How 29 abuse calls stacked up against parents before Mountain Home police intervened
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — KOLR 10 Investigates is following up on the horrific case of child abuse where police in Mountain Home say they found a teen locked in a bathroom without food or clothes on Saturday.
The teen's mother Jaclyn Barnett and stepfather Daniel Wright are facing more than 100 felony charges for wrongful imprisonment.
Arkansas couple charged after 15-year-old found locked naked in bathroom
Investigators say the signs of abuse may have been visible for years. KOLR 10 Investigates is looking into how 29 hotline calls stacked up against the family before police got involved.
A decade of documentation
Court documents we obtained show those hotline calls were made over the course of a decade beginning in 2013. Those calls are handled by the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Police say records show state workers determined all the calls to be "unfounded" except one.
Ultimately police got involved on Nov. 2, 2024, when was a downstairs neighbor at the family's apartment called 911 reporting cries coming from another unit.
But how do caseworkers see dozens of hotline calls and not take further action? That's the question I took to the executive director of the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield. Katiina Dull acknowledged that the number of calls placed to the Arkansas child abuse hotline in this case is staggering.
"It is concerning when we have multiple hotlines regarding a child and it feels like there is no adequate response," said Dull. "It is very concerning."
She said that in 90% of child abuse cases, kids know their abuser. That can make it especially difficult for them to open up about what's happening. Other circumstances can further complicate investigations, Dull explains.
"If you don't have additional evidence, if you don't have corroborating witnesses, if you have a child that's too afraid to speak, sometimes your hands are tied on what steps you may be able to take," said Dull.
What to do if you suspect child abuse
If you have concerns a child is at risk of child abuse, there are steps you can take in addition to calling a child abuse hotline. The Child Advocacy Center suggests also filing a police report. If you don't have evidence for a report, you can request that police conduct a check of the child's well-being.
KOLR 10 Investigates talked to a spokesperson with the Department of Human Services in Arkansas, who said they fully investigate complaints accepted by the child abuse hotline, but the spokesperson declined an interview.
If you have a story you'd like KOLR 10 Investigates to look into, email 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
