Overview
- Washington County deputies arrested Chantel Hayford and Jerry Menees on Jan. 13 in Potosi, charging each with 12 felonies tied to alleged abuse and neglect.
- Probable-cause filings say the boys, ages 13 and 14, were confined in a chicken pen that was screwed shut and shot with BB guns.
- Investigators describe forced “fight nights,” beatings, drug and alcohol provision, a pistol threat to a teen, and a first-degree sexual abuse charge against Hayford.
- Court records place the alleged pattern between January 2023 and December 2025, following a July 2025 transfer of custody to a guardian in exchange for a phone plan.
- The guardian reported the children were severely underweight and not enrolled in school; both defendants are jailed without bond with hearings set for Jan. 20.