Missouri Couple Charged With Kidnapping, Severe Abuse of Two Teens

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri has arrested Potosi residents Chantel Spring Hayford, 38, and Jerry Allen Menees on a slate of serious felony charges after two teenagers, ages 13 and 14, reported prolonged abuse that allegedly included being locked in a chicken pen and shot at with BB guns. Court records say the investigation began when the Division of Family Services alerted deputies, leading to a search warrant and detailed statements from the teens that they were confined in a fastened pen, threatened with a handgun and other firearms if they spoke about the abuse, and forced into "fight nights" where they had to fight each other. Prosecutors have charged Menees with counts including first-degree kidnapping, armed criminal action, child endangerment, child abuse and unlawful use of a weapon, while Hayford faces first-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual abuse, multiple child endangerment and abuse counts, and first-degree domestic assault; both are being held without bond. The probable cause statement also alleges the children were severely underweight, not enrolled in school, unable to read or write, and that their mother agreed to transfer custody to an adult guardian in exchange for a cellphone and phone plan, a transaction authorities say underpins trafficking-related charges documented through a power of attorney. The sheriff’s office says the case remains under active investigation with assistance from the local Child Advocacy Center and the Washington County Division of Family Services, highlighting ongoing concerns about missed warning signs and the role of state systems in uncovering and responding to extreme child abuse.