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ST. GEORGE — Despite the defense’s objections, a judge ruled in favor of the prosecution Tuesday, allowing additional charges to be officially filed against Brandy Jaynes.
Jaynes, 36, appeared in 5th District Court with her lawyer, Edward Flint, before Judge Eric Ludlow Tuesday morning. Flint had filed a motion objecting to new charges the state issued against his client in March, which added two additional charges of second-degree felonies for child abuse.
The original charge stemmed from accusations of Jaynes starving her 12-year-old and keeping him locked in a dirty, feces-covered bathroom in their Toquerville home for an extended period of time – alleged to be a year or more. Jaynes was arrested in January, with police comparing the conditions her son had been living in to something out of a horror movie.
The boy weighed just 30 pounds when his father took him out of the house and ultimately to Dixie Regional Medical Center, according to court records. He was was said to be one of the worst cases of child malnourishment some of the doctors had ever seen.
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Mother in Toquerville child abuse case seeks better jail conditions
A Toquerville woman accused of abusing her 12-year-old son is requesting bondