A Missouri woman faces serious charges after allegedly subjecting a juvenile to physical abuse and starvation as punishment, authorities say. The mother, Breashia Jwantae Grant, was arrested last Friday, accused of whipping the child with a phone charging cord and denying them food for extended periods.

Grant is now facing charges of felony first-degree child endangerment and felony third-degree domestic assault, as indicated by court documents. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a “suspicious incident” around noon on Friday in the 5600 block of North Rocky Fork Drive. Concerned neighbors alerted authorities after noticing a young child attempting to hide whenever vehicles passed by.

Upon arrival, law enforcement officers discovered the child, who revealed they had run away due to ongoing physical abuse. The affidavit did not disclose the child’s name or age to protect their identity.

According to the affidavit, the victim reported that Breashia Grant had struck them on the arm more than ten times with a phone charging cable prior to their escape. The child was wearing a long-sleeved shirt at the time but showed deputies their left arm, which displayed fresh red swelling.

The injuries were described as “thin” marks, either in a swirling pattern or straight lines, with varying stages of healing, including scars and scabs. The child’s hand also bore similar scars, suggesting a pattern of repeated abuse over time.

The child said they were wearing a long-sleeved shirt during the beating, then rolled up the sleeve, revealing a left arm that was “covered in fresh red swelling,” per the deputy. The marks were described as “thin” and were either in “a swirling pattern” or were “straight, along with what appeared to be varying levels of injuries that were either scarred or scabbing.” The child’s hand also appeared to be covered in “similar scarring,” all of which appeared to have accumulated over time and multiple instances of abuse.

When asked why there was far more scarring on the victim’s left arm than their right arm, the child demonstrated how they would lift their left arm up “to block Breashia [Grant]” during physical attacks. The most recent injuries came from Grant “striking [the child] with the phone charging cable,” which the victim said was “an ongoing problem.”

“[The victim informed us the day prior Breashia [Grant] hit [them] with the cord, pushed [them] to the ground, kicked [them] in the ribs multiple times and punched [them] the head with a closed fist,” the affidavit says.

In addition to the alleged physical abuse, the victim told police that Grant “had been using food as a form of punishment,” claiming that “two weeks ago, [the victim] was not allowed food for five days, and at the beginning of this week, [they] were not allowed food for two days in a row.”

Grant is currently being held in the Boone County Jail without bond. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to make her next court appearance.