A 53-year-old woman from Oklahoma has been apprehended on allegations of drugging her grandchildren and confining them in a dog cage whenever she left the house. Davena Dian Marx was arrested last month and faces charges of child abuse and neglect, according to court documents reviewed by Law&Crime.

The case against Marx was initiated last year after officers from the Warr Acres Police Department, along with a social worker from the Oklahoma Department of Health Services, responded to a report in March 2024 about suspected child abuse at Marx’s residence, as reported by Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV reported.

Soon after officials arrived at the location, Marx’s granddaughter, who was 8 years old at the time, reportedly sent a text to the social worker stating: “She is mean to us she is very abusive.”

The children were then separated from Marx, which is when the granddaughter reportedly said to authorities: “Memaw sells drugs and uses them.”

“She makes us stay in the dog cage when she wants to go outside by herself,” the child allegedly added.

The children were transported to a Safe Clinic where they underwent medical exams and forensic interviews about the ordeal. Doctors reportedly said the granddaughter had bruising on her back that was consistent with being whipped with a belt.

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During the forensic interview, the children reportedly claimed that Marx physically and emotionally abused them, making them do calisthenic exercises until their limbs gave out.

Marx’s grandson, then age 10, allegedly told police that his grandmother would regularly give him prescription drugs that were not meant for him. While Marx denied giving the boy any drugs, Warr Acres Assistant Police Chief Jason Allen told KWTV that the child tested positive for Seroquel, a sleep-inducing antipsychotic drug allegedly prescribed to Marx.

Neighbors, who said that Marx was still hoping to regain custody of the children after they were taken away last year, reportedly told police that Marx was verbally abusive to the kids, referring to them as “worthless” and “little bastards.” Other reports from neighbors included allegedly seeing the children with bruised faces and dumpster-diving for food scraps. At least one neighbor also allegedly claimed to have seen the children crying while locked in a cage meant for a large dog.

One of the neighbors reportedly said that Marx first gained legal custody of the children after their father, Devyn Wayne Hinkle, who was Marx’s son, died in 2022. According to a GoFundMe page, Hinkle was shot at about 2:35 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2022, during a road rage incident.

Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR reported that the 31-year-old Hinkle was driving a red pickup truck near Northwest 10th Street and Meridian Avenue when he was gunned down by Kasey McConville. Authorities found him lying in the street next to his truck and rushed him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

McConville was reportedly driving a “hearse-like” vehicle adorned with a Christmas wreath hanging from the side. Several witnesses provided consistent accounts of the shooting to police and he was arrested later that day. He was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2024, records show. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.