‘Heinous’ condition of 12-year-old boy leads to mother’s arrest

TOQUERVILLE – A woman was arrested Monday in a case of alleged child abuse that has been called “heinous” and “like something out of a horror movie.”

Medical staff at Dixie Regional Medical Center contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office concerning a case of suspected child abuse after a man brought his emaciated 12-year-old son to the hospital Sunday, Jan. 8.

The boy weighed only 30 pounds and was the worst case of child malnutrition the doctors said they had ever seen, Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. David Crouse said Tuesday.

“He looked like one of those children who had been held in a concentration camp,” Crouse said as he described the boy’s physical condition. “Skin and bones and only weighing 30 pounds.”

Brandy K. Jaynes, of Toquerville, Utah, bookings photo from Jan. 9, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, St. George News
Brandy K. Jaynes, of Toquerville, Utah, booking photo from Jan. 9, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Deputies spoke to the father and also to the boy and were made aware of the boy’s living conditions at home.

“I’ve seen the photos and I wish I could unsee them,” Crouse said.

The father found the boy locked in a filthy, feces-covered upstairs bathroom in the dark, according to a probable cause statement connected with the arrest of 36-year-old Brandy Jaynes, the boy’s mother. The father took the boy from the home and took him to the hospital.

Deputies obtained a warrant to search the Toquerville home and found a bathroom that had feces and a blanket on the floor and empty cans of beans inside. The bathroom’s toilet was also described as having more fecal matter in it than visible water. There was also a video camera with a baby monitor taped to it inside the bathroom.

A large of amount of tape also covered the light switches in the bathroom, Crouse said, and there were two latches on the door to lock it from the outside.

From what investigators gathered while interviewing the boy’s two siblings, who were seemingly treated in a normal fashion, Crouse said, the boy was living in the bathroom for a year if not longer.

The siblings also said they hadn’t spoken to their brother through the bathroom door in six months, according to what Crouse told the Associated Press. He declined to give their ages, but said one was old enough to understand things.

According to the probable cause statement, Jaynes told deputies that her son wanted to live in the bathroom. She also said she would lock the boy in the bathroom for his safety when she left the house. She also attempted to give him protein shakes to get his weight back up.

“This is something out of the makings of a horror film,” Crouse said. “It’s like one of the more heinous captivity stories I’ve ever been told.”

Crouse, who said he has seen many crazy and gory things during his time in law enforcement, said Tuesday he has never seen anything like this before.

He also said those involved in the case when it first started worked non-stop until they were satisfied the children were safe.

The 12-year-old boy is expected to be recovering in the hospital for around three weeks or so and his siblings have been placed in the custody of family members.

The father of the 12-year-old boy appears to be separated from Jaynes, Crouse said, and is cooperating with authorities.

Jaynes is currently in the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility and has been charged with a second-degree felony for child abuse, intentionally inflicting serious physical injury. New charges may be added as the case moves forward. Her bail currently stands at $30,000.

“Behavior like that just can’t be explained,” Crouse said. “It’s horrible.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

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24 Comments

  • Willie January 10, 2017 at 10:20 pm

    You rekon we could bump her bail up a bit higher. It seems like if you are trying to murder a child by a year of sustained torture, it should be a tad higher. Maybe it is just me.

  • sagemoon January 11, 2017 at 8:40 am

    Scumbag

  • theone January 11, 2017 at 9:25 am

    Why did it take a year or longer for daddy to realize something was wrong?

  • Faye January 11, 2017 at 10:21 am

    The judge in this case needs to be named and shamed for having such a low bail. Does he not have a heart for children??? This woman needs to get at least 20 years for what she did too. Sick Sick Sick Druggie Im sure. I pray to god she never gets those children back.

  • isitfatigue January 11, 2017 at 11:26 am

    Find a good home for the kids. Then starve the mother as much as possible for as long as possible, give her her last meal of beans in a can and hang her.

    • radioviking January 12, 2017 at 8:03 am

      I personally agree with your sentiments! However, due to the fact that we are Americans who support the US constitution, please remember that the supreme law calls for no “cruel and unusual punishment”, etc. I know, disappointing in cases like this – when you and I would love to see a psycho mom get her own medicine. But we must stand by “the law”. Leave it to the Muslims in Saudi Arabia to do “cruel and unusual punishment” through their obedience to the Quran and sharia. We must be above that at the end of the day.

  • comments January 11, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    It’s disgusting and creatures like this shouldn’t even be allowed to procreate. At that level of starvation the child will probably not ever have proper growth, and may deal with chronic health issues the rest of his life. The libertarians will tell you that parents should be able to raise their kids how they want and gov’t should butt-out.

    • .... January 12, 2017 at 2:21 am

      LOL ! This is funny Bob is nothing but a hateful bigot and makes ignorant and derogatory comments about people for being religious and he makes comments about how disgusting this lady is LOL ! Yeah you tell’em Bob !.

    • sagemoon January 12, 2017 at 9:50 am

      Seriously? You don’t understand Libertarianism. I am Libertarian and I do believe parents should be able to raise their kids how they want UNLESS it infringes on the child’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious this child had no life, no liberty, and was likely not happy. Therefore, government did have a right to interfere. Why the hate against Libertarians?

