Inset, left to right: Lacy Douglas Hocutt Jr. and Rachelleigh Marie Galasso (Wake County Sheriff's Office). Background: The home where the defendants allegedly abused their six kids (WRAL).
A North Carolina couple is accused of subjecting six children to horrific abuse — including allegedly confining a 13-year-old inside a dog kennel — in conditions prosecutors described as among the worst they have ever seen.
Lacy Douglas Hocutt Jr., 34, and Rachelleigh Marie Galasso, 33, were taken into custody this week and charged with a spate of felonies. Hocutt is facing nine counts of statutory rape while Galasso is facing four counts of negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, court records show.
Prosecutors said the allegations came to light after a February report prompted an investigation that led to the removal of all six children from the residence. The children ranged in age from 1 to 15.
According to a report from Raleigh-Durham NBC affiliate WRAL, a 13-year-old child was kept locked inside a dog kennel and found to be "so grossly underweight that it was life-threatening." When investigators searched the home in February, they reportedly found the child covered in feces and suffering from an E. coli infection that required immediate medical treatment.
The disturbing details did not end there. Prosecutors described the conditions inside the residence as so unsanitary that investigators had to wear protective gear when entering.
"When CPS and the sheriff's office went out there, it was so filthy that investigators had to wear protective gear," an assistant district attorney said in court Thursday, according to WRAL.
Authorities also revealed the psychological toll the alleged abuse had on the children. The teenager who was allegedly confined in the kennel now exhibits troubling behavior.
"He now rocks back and forth, and all he yells is, 'You're never getting out. You're never getting out,' which we can only assume is what was screamed at him while he was in there," the prosecutor told the court.
Additional allegations outlined in court records paint a broader picture of neglect. Multiple children reportedly suffered from severe dental issues to the point where they could not eat without pain and will require ongoing treatment.
Prosecutors also said none of the children had received any formal schooling and were unable to read or write.
The News & Observer reported that Galasso neglected a teen child's scoliosis so severely that her condition is now "beyond the point that she can be treated with surgical intervention and will have to suffer from the condition for the remainder of her life."
Another two children had such poor dental hygiene that they both had to have several of their adult teeth removed and reportedly cannot chew solid food without pain.
Hocutt is accused of sexually abusing one of the female children for years, with the first incident reportedly taking place in 2017, according to the News & Observer.
In court, prosecutors emphasized the severity of the case, describing the alleged conduct as some of the most egregious they have encountered.
Both defendants appeared in court Thursday and were appointed public defenders. If convicted, Hocutt is facing a possible life sentence.
The defendants are being held without bond and are scheduled to return to court on April 23.
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