SAN ANTONIO — A couple is facing charges in Texas after investigators said they abused their daughter for years until she managed to escape.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a news conference Wednesday that Christopher and Ashley Thomley were arrested after their daughter escaped from their home and told officers a story that the sheriff described as “infuriating, sickening, just beyond comprehension.”
Salazar said the investigation began when staff at an Amazon fulfillment center called 911 to report a small child running across the highway. When deputies located the girl, they determined that she was 13 years old, despite some people mistaking her for a toddler, KABB reported.
When the girl spoke to deputies, she revealed that she had been sexually abused on a regular basis for the last four to six years.
“The story she told was nothing short of heartbreaking,” Salazar said.
Investigators said that when they searched the home, they found fixed surveillance cameras. A review of the video revealed a video where the suspects, described as “nonchalant,” prepared a drink for the young girl.
Salazar described the drink as a “milkshake,” comprising of ice cream and approximately half a bottle of “a very strong cough suppressant that most of us would take to get a good night’s sleep.” Salazar said Christopher could be heard commenting on the video, “Shoot, we forgot the oxycodone.”
“That tells me that not only was this half a bottle of cough suppressant on this little tiny body enough for these depraved maniacs, they were lamenting the fact that they didn’t have the other prescription medication they were going to give her as part of this cocktail,” Salazar said.
Christopher Thomley was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child, KSAT reported. Ashley Thomley was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Investigators said more charges may be filed.