      • comments January 12, 2017 at 11:43 am

        Libertarians don’t believe in social services. If you do you’re not a libertarian

        • sagemoon January 12, 2017 at 12:14 pm

          Libertarians do believe in upholding the constitution which makes this situation a legal issue. As a Libertarian, I hope the boy is placed with sane family rather than becoming a ward of the state.

  • Cheryl January 11, 2017 at 3:31 pm

    Clearly this woman had mental health issues and only God can deal with her in the end but doesn’t it leave to wonder why nobody else spoke up or asked? All it takes for a good world to go bad is for good people to say nothing. I hope she gets the help she needs and the boy too, which undoubtedly will take many years.

    • comments January 12, 2017 at 11:48 am

      As a community of libertarians they probably found it best to mind their own business.

  • Mike January 11, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    The video interview of Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. David Crouse was filled with compassion for both this poor child and his deputies who had to deal with this horrid situation and work through the night to make sure the other children were safe and the woman was in custody. Thank you Lieutenant and thank you deputies.

  • radioviking January 12, 2017 at 8:07 am

    Something at this magnitude can happen in a holy community of the LDS people without ANY “revelation” from a “home teacher”, bishop, stake president, or “stake patriarch”? Really? If ‘modern revelation’ of the Mormon leaders can not spare a boy from such cruel and morbid abuse, what good is it? Did God not care?
    .
    Or….is the Mormon church (or any of the other “Christians” of the community) not of God? Hmmm. God is silent?

    • sagemoon January 12, 2017 at 9:51 am

      I wonder if this family was religious and, if so, which religion they practiced or failed to practice?

      • radioviking January 12, 2017 at 10:55 am

        Either way, was the God of Christianity and/or Mormonism – or whatever religion! – was God just staying silent on this one? This is the dilemma of pain and suffering existing in a world in which the dominant religious cultures preach an ALL-POWERFUL, ALL-LOVING, and ALL-KNOWING GOD. This is simply one of billions of examples that gives strong evidence against the mainstream ideas of who/what “GOD” is.
        .
        Seriously think about neighbors! Use your brain. Where was God in this case? Where was God in so many other cases of innocent children suffering? – Not to mention other cases of needless human, animal suffering throughout human history…etc.

        • comments January 12, 2017 at 11:55 am

          You sound like a militant atheist. Sometimes people need to believe in gods & fairy tales to help them cope with how evil humanity can be. People can be just as evil with or without a god. Just is what it is.

          • radioviking January 12, 2017 at 5:13 pm

            I never said I don’t believe in any God, gods, or forms of theism. I simply protest the majority culture of this area: Mormon (LDS) claims to divinity – especially when cases like this happen – and Christians who claim to follow Jesus, but show no ‘signs’ of being Christian (ie, miracles Jesus said would follow those who follow God, one was clairvoyance as demonstrated by the bible verses about Peter reading other men’s hearts and minds and Paul being guided by angels, etc. but where were the angels?).
            .
            I am simply tired of deception. Times like this one wonders what all the big church claims are good for.

    • comments January 12, 2017 at 11:47 am

      LDS only come around if you’re a paying member. Religions had no part in this tho.

      • radioviking January 12, 2017 at 1:34 pm

        Exactly my point. Looks like God wasn’t (isn’t) working through anyone to prevent these kinds of situations, or protect children from such horrible cases. How many children are exploited, raped, abused, etc. EVERYDAY – all over the world (just look into the sad facts behind global slavery: human trafficking, etc.) – but NONE of the religions are hearing a revelation from their ‘God’ (Mormons, Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc.), no religion is much good in a case like these. So what is the point of having a church like the LDS (Mormons) who claim revelation from God, when they obviously had no revelations from their God to save even one child from such traumatic events. If this boy lives, he will be emotionally scarred for life. etc. etc.
        .
        Why doesn’t the LDS prophet, Thomas S. Monson get a revelation from God so we can save ALL the innocent children from the global epidemic of human trafficking (not to mention all the other needs in the world for revelation)? Hmmm. Is God sleeping? Is He too busy? Is He not concerned? ….*crickets chirping* *silence…..
        .
        C’mon! Wake up!
        Namaste, my friends.

        • ladybugavenger January 12, 2017 at 7:28 pm

          Throw religion in the trash.

  • Thecadean January 12, 2017 at 12:46 pm

    Utah should lock up and throw the key away on this mother. But given Utah courts she’ll be out in 2 weeks and have another kid or two

  • Grace January 13, 2017 at 8:35 pm

    Thanks to the media outlets for tactful. & thoughtful reporting & for broadcasting to large audiences how we can help. Thanks to all the officers, social workers & health care givers who have attended to this dear child’s needs & rescued him from such a heart wrenching situation! This sad story has grabbed the attention of more than 50K who are commenting and thousands more across the nation who are keeping him their thoughts and prayers. I do thank God for his mercy and knowing the boy is now safe. I pray he has nothing but brighter days and healing ahead. He will remain in my prayers as I pray for love and peace to enfold & strengthen him.

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