Couple Arrested for Forcing Child to Drink Toilet Water, Police Say

A Tennessee couple is facing child abuse charges after they allegedly forced a 9-year-old girl to drink toilet water.

Jesse Piatt and Trish Piatt were arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect after it was discovered that a 9-year-old girl living in their Millington, Tennessee home was forced to sleep in the bathtub, eat in the bathroom, and drink toilet water, Eyewitness News reports.

According to reports, the 9-year-old girl lived in the home with her father, stepmother, stepbrother and stepsister at the time of the alleged abuse and neglect. A next door neighbor reported that the girl was noticeably treated differently than her stepsiblings.

“When they moved in, shortly after, our kids became friends with theirs. The youngest sibling she never came over. She was always doing yard work. She was out in the yard sometimes late at night,” the neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told the local news station.

The woman went on to claim that Trish stated that it was punishment for bad behavior. Trish also reportedly told neighbors that the girl had emotional issues.

Authorities began investigating the case after the 9-year-old stole food from her teacher at Millington Elementary School. She reportedly then began revealing details of her life, including that she had to sleep in a bathtub, eat in a bathroom, and drink toilet water. She also reportedly told investigators that she slept in a storage house located in the back of the main house without a blanket or heat and that Trish had pushed her down and broke her arm.

After being examined by doctors, it was reported that the child, who was thin, wore “ill-fitting” clothes, had a shaved spot on her head and showed signs of nutritional neglect, physical abuse and child abuse.

Her father Jesse told authorities that his daughter had a medical condition and the family was seeking help.