Inset: Susan Robinson (Mecklenburg County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The North Carolina home where 6-year-old Dominique Moody was severely abused and killed (Google Maps).
In a deeply disturbing case from North Carolina, a court-appointed guardian is facing grave accusations of deadly abuse against a young child entrusted to her care. Authorities allege that the guardian, along with two other adults, subjected a 6-year-old girl to horrific mistreatment, which included starving her and confining her in a dog crate as a form of punishment. This brutal treatment, according to police reports, extended over a year and was purportedly for infractions as minor as eating.
Susan Robinson, aged 61, was taken into custody on Saturday and is now charged with intentional child abuse resulting in serious physical injury, along with four misdemeanor child abuse charges. Meanwhile, the other adults implicated in this tragic situation, Tonya McKnight and Tery’n McKnight, are currently sought by law enforcement.
The trio, according to investigators, lived under deplorable conditions with a total of five children in the Mecklenburg County residence. Dominique Moody, the young victim, tragically passed away earlier this month. Medical professionals reported her weight at just 27 pounds, a detail documented in an arrest affidavit. The other children in the household are aged 5, 4, 2, and 1.
The affidavit paints a grim picture, stating, “Tery’n McKnight, Susan Robinson, and Tonya McKnight…are the primary caregivers.” It further describes the residence as being in a state of severe neglect, infested with rats and cockroaches, and lacking basic necessities like heat. The children, at times, reportedly suffered rat bites, and were subjected to inhumane punishments involving duct tape.
Photographic evidence retrieved from a suspect’s phone allegedly shows young Dominique bound with black duct tape, her limbs swollen, lying on the living room floor shortly before her demise. The affidavit details a harrowing account of her enduring abuse over approximately 18 months. This included being forced to observe others eat while she remained in a filthy diaper, leading to severe rashes. Upon examination, Dominique was found with multiple serious injuries, including broken bones, scars, and burns, in addition to a severe rash.
Robinson and the others allegedly abused Dominique for approximately a year and a half, doing things like forcing her to watch them eat as she sat in a “soiled, urine and feces-filled diaper for days and days,” the affidavit says. The girl had an “extreme rash” because of this and was found to have multiple serious injuries, including wounds from the rash, broken bones, scars, and burns, according to police.
“The victim was extremely small,” the affidavit says. “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.
“These fractures were newer, but in various states of healing,” the affidavit says.
“Susan advised that she has seen Dominique Moody, duct taped, left without food, in soiled diapers, for days, and refused to assist, call 911, or report that abuse and neglect,” the document adds. “The residence was cluttered, and numerous rats were scurrying through it. The residence had a mixture of animal and human feces throughout.”
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 towards a cot in front of a couch.
“The low temperature during overnight hours was 20 degrees,” the affidavit says.
Robinson was court-appointed by the Department of Social Services, which did not respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment Monday. She was ordered held without bail on Monday and is due back in court on Jan. 9, 2026.
