A young Arkansas girl who was reportedly zip-tied to furniture and repeatedly beaten by her mother's live-in boyfriend has been taken into state custody.
Police in Hot Springs arrested mother-of-six Jennifer Denen, 30, and her boyfriend Clarence Reed, 47, on Friday after an examination of the girl found that she was covered in bruises and scars and had dried blood in her mouth.
When the four-year-old was asked by authorities to give her name, she replied 'Idiot'.
The Sentinel-Record obtained the police report in the case which described the young girl's injuries in detail.
They include 'deep purple bruising on her bottom, lower back and legs; a black eye; swollen right cheek; a bruise on her forehead; healing scars across her back; and dried blood in the corner of her mouth'.
There were also ligature marks on her wrist from when she was reportedly tied to the bed and a chair in the home.
Denen and Reed, who were with the child, were both arrested and booked on charges of first-degree domestic battery, permitting abuse of a minor and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.
They both face up to 32 years behind bars if convicted on all three counts.
Denen told police when brought in for questions that she had seen Reed hit the child on the behind with a plastic bat. She said that she did not seek medical attention for the young girl's injuries at any point.
Reed meanwhile said that he hit the girl with a wooden paddle and admitted to zip-tying her to the bed after he found her climbing into the cupboards in their home.
The examination of the girl also found that she appeared to be malnourished. Reed also admitted to calling the girl 'Idiot' but said it was a joke.
The couple is being held on $500,000 bond and are due in court on August 23.
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