An Oklahoma grandmother has been charged after her 11-year-old granddaughter was assaulted and gave birth to her stepfather’s baby.
A 53-year-old woman, who has been identified as Michelle Justus by AOL, is facing six felony counts of child neglect, according to the Muskogee County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege the grandmother knew about the little girl's pregnancy and failed to report it to authorities.
According to NBC News, the girl, who has not been identified, gave birth on August 16 at the family’s Muskogee County home without receiving any medical care during her pregnancy. Police said she had not been seen by a doctor in more than a year.
Court documents state that the grandmother lived across the street from the family and saw the 11-year-old frequently, often helping care for her and five other children.
Prosecutors allege Justus failed to provide proper supervision or medical attention and allowed the children to remain in “deplorable conditions”.
Three days after the birth, police and child welfare officials removed all six children from the home, which investigators said was covered in dog feces.
Neighbor Cheryl Adkins told local outlet KJRH that she repeatedly raised alarms about the children’s welfare. “They have no running water for the last two or three years," she said. "They have dogs in the house. They have cats in the house, six children.”
She said she called authorities multiple times but fears her concerns weren’t addressed soon enough.
The grandmother responded to these observations, saying: “We have animals, and so sometimes there’s trash on the floor because the dogs get into the trash.”
“It gets cleaned up. Right now, it’s probably a mess because the animals are in there. We try to let them out, but they try to keep it clean," she added.
The girl’s 34-year-old mother, Cherie Walker, and 33-year-old stepfather, Dustin Walker, are in custody, being held without bond.
The stepfather was charged with child sexual abuse and six counts of child neglect, while the mother was charged with enabling child sexual abuse and six counts of neglect. Both had previously requested court-appointed attorneys, the district attorney’s office said.
DNA testing confirmed that the baby’s biological father was Dustin, with a 99.9% match, according to prosecutors.
Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson described the case as “one of the most, if not the most, serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted," adding: “I was horror-stricken to find out it’s an 11-year-old little girl who’s given birth...And that she had no medical care, and she had no one to be with her.”
The girl’s mother and stepfather initially claimed they had no idea she was pregnant.
The grandmother, however, said that she believed the baby’s father was a 12-year-old boy she used to babysit. Prosecutors dispute that account and say multiple adults in the family knew the child was pregnant before she went into labor.
The couple is scheduled to appear for preliminary hearings on November 24, 2025, before Judge Robin Adair. Meanwhile, the grandma is being held on a $75,000 bond.