A couple in Florida were arrested this week for allegedly beating and whipping their two young children with extension cords multiple times while they were home during the Thanksgiving school break. Ashanti and Janice Young, ages 43 and 46, respectively, were taken into custody on Thursday and charged with two counts each of aggravated child abuse after a gym teacher at the kids’ elementary school noticed severe injuries suffered by the women’s 7-year-old son, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a report from Miami ABC affiliate WPLG, the investigation into the Youngs began when their son and his 8-year-old sister returned to school after being home during the week of Thanksgiving. Both children attended Laura Saunders Elementary School in the 500 block of 8th Street in Homestead.
Janice Young and Ashanti Young (Miami-Dade Corrections)
The teacher reportedly said that when the 7-year-old came to his physical education class, the boy refused to take off his jacket. The boy then allegedly approached the teacher and whispered that his mother told him he was not allowed to remove the jacket.
The teacher reported the interaction to a school counselor, emphasizing that it was also unusual for the 7-year-old to have missed his physical education class on both Monday and Wednesday of that week.
The school nurse reportedly examined the child — who again allegedly said that he was not supposed to take off his jacket — and discovered that he had suffered what appeared to be fresh cuts to his arms.
Upon questioning from other members of the school staff, the boy’s sister reportedly said that their mothers would “beat them” with an “electrical cable” as punishment, most recently for “misbehaving by coloring and drawing,” Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.
“During Thanksgiving break from school, [the 8-year-old girl] was misbehaving by coloring and drawing. Her second mom (Janice Young) beat her with a white electrical cable against the back of her thighs,” the child reportedly told police. “[The 8-year-old] had trouble sitting down because the back of her legs hurt. Sometimes, [the child’s] second mom uses a really white cord, a shoe, or a stick to hit her.”
Both children showed authorities the extent of the injuries allegedly suffered at the hands of their mothers.
“[The girl] had multiple linear scars on her back and arms. There were freshly-scabbed, sharply-rounded C-shaped welts on the back of her legs and she repeated she received these injuries at the hands of Janice,” police reportedly wrote.
Her little brother eventually spoke to authorities and gave similar accounts about what allegedly happened.
“Janice had beat him with a white extension cord for coloring in one of his books,” police reportedly wrote. “Janice put a sock on his arm and told him not to remove it. She also told him not to remove his jacket and show anyone his injured arm.”
When police interviewed the parents about how their children came to suffer the injuries, Janice Young reportedly “feigned surprise” while both women claimed that the siblings “hit each other.”
They were booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with Janice Young on $15,000 bond and Ashanti Young on $10,000 bond, records show.
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