A couple is wanted after one of their children was found dead, with two others found in critical condition and another missing in Jackson County, Oklahoma, said a police release on July 2.
Police in Missouri and Oklahoma are seeking public support to locate “two fugitives,” 27-year-old Hakim Mustafa Moore and 29-year-old Robin Alexander, according to a press release by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
“The Altus Police Department in Altus, OK, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s U.S. Marshals Task Force are asking for the public’s assistance in locating two fugitives, Hakim Mustafa Moore, a 27-year old black male, and Robin Alexander, a 29-year old black female,” police said in the statement.
Police have provided photos of the fugitives but have asked the public to be careful as the photos are five years old and the couple might have changed their appearance.
An arrest warrant was issued against them on June 10 after they failed to appear in the court. They have been charged with three counts of child abuse, one count of child neglect, and one count of enabling child neglect.
The press release said that during the course of the investigation, the Altus Police Department came to know that the couple is trying to evade arrest and have fled to St. Louis, Missouri.
Killer Racoon Couple Police hunting Oklahoma couple after 1 child found dead, 1 missing and 3 others left in ‘critical condition’https://t.co/ZQtW72G2eP
— Mark P Stengel (@mps051960) July 3, 2019
Moore and Alexander have five children between them and three of them are in the Oklahoma State’s custody. The authorities, however, didn’t specify when it found the children and didn’t divulge their ages.
“They were located in Oklahoma and are currently listed in critical condition. The fourth child was located deceased, and the fifth child has not been located,” police said.
According to the records, the fifth child is undocumented and it was born in a hotel room.
“With this information, the Altus Police Department contacted the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s U.S. Marshals Task Force. Both agencies are requesting the public’s help to locate these subjects and to determine if the undocumented child is healthy and alive,” police said, according to the press release.
KMOV4 reported that the police are offering $10,000 for information leading to the couple’s arrest.
The police request that anyone with information can contact 9-1-1, or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).
$10K reward for arrest of OK couple wanted on child abuse, neglect charges https://t.co/G7yX7H6zJl #KMOV pic.twitter.com/3RIcfr9LrM
— KMOV (@KMOV) July 3, 2019
Child Abuse in the United States
An estimated, 700,000 children are abused in the country every year. Around 1,670 children died due to child abuse in 2015, according to the National Children’s Alliance.
In the same year, children advocacy groups assisted in 311,000 cases of child abuse around the nation, whereas about 683,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect.
The Lingering Trauma of Child Abuse | Psychology Todayhttps://t.co/suTS73goAI
— Shirley Stewart (@SurelyBeShirley) June 5, 2019
“Households in which participants suffer from alcoholism, substance abuse, or anger issues demonstrate higher occurrences of child abuse as compared to households without,” according to Psychology Today.
Child abuse is about actions that cause harm but it can also be about inactions that cause harm and that falls under neglect.
“Physical abuse involves non-accidental harming of a child by, for example, burning, beating, or breaking bones. Verbal abuse involves harming a child by, for example, belittling them or threatening physical or sexual acts. Emotional trauma can result from several forms of abuse,” reported Psychology Today.
