Four girls were physically and sexually abused by their mother, Tiffany Walsh, and her boyfriend Jordan Otis. The girls were homeschooled.
The girls had different fathers; their mother had custody. “Walsh and her children began living with Otis in Mt. Sterling[, Kentucky around 2012], and left Kentucky to live in several states, until they returned to live in Hazard[, Kentucky] in March 2017.” Neither Walsh nor Otis was gainfully employed and Otis stayed home with the girls all day to homeschool them. He had them complete writing assignments for a few hours per day; then he forced them to create handmade goods and sell them door-to-door for approximately six hours per day, under threat of violence if they did not make their daily quota. Between March and May 2017, Otis “made the victims do excessive physical exercise, eat food condiments that made them sick, sprayed them with bleach,” beat them with wooden rods and coat hangers, locked them in closets, and sexually abused them. In another state, he forcibly tattooed three of the girls. The punishments were drawn from a “punishment jar”. Walsh was aware of and allowed the abuse and benefited from the forced labor.
The abuse came to light in May 2017, when the girls tried to sell their merchandise at a house that served as a children’s advocacy center. The employees were concerned and reported the girls’ activities to the authorities. Walsh pleaded guilty in federal court to forced labor and has been charged by the state with more than 100 counts of child abuse. Otis was charged with more than 100 counts of child abuse.
Date: May 2017
Location: Hazard, Kentucky
>
