TEXICO, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors say two women in eastern New Mexico have been sentenced to prison in a case in which they were accused of beating children in their care and chaining them to their beds. An investigation started in 2022 when state child welfare workers received a tip about children being locked in cages. Prosecutors say Jayme Kushman pleaded guilty to five counts of child abuse and was sentenced Thursday to 15 years. Jaime Kay Sena pleaded no contest to four counts of child abuse and received a six-year sentence earlier this month. Prosecutors said authorities uncovered security footage that showed the children being starved, beaten and chained up for long periods of time.
TEXICO, N.M. (AP) — Two women in eastern New Mexico will be spending years behind bars after reaching plea agreements in a case in which they were accused of beating children in their care and chaining them to their beds, prosecutors said.
The case stemmed from an investigation that started in 2022 when state child welfare workers received a tip about children being locked in cages. New Mexico State Police served search warrants at a Texico home near the Texas border and found six children, ranging in age from 5 to 16, living in unsanitary conditions with the two women.
Authorities uncovered three days of security footage that showed the children being starved, beaten and chained up for long periods of time, District Attorney Quentin Ray said in a statement.
During the court proceedings, prosecutors played segments of video showing some of the abuse. They also said a child was chained to his bed for 14 consecutive hours with no food, water or access to go to the bathroom.
The children included Sena's kids, Kushman's family members and at least one foster child.
Kushman, 38, on Thursday pleaded guilty to five counts of child abuse and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jaime Kay Sena, 30, pleaded no contest earlier this month to four counts of child abuse and was sentenced to six years in prison.
State District Judge Drew Tatum said it was among the most inhumane cases he's seen but that "these children will overcome this as they get treatment and therapy."
The district attorney's office said a third defendant, Lora Melancon, is expected to plead guilty to two counts of child abuse on Monday as part of a plea agreement.