HOUSTON – Two women are behind bars, accused of severely abusing two toddlers in northwest Harris County.
The girls’ aunt, who now has guardianship of both children, is speaking out and urging others to stay alert and report warning signs of child abuse.
Jamesha Wilson and her girlfriend, Kevonnisha Jones, are charged with injury to a child and injury to a child with serious physical and mental harm.
Both are in the Harris County Jail.
The arrests came roughly eight months after the 3-year-old was found barely breathing.
KPRC 2 News spoke with the girls’ aunt, Asherah Henderson, about the night everything changed and the road ahead for the two toddlers.
“My girls almost didn’t make it. It’s hard,” Henderson said.
Henderson says she received a call from a social worker one night in September. She recorded the call on her cell phone when her 2-year-old niece’s small voice was audible in the background, saying “I don’t know” when her aunt asked, “What is this?”
“That’s where she was, in the fetal position. There was a little small bowl of chicken next to her, like she was a stray animal,” Henderson said. “She crawled to me once she saw me, and once I picked her up, she did not let me go.”
Henderson says the home was in disarray, and her other niece, the 3-year-old, was fighting for her life in the hospital.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the 3-year-old had a brain bleed and a skull fracture so severe that doctors were forced to remove part of her skull. The 2-year-old also had broken ribs, a broken wrist, bruising, and possible liver damage.
“From head to toe, it was bad,” Henderson said.
Investigators say Jones called 911, claiming the 3-year-old fell off a bed. But doctors determined the injuries were far too severe to be caused by a fall.
“One of the doctors said it was close to a child falling off a two-story building,” Henderson said.
Jones later admitted to disciplining the girls with a belt and forcing them onto their knees with their hands behind their backs. Court records show the 3-year-old had a pattern of bruising and scars resembling marks from a looped cord and a possible belt buckle.
Detectives also uncovered text messages showing Wilson allegedly instructing Jones on what to say about who cared for the children.
People who lived at the home told KPRC 2 News they rarely saw the girls and that the children were often kept away from others inside the house.
“These bruises were in stages of healing. So you’re telling me that nobody knew something was going on with these kids?” Henderson said.
Officials with Children at Risk say warning signs of abuse can include children being isolated from others, sudden behavioral changes, and unexplained bruising or scars.
KPRC 2 News asked the Harris County Sheriff’s Office why it took eight months before Wilson and Jones were arrested. A spokesperson explained the complexity of such cases.
“These types of cases are very long and complex. They require extensive interviews, medical records of all proceedings, all hospitalizations, doctor notes, and all forensic interviews. Also, electronic evidence takes a while to get, and then it’s all presented to the DA, who reviews everything before accepting charges. The Institute of Forensic Science, also CPS, is all involved,” the spokesperson said.
The 3-year-old now relies on a feeding tube and a wheelchair. Despite their difficult road to recovery, Henderson says both girls are in good spirits.
Henderson, who had not seen the girls in months before the night she was called, now has guardianship of both children.
She hopes their story inspires the community to stay watchful and speak up.
“These bruises were in stages of healing. You’re telling me nobody knew something was going on with these kids?” she said.