Inset, left to right: Eric McClure and Cynthia Tedder (Escambia County Jail). Background: The Alabama home where McClure and Tedder allegedly abused their daughter (Google Maps).
A 41-year-old father and a 36-year-old mother from Alabama are accused of torturing and trying to kill their 15-year-old child, allegedly taking her across state lines to a Florida hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition.
Authorities in Florida arrested Eric McClure and Cynthia Tedder this week, charging them each with one count of attempted murder and one count of torture and willful abuse of a child by a responsible person, officials announced.
According to a pair of news releases from the Flomaton, Alabama, Police Department, officers responded at 5:13 a.m. on Sept. 1 to a call from Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola regarding a teenage girl who had been admitted in critical condition.
"Information obtained led to an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the juvenile's condition," the release states. "As part of the investigation, members of the Flomaton Police Department obtained and executed a search warrant at the [Alabama] residence where the juvenile lived."
The other children found in the Alabama home were placed in the care of the state's Department of Human Resources, local ABC and NBC affiliate WEAR reported.
Flomaton Police Chief Justin Hetrick provided additional details to the station.
"We got a call here at dispatch at the PD from Pensacola PD, basically saying that they had a child juvenile, actually a 15-year-old, that had some child abuse, possible issues going on or neglect, and so we started investigating," the chief told WEAR.
Following a preliminary investigation, authorities obtained arrest warrants for McClure and Tedder on the torture and child-abuse charges. Flomaton police later announced that newly obtained evidence resulted in attempted murder charges against both suspects.
"These charges were filed as a result of developments uncovered during the course of the investigation," police said in an updated release.
A neighbor told WEAR he had known the family for years, saying he had been shocked by the state of the children and the home.
"There were roaches just running out," he said. "And I seen their kids. They were filthy."
The neighbor also described seeing the children in public.
"From the times that I've seen them in public places, such as Walmart or local grocery stores, they always had a smell coming from them," he said. "And I can tell they were not very clean at all."
McClure and Tedder remain in detention in Florida's Escambia County Jail pending extradition to Alabama's Escambia County Jail. A court date is expected following the couple's extradition.
Authorities emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing, but said police would release no further information to protect the teenager's privacy and the integrity of the case.
Follow Law&Crime:
Comments