Left to right: Kayla Smith, Brian Smith (Fayette County Detention Center).
Kayla Smith and Brian Smith, both 32, are being held at the Fayette County Detention Center. Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show each faces six counts of first-degree criminal abuse involving a child age 12 or younger.
Both defendants have signed guilty plea offers tied to the indictments, Lexington Fox affiliate WDKY reported.
The investigation began Jan. 30 after child services workers received an abuse report. According to authorities, two children later placed in foster care said their parents punished them by shutting them inside a dog cage or locking them in a room for extended periods — sometimes for hours, sometimes for days — without food.
The children also told investigators they were burned with lit cigarettes on multiple occasions. A Lexington Metro Police Department investigator who interviewed the alleged victims reportedly observed scars consistent with those claims.
The kids also reportedly stated that the defendants would burn them with lit cigarettes on multiple occasions. An investigator with the Lexington Metro Police Department spoke with the victims and saw scars on them apparently from the burns.
One child told investigators that he would fall asleep in the dog cage “to pass the time,” per court documents obtained by area CBS and The CW affiliate WKYT. He said he would be let out of the cage to use the bathroom but then immediately placed back inside when he was done.
Authorities said the abuse lasted for about 2 1/2 years. Jail records state Kayla Smith was arrested on Feb. 3 and Brian Smith was arrested the following day.
The plea offers were made to the defendants on May 27, according to WDKY.
Law&Crime reached out to the Fayette County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for more information on the status of the cases.
Another status hearing in the defendants’ cases has been set for Aug. 28. Brian Smith and Kayla Smith remain in the Fayette County Detention Center on $75,000 bond each.
