Insets, left to right: Kyle Galloway, Deanne Hankins and Novaleigh Galloway (Lafayette County Sheriff”s Office/GoFundMe). Background: The Missouri motel where Kyle Galloway and Deanne Hankins allegedly abused 3-year-old Novaleigh Galloway to death (Google Maps).
A 3-year-old girl in Missouri was verbally and physically abused by her father and a woman he knows until she eventually died in a motel room they were staying in just days before Christmas, cops say.
Kyle Galloway and Deanne Kay Hankins are charged with abuse or neglect of a child, serious emotional or physical injury; first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and creating substantial risk, among other crimes, in connection with the death of Galloway’s daughter, Novaleigh Galloway, last week.
The pair is accused of kicking and “smacking” the child on the head and mouth for “misbehaving,” while using “zip ties” to restrain her. They also verbally abused Novaleigh and confessed to “scolding her loudly,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
“[Galloway] admitted to physically disciplining [Novaleigh] due to the bad behavior by giving [Novaleigh] swats on the body and smacking her on the mouth to correct her behavior,” the affidavit says. “[Galloway] admitted to physically disciplining [Novaleigh] throughout the day and night prior to the death due to [Novaleigh] misbehaving.”
Galloway and Hankins allegedly called police on Dec. 23 after Novaleigh stopped breathing while attempting to fall asleep. Officers arrived at the Classic Motel in Higginsville and discovered that the child was dead and had “black eyes,” along with ligature marks around her wrists and feet, indicating that Novaleigh “was physically abused.”
“[Galloway] ultimately stated before this morning of the death, [Novaleigh] was zip-tied and partially restrained due to her behavioral issues, which matched the ligature marks on [Novaleigh’s] wrists and feet,” the affidavit alleges. “[Galloway] stated he observed [Hankins] physically discipline [Novaleigh] by striking [the child] in her head and mouth. [Galloway] described the ‘discipline’ as excessive due to the noise and force used.”
During the night, as they were attempting to go to sleep, Hankins told cops she allegedly tried several times to get Novaleigh to go down, but she “failed to do so” as she continued her “bad behavior.” She allegedly claimed that Galloway “got upset” and kicked Novaleigh in the head.
“Oh, that might have been a little hard,” Hankins recalled Galloway saying after the kick, according to the affidavit. The pair allegedly told Novaleigh “to go to sleep as she laid down on her cot” without checking to see if she was okay or rendering aid.
“[Novaleigh] was covered up with a blanket,” the affidavit says, noting how the adults “thought the child was going to sleep.” They both told police that they heard Novaleigh “making loud breathing sounds, but thought she was playing or misbehaving like she normally did,” according to the affidavit.
Galloway and Hankins both described the alleged abuse that unfolded before Novaleigh’s death, including how they “bound” her and “smacked her” in the mouth and on her head “to correct her behavior,” the affidavit says.
A search of the motel room led to the alleged discovery of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia. Police say Hankins admitted that the drugs were hers, while Galloway claimed he did not use narcotics but knew they were in the room.
Galloway and Hankins were arrested and booked in the Lafayette County jail. They were being held on Monday without bond.
A petition has been launched to shut down the Classic Motel as it has allegedly become “a focal point for concerning activities that put the members of our community at risk,” according to the petition’s description.
“Many residents have reported increased incidents of crime, illicit activities, and disturbances related directly to the operations of the Classic Motel,” the petition says. “Parents are anxious when their children have to pass by, and many of us feel compelled to avoid the area completely. The once quiet neighborhood is now shadowed by issues that were unheard of before its operation.”
Motel management did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment.
