A Florida couple has been arrested and charged with child neglect after authorities said four children were kept inside the cab of a tractor-trailer for nearly seven years, with little opportunity to bathe, use a proper restroom or spend time outside.
The suspects were identified as 51-year-old Keisha Epps and her 37-year-old fiancé, Tamra Marshon Stewart.
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According to court documents, the children had reportedly been living with the couple inside the truck cab since December 2019 while Epps worked as a truck driver.
Investigators said the children had gone for years without proper bathing and had not taken a shower for about five years. They were also reportedly denied regular opportunities to exercise or spend time outside the vehicle.
The children were allegedly poorly fed and did not receive proper medical or dental care.
Court records further stated that the prolonged confinement affected the children’s physical condition, with investigators saying they developed an unnatural walking pattern.
During an interview with investigators, one of the children reportedly recalled suffering a serious burn after being injured by cooked noodles.
The child said:
“There were alot of blood”
According to the report, the child was not taken to receive medical treatment after the incident and was left with a permanent scar.
The children reportedly told investigators that Stewart would look after them while Epps slept, showered or drove the truck.
Children Reportedly Witnessed Abuse
The children also made disturbing claims about what they witnessed inside the truck.
According to their statements, they reportedly witnessed Stewart sexually abusing Epps. When the children confronted him about the behaviour, they said Stewart responded by punching them in the head.
One of the children was also reportedly found to have an untreated sexually transmitted infection.
The four children reportedly shared a single bunk inside the truck cab. Court records said the space was so small that they had to sleep “curled up side by side because they could not fit.”
Couple Arrested
Epps and Stewart were arrested on August 6, 2026, according to a heavily redacted report filed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Both suspects were charged with four counts of child neglect, with one count relating to each child.
Each charge is a third-degree felony carrying a possible sentence of up to five years in prison, up to five years of probation and a fine of up to $5,000.
Investigators said their conduct amounted to a “committed, willful failure or omission to provide a child with the care, supervision, and services necessary to maintain the child’s physical and mental health, including but not limited to, food, nutrition, clothing, shelter, supervision, medicine and medical services that a prudent person would consider essential to the wellbeing of the child.”