Insets: Air Force Lt. Col. Steven Haynes and Susan Haynes. Background: The Enid, Oklahoma, home where the Hayneses allegedly made their 9-year-old daughter live in a closet (KFOR).
An Air Force lieutenant colonel and his wife in Oklahoma allegedly confined their malnourished 9-year-old adopted daughter to a closet, made her wear bells so they could track her movements and called her “Jingle Bells.”
Lt. Col. Steven Haynes and Susan Haynes have been charged with child neglect, according to court records.
The girl weighed only 39 pounds, according to an arrest report obtained by local NBC affiliate KFOR. Investigators said that weight is typical for a child about five years younger.
Department of Human Services investigators reportedly discovered that the girl had been living in a closet at the family’s Enid home. She slept on a cot with a blanket but no pillow, and a bucket inside the closet served as her toilet, police said.
According to the affidavit, the girl was so hungry that she sometimes ate dog food.
The Hayneses allegedly told investigators that the child had an eating disorder. When asked why they had not sought medical or psychological care, Susan Haynes reportedly said she did not believe a doctor or counseling would help.
Investigators also said the couple referred to the girl as “Jingle Bells” because bells were placed around her neck, wrists and legs. The bells allegedly allowed the adults to hear where she was whenever she moved through the house.
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The girl was also reportedly forced to take cold showers at times.
This was not the first time DHS had been alerted to concerns about the child’s treatment. School officials reportedly contacted the agency when the girl was in pre-kindergarten after noticing that she appeared malnourished and tried to take food from other children. The Hayneses then removed her from school and began homeschooling her.
The latest allegations came to light after the girl spoke with DHS investigators and described the alleged abuse as if it were an ordinary part of her life.
Police arrested the couple and booked them into the Garfield County Jail. They have since posted $10,000 bonds, and their next court appearances are scheduled for Oct. 5.
Steven Haynes, a 19-year Air Force veteran, works as a flight instructor at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, located roughly 80 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, the Air Force said in a statement to KFOR.
KFOR also reported that Haynes was among nine airmen who sued after refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, arguing that it contained “unclean things forbidden by God.”
The post Air Force lieutenant colonel, wife allegedly underfed 9-year-old adopted daughter and kept her in closet, calling her “Jingle Bells” because bells alerted them to her movements: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
