Missouri foster mom accused of trading a child for exotic monkey - National | Globalnews.ca (2025)

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A Missouri woman is under investigation for child abuse after reports that she traded away a foster child for an exotic monkey.

Brenda Ruth Deutsch, 70, of Winfield, Mo., faces two charges of child abuse or neglect and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, according to prosecutors, who say they’re also investigating a witness report that claimed she tried to trade a child for a primate.

“A witness who had come forward with some information regarding the systemic abuse that was going on in the home had said that they had been asked to bring the child down to Texas and bring the monkey back in return,” Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood told local outlet KSDK on Monday.

“Obviously, we have to do more investigation to see if that’s actually credible or if that’s true.”

According to NBC News, Deutsch was taken into custody on Sunday, following an investigation by the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division after they received an anonymous tip last November that Deutsch was mentally and physically abusing a minor.

The victim, according to the probable cause statement viewed by KSDK, told police that from September 2022 to January of this year, Deutsch hit her with wooden objects, shoes and an open hand. During one alleged assault, the victim told police that Deutsch had someone restrain her while Deutsch hit her bare buttocks.

The court records state that Deutsch sent the teenager “to live at a house in Texas with unsanitary living conditions and without adequate supervision” between Jan. 1 and April 1, prompting child protective services to remove a teen from the home.

The documents also say that the 16-year-old would be left alone at the Texas home and tasked with taking care of exotic animals that also lived in the house.

The alleged victim also told police that Deutsch punished her by stealing or giving away her clothes and sent her to residential and psychiatric facilities for extended stays.

Police say Deutsch has fostered more than 200 children, but until this month there were no criminal reports tied to her residence.

Wood described the allegations as “particularly heinous and just disturbing to read,” especially given “the number of children that had been fostered through that home.” He said that his office is working with local law enforcement to determine if there are other victims.

Authorities said that after speaking with community members, they were surprised that no previous reports had emerged or criminal investigations had been launched to probe Deutsch’s home.

“As we broke it open, it seems like apparently it was a very well-known residence that cycled through this abuse, which is really disturbing and problematic,” Wood said.

Sheriff Rick Harrell of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office told NBC that his office was aware of the allegations but declined further comment. He said, however, that Deutsch did have exotic animals, including monkeys, at her home before she was taken into custody.

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If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.