Inset left to right: Susan Robinson, Tonya McKnight, and Tery’n McKnight (Mecklenburg County Sheriff Office). Background: The North Carolina home where 6-year-old Dominique Moody was severely abused and killed (Google Maps).
In North Carolina, authorities have charged three women with murder following the tragic death of a 6-year-old girl, a case that has highlighted severe child abuse and torture. The incident has drawn attention in the Tar Heel State.
This week, Susan Robinson, 61, Tonya McKnight, 51, and Tery’n McKnight, 22, were formally accused of first-degree murder in connection to the death of young Dominique Moody on December 16, 2025. The charges come months after the child’s untimely passing.
Initially, the three women were detained late last year, facing charges of intentional child abuse leading to serious injury, alongside four counts of misdemeanor child abuse. The arrests spanned several days as authorities gathered evidence.
The tragic chain of events began when police responded to a call reporting that the girl was unresponsive, as detailed in an affidavit for criminal charges accessed by Law&Crime. Despite efforts, Dominique was soon declared deceased.
The charging document painted a grim picture, noting the child’s unkempt hair, nails, and body, along with multiple open wounds and scars at various healing stages. This indicated a prolonged period of suffering.
Investigators allege that Tonya McKnight subjected the child to horrific treatment, including binding her with duct tape and plastic wrap—a form of abuse reportedly captured in cellphone photos. The young girl was allegedly deprived of food for over a year as a form of punishment for actions such as eating household food, according to police reports.
Many allegations are sourced to Robinson.
The charging document reads, at length:
She suggested that Dominique Moody is forced to watch them eat, and Tonya McKnight does not feed her every day, even though the house has plenty of food. She also advised that Dominique Moody is forced to sit in her soiled, urine and feces-filled diaper for days and days. This caused the extreme rash on Dominique’s genitals and buttocks. This abuse/neglect was reported to have occurred for approximately 1.5 years.
At the time of her death, Dominique only weighed 27 pounds.
The girl had also been “forced to stay in a dog crate in the living room” before staying on “the feces-filled bathroom floor,” police said.
The oldest defendant, along with the youngest – who is Tonya McKnight’s daughter – are both accused of “failure to take any action to remedy the problems caused by Tonya McKnight.” All three woman lived in the house on Gwynne Hill Road in Charlotte along with four other children between the ages of 5, 4, 2, and 1, authorities say. The placement and condition of the other children is not yet a matter of public record.
“The unkempt and inhospitable state of the residence, the children residing amongst rats and cockroaches, the children being bitten by rats, the residence’s daily lack of heat, and the duct taping are well known to all three individuals,” the affidavit alleges.
It was also cold in the house.
According to police, the oven in the kitchen, a space heater in the living room and a space heater in a bedroom were the only sources of heat for the children. The space heater in the living room sat on a concrete block on the floor, pointed toward a cot in front of a couch.
“The low temperature during overnight hours was 20 degrees,” the affidavit reads.
Some of the other children said Dominque was placed in front of the stove to warm her up “and bring her back to life,” according to court documents obtained by Charlotte-based CBS affiliate WBTV.
Robinson and Tonya McKnight also allegedly exchanged messages after Dominique’s death, acknowledging they were “in trouble” and needed to clean up the house, according to another affidavit filed in the case and obtained by Charlotte-based NBC affiliate WCNC.
“The victim was extremely small,” one affidavit reads. “She had a healed ligature mark going all the way around her right ankle and linear healed scars on top of her right arm. On top of her right foot and outer right leg were healed circular scars. The victim had an open circular wound on the outer left ankle, which appeared to be a burn. She had various minor open wounds on her knees, face, arms, and legs.”
An examination of Dominique’s body showed a “fracture to the right pinky toe, which was older and healed,” according to police. She also had multiple lower rib fractures on both sides of her body.
On Thursday, Mecklenburg District Court Judge Cecilia Oseguera denied bond for all three women. They are being detained in the Mecklenburg County Jail.
