Couple Confined Child For 7 Abusive Years Inside Gloucester Twp. Home: Officials

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township couple held their child captive for seven years in which they trapped her in a dog crate, chained her inside a padlocked bathroom and subjected her to beatings and sexual assault, authorities said Wednesday.

Brenda Spencer and Branndon Mosley, both of Blackwood, had been abusing the victim since around 2018 and confining her to a filthy home with several animals, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

The victim, who is now 18, escaped from the home on Thursday and was assisted by a neighbor, authorities said. She later disclosed the abuse from her mother and stepfather, which was reported to law enforcement.

Spencer, 38, and Mosley, 41, were charged on Thursday with a range of offenses, including kidnapping. They were arrested at their Gloucester Township home on Sunday and placed in the Camden County Correctional Facility.

"This is one of the most despicable cases that I've ever come across," Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said Wednesday at a news conference about the arrests.

Spencer had the victim removed from school about seven years ago, when the child completed sixth grade, authorities said. Around that time, the victim was confined to her home, according to prosecutors.

One year later, Spencer removed a second child from school out of fear that she would tell someone about the abuse in their home, authorities said. The child, now 13, had just finished second grade.

There are no indications that the suspects ever took the children out of the house when they were confined.

During the elder daughter's first year in confinement, the victim was forced to live in a dog crate with her hands bound behind her back and was only let out intermittently, according to court documents.

She was later forced to live in a padlocked bathroom, where she was chained, authorities said. The suspects let her out of the bathroom whenever other family members visited their home, according to court documents.

At other times, the victim lived in an empty room, where she had to use a bucket instead of a toilet, authorities said.

Mosley once brought the victim a plate of food while she was chained up. He told the victim she would get the food if he could sexually assault her, which he did, authorities said.

The suspects would beat the victim with a belt and a horse whip for acting out, according to court documents. The victim suffered scars on her wrists and other bodily pain from the beatings and the chains, officials said.

The victim lived in "squalid" conditions alongside several dogs, chinchillas and other animals, authorities said.

Officials declined to provide details on the victim's escape. But Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said the victim was "very fortunate."

"As you can imagine, anyone who's been confined for seven years under these conditions, in squalid filth, is going to be damaged psychologically, physically and emotionally," MacAulay said.

Both children are now in a safe location, according to MacAulay.

The children were allegedly homeschooled, but authorities found they were deprived of proper education.

State law requires parents to notify their child's school district about their intent to homeschool. But the New Jersey Department of Education doesn't follow up to see if they're meeting educational standards, said Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay.

"Homeschooling may be the right choice for many families," MacAulay said. Unfortunately, it can be used by others as a means to hide abuse."

Gloucester Township police never received any prior complaints about child abuse or violence from the family's home, Harkins said. Previously, they had only received animal complaints, such as barking dogs, which the residents managed without any trouble.

Spencer and Mosley were both charged with:

• first-degree kidnapping
• second-degree conspiracy to commit kidnapping
• second-degree aggravated assault
• second-degree endangering the welfare of a child through abuse and neglect (five counts)
• third-degree criminal restraint
• third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
• third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
• fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon

Mosley was also charged with:

• first-degree aggravated sexual assault
• second-degree sexual assault (two counts)
• second-degree endangering the welfare of a child through sexual contact

Spencer and Mosley will appear in court Friday for a detention hearing.

Attorney information for the suspects wasn't available in online court records on Wednesday.

Anyone with information can contact Det. Timothy Jordan of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office 856-365-3073 and Det. Daniel Ritz of the Gloucester Township Police Department at 856-228-4500. Tips may also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS.