CHARLOTTE, NC – Authorities in Charlotte have charged three women in connection with the death of a 6-year-old girl, months after a shocking investigation revealed a harrowing case of alleged abuse, neglect, and torture in a Gwynne Hill Road home.
Susan Robinson, 61, Tonya McKnight, 51, and Tery’n McKnight, 22, now face first-degree murder charges following the December 16 death of Dominique Moody. The child’s passing has drawn attention for its disturbing details and the apparent duration of the suffering she endured.
Officers were summoned to the residence early on December 16 when Dominique was discovered unresponsive. Emergency personnel soon pronounced her dead. What investigators found at the scene and in subsequent inquiries would become the basis for a string of grave allegations.
Authorities detailed devastating evidence of prolonged abuse, describing Dominique as severely underweight at just 27 pounds. Examinations found the child had lived in squalor, marred by open wounds, scars in different stages of healing, and signs of malnutrition. Court records state that Dominique’s hair, nails, and skin were dirty despite the house having sufficient food supplies.
Law enforcement officials have accused Tonya McKnight of binding Dominique with duct tape and plastic wrap, acts reportedly captured in cellphone images. Investigators allege the girl was intentionally starved over an extended period — sometimes forced to watch others eat while she went hungry, and at times required to sit for days in soiled diapers, which led to painful rashes.
According to police affidavits, Dominique was at times kept in a dog crate and later confined to a bathroom floor contaminated with feces. The indictment suggests that this disturbing pattern of abuse persisted for nearly 18 months. The home, where seven children lived, was characterized as unkempt and infested, with rats and cockroaches sharing space with the children.
All three women are accused of either perpetrating the abuse or failing to intervene, despite being aware of the appalling conditions. Investigators say only limited heating was available during the cold winter, with the home relying on an oven and a couple of space heaters to fend off frigid temperatures that dropped as low as 20 degrees overnight.
Court documents indicate some of the younger children told investigators that Dominique would sometimes be placed in front of the stove in an attempt to warm her when hypothermia was suspected. The full extent of the conditions experienced by the remaining four children, who range in age from one to five, has not been made public.
Following Dominique’s death, detectives reportedly uncovered messages exchanged between Robinson and Tonya McKnight in which they discussed the predicament they faced and the need to clean up their living environment. Additional injuries found on Dominique included healed ligature marks, fractures, burns, and a number of older and fresh wounds, painting a picture of repeated harm.
Bond was denied for the three women at a Thursday court appearance. All remain in custody in Mecklenburg County Jail as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances leading up to Dominique’s death and the wellbeing of the other children from the home.