Sheriff: “…baby girl looked like E.T.”
VANCLEAVE – A Jackson County couple is behind bars after authorities charged them with child deprivation in the case of their two small children. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said 23-year old Jimmy Russell McLallen and his wife, 22-year old Jessica McLallen are being held on a $10,000 bond after a two-month investigation led to their arrest.
Byrd said on June 7, family members of the McLallen’s became suspicious when the couple’s 4-month old daughter displayed the same signs of physical neglect her 14-month old brother had displayed in his early months.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) were contacted on June 10 when the baby girl was taken to the doctor’s office.
Upon examining the child, Byrd said the doctor determined she was seriously neglected and she was “failing to thrive.”
“The child was admitted to Memorial Hospital where she received medical attention for five days,” said Byrd.
On Aug. 4, the McLallen’s were arrested at their home, in the 14000 block of John Smith Road, without incident, after DHS asked sheriff’s deputies to accompany them to the residence.
“DHS took the children and placed them with an aunt,” Byrd told The Sun Herald. “The baby girl looked like E.T. when we got her out of there.”
Byrd said, reportedly, the children — who are now 6-months and 16-months-old — are improving since their relocation.
The couple appeared in court last week where Judge Larry Wilson set their bond. They both remain incarcerated at the Jackson County Detention Center.
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