Inset: Amy Rinkler (Lawrence County Jail). Background: Lawrence County Justice Center in Missouri (Google Maps).
A Missouri mother is accused of forcing her daughter to make up false child abuse allegations against her father “or be killed” amid a bitter custody dispute.
Amy Rinkler, 40, faces a child abuse charge.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, the alleged abuse occurred between 2024 and 2026.
The Aurora Police Department began investigating in April after it received a report of child abuse. The girl told cops she “did not feel safe” at her mother”s home because Rinkler allegedly threatened to kill her.
She said her mother ordered her to tell investigators that her father “hit, kicked and cursed at her” but that wasn’t true, cops wrote. Rinkler allegedly made her “rehearse statements” that were written down in a folder late at night or on weekends and hit her if she “made mistakes.” The girl also said her mother “cursed at her, repeatedly put her down, called her stupid,” the affidavit stated.
Counselors who interviewed her described her as in a “terrible emotional state.” The girl “would keep her head down, would not make eye contact or speak, and would not allow herself to be touched,” cops said.
The trauma the girl suffered “certainly aligns with her fear of seeing her mother and sister after being coerced to lie or be killed,” a counselor concluded.
Officials involved in the custody case were wary of previous statements the girl and her sister made because they were “largely identical” and appeared to be influenced by their mother, according to police.
Rinkler denied coaching her daughter, threatening her or having the folder with the made-up statements, per the affidavit.
The defendant was booked into the Lawrence County Jail on Wednesday and remains held without bond. Her next court date is set for Oct. 19.
