A Colorado mother of 15 on the lam for child abuse was allegedly found hiding behind a false wall inside her family’s home this week, KRDO-TV reports.
On Thursday, authorities responded to a residence in the town of Walsenburg when 62-year-old Timothy Crouch died.
One of the man’s adult children, who no longer lived with him, told Huerfano County Sheriff’s deputies that her siblings were being abused in their home, that that her father had cared for children with special needs.
Police investigated and learned that the man’s wife, 58-year-old Martha Crouch, was wanted by New Mexico authorities for a probation violation after she was convicted of child abuse.
Inside the residence, another member of the family informed police that they were told their mother had died years earlier and that one of their siblings had also gone missing.
Acting on a tip from a neighbor, police discovered a false wall in the kitchen area of the home, and after removing that wall, allegedly found Crouch hiding along with a 14-year-old daughter, the same sibling who was said to have gone missing.
In 2019, authorities had charged Crouch with felony child abuse and extreme cruelty to animals after she allegedly boiled four puppies alive and forced some children to watch the dogs die, according to the Associated Press.
Crouch also was accused of shooting a dog, beating a daughter with a spatula so severely that it caused a miscarriage, chaining children to their bed and using a chain to shame children for their weight.
As part of a plea deal in December 2021, the charges were dropped except for fourth-degree attempted child abuse. Crouch was put on probation, but days later, a warrant was issued for her arrest after she allegedly violated the terms of the probation, according to the Farmington Daily Times.
Police arrested Crouch Thursday on the warrant, in addition to new charges of child abuse and obstructing police.
She was being held on a $5,000 cash bond in the Huerfano County Jail.
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