plan to prosecute them to the fullest extent possible.
"We will pursue with everything we have -- the death penalty. We will seek executions if you want to come here and you want to physically molest, abuse, and violate our little kids," he said. "Here in Florida, we have zero tolerance for anybody that wants to hurt kids."
