GOODYEAR — Two caregivers were arrested Tuesday after school staff reported that a child in their care was severely underweight and injured, Goodyear police said.
Kebrina Hussain, 30, and Ezekiel Hussain, 29, were booked into jail on felony child abuse charges involving an 8-year-old and a 7-year-old, according to KTAR News and Arizona’s Family. Bond was set at $25,000 each.
Police said the investigation began Aug. 3, when school workers noticed one child’s significant weight loss, extreme thinness, bruises on the face and a lip injury.
Medical exams documented malnutrition and injuries to the bottom of the child’s foot, and doctors found no medical explanation for the weight loss, police said. The child gained weight after receiving adequate meals.
In a forensic interview, the child described being denied regular meals, punched, slapped and repeatedly struck on the bottom of the foot with a metal object, investigators said. Detectives later learned of allegations that the pair abused another child in their care.
“School personnel’s decision to speak up brought these concerns to law enforcement’s attention,” Goodyear Police Sgt. Mayra Reeson said in an email to Arizona’s Family.
The charges are allegations, and the Hussains are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Sources: KTAR News, Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Designism / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
