A Missouri man and woman are facing criminal charges after his 3-year-old daughter was allegedly found dead last week with injuries consistent with abuse.
According to WDAF, Novaleigh Galloway was found dead at the Classic Motel in Higginsville on December 23. The girl’s father, Kyle Galloway, and Deanna Kay Hankins were in the room with the dead toddler — who reportedly had black eyes and ligature marks around her wrists and feet.
Family members told WDAF that Hankins is not related to the victim. Additionally, the deceased toddler’s mother told the news outlet that she had not seen her daughter in months despite having visitation rights.
Kyle Galloway allegedly admitted that his daughter was zip-tied because of behavioral issues. This possibly explained the ligature marks around the girl’s feet and wrists. While Hankins said she did not witness the girl being zip-tied, she did say she was bound at some point in time, according to KMBC.
Court documents stated that on the night Novaleigh Galloway died, her father and Hankins were trying to go to sleep, but the toddler continued to misbehave — leading her father to kick her in the head.
“Oh, that might have been a little hard,” Kyle Galloway reportedly said to his daughter before he and Hankins told her to go back to sleep.
Authorities said the father and Hankins did not check on Novaleigh Galloway, who was loudly breathing. The pair said they believed she was playing or still misbehaving, according to KMBC.
Eventually, either Kyle Galloway or Hankins checked on the toddler, discovered she was unresponsive, and called for help.
Hankins and Kyle Galloway are both charged with abuse or neglect of a child, serious emotional or physical injury, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, creating substantial risk, and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities said methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found in the room with the deceased toddler.
Hankins and Kyle Galloway remain jailed without bond.
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[Feature Photo: WDAF]