Inset: Kandy Thompson (Jones County Jail). Background: Thompson allegedly locking her daughter in a dog kennel on Saturday (KTAB/KRBC).
A 60-year-old woman in Texas is accused of abusing her disabled 22-year-old special-needs daughter, allegedly keeping the victim locked in a dog kennel in the backyard.
Kandy Thompson was taken into custody on Tuesday and is currently facing a slew of felonies, including aggravated kidnapping, injury to a disabled individual with intentional serious bodily harm, and unlawful restraint, among other charges.
The investigation into Thompson began Saturday when a concerned neighbor contacted the Anson Police Department requesting a welfare check on the victim after a disturbing encounter with Thompson, some of which he filmed on his cellphone, Sweetwater ABC and CW affiliate KTXS reported.
The footage from the neighbor was obtained and posted online by NBC affiliate KRBC and CBS affiliate KTAB, both of Abilene.
The video shows the neighbor on his side of the fence, filming Thompson in her yard as she appears to be locking the victim in a chain-link dog kennel covered with a tarp. The victim appears to be hyperventilating as she rapidly makes groans and repeatedly says "I'm scared, mother."
Thompson, who is wearing a T-shirt that says "I'm one of those crazy people," then addresses the neighbor, though it is hard to decipher what she initially says to him.
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"You lock your kid in a dog kennel," the neighbor says.
"Yes, because she's tearing up everything and p—ing on everything," Thompson appears to say before the neighbor cuts her off and asks if she really thinks locking up a special-needs kid in a dog kennel is a good idea. At that point, the victim can again be heard repeatedly screaming that she is scared and a dog can be heard growling and barking nearby.
"Do you not hear her?" the neighbor asks before declaring, "You have no remorse."
Police arrived shortly after that exchange and the neighbor then tried to calm the victim. She tells him she is forced into the cage "a lot," saying it makes her feel like "she's not worth anything."
Thompson was released from detention Monday, but arrested on additional charges Tuesday.
The Anson Police Department said that in the days since Thompson's initial arrest, investigators had "completed additional interviews, reviewed statements, and evaluated all evidence collected on the scene" that led to the new charges.
In addition to the aforementioned charges, she is facing counts of child endangerment and assault causing bodily injury.
KRBC and KTAB reported that over the last 10 years, Thompson and her late husband had fostered more than 50 special-needs children. The Texas Department of Family Protective Services told the stations that the Thompsons likely cared for the children through some kind of organization, because they did not foster any kids through DPS.
The stations further reported that Thompson was being held without bond as of Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to make her next appearance in court.
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