Investigators said a 6-year-old girl arrived at an elementary school with bruising after being kept home for two days.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Volusia County couple was arrested after a 6-year-old girl arrived at school with visible bruises on her face and told investigators she had been hit at home, according to sheriff’s records and court reporting released Friday.
Authorities said the case began when staff at Enterprise Elementary School contacted child welfare officials after the girl showed up Thursday with injuries that were still visible. Deputies said the child first repeated a story that she had fallen, then said she had been told to say that. Investigators later arrested Jeffrey Morales, 29, on a child abuse charge and Melissa Husk, 35, on a child neglect charge. The girl was placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
According to the sheriff’s office account, the child told school staff and deputies that Morales, identified in records as her stepfather, struck her earlier in the week. In the agency’s daily activity report, investigators said the girl reported being hit about 17 times on Monday after Morales became angry. Deputies wrote that bruising and marks were visible not only on her face but also on her arms and right buttocks. The child also said her mother was present and did not stop the incident. WESH reported Friday that the couple made their first court appearance and were ordered to have no contact with the girl.
Investigators said the child initially gave school staff an explanation that she had fallen, but later described being warned not to tell what happened. In court records cited by local news outlets, the girl said she had been told that if she revealed the truth, she would be removed from the home and would not see her mother again. Deputies said Morales became uncooperative after arriving at the school during the early stages of the inquiry. When later questioned, records show, he declined to discuss the incident and pointed deputies to Husk, saying she had witnessed what happened. Husk later acknowledged being present, according to the sheriff’s report, and admitted the child had been kept out of school on Tuesday and Wednesday so the injuries would not be discovered.
The case widened beyond the physical injuries when investigators interviewed the girl about conditions in the home. Deputies said she appeared hungry and had trouble recalling the last time she had eaten, bathed or brushed her teeth. One local report said the child told deputies she was usually allowed breakfast only on Tuesdays and worried that eating too much would make her “fat.” Another allegation in court records said hot sauce was used as punishment. Those details formed part of the neglect findings cited by investigators, though the full scope of any additional abuse allegations had not been publicly detailed by Friday evening. No medical update on the child’s condition was released in the reports that were publicly available.
By Friday, the legal posture of the case had come into focus, though several questions remained unresolved. Morales was booked on a child abuse charge, and Husk was booked on a child neglect charge for what investigators described as failing to intervene, failing to report the abuse and helping conceal it. A judge barred both from contacting the child, according to WESH. Public records reviewed in local coverage did not identify defense statements from either suspect, and it was not immediately clear whether formal charging documents beyond the arrest affidavits had been filed. Child protection officials were working on the girl’s placement after DCF took custody, the sheriff’s office said.
The case drew attention in part because it surfaced in a school setting, where the child’s injuries could be seen by adults outside the home. Investigators said it was that moment at school, not a report from inside the household, that triggered the law enforcement response. The sheriff’s office said Sgt. Crofutt received a drawing from the girl during the investigation and planned to keep it in her patrol car. That small detail, released alongside the arrest information, underscored the age of the child at the center of the case as deputies, school staff and child welfare workers moved quickly to remove her from the home.
As of Friday evening, Morales and Husk had both been arrested, the child was in state custody and the no-contact order remained in place. The next public milestones are expected to be formal court proceedings and any further filings that clarify the evidence and custody status.
Author note: Last updated April 18, 2026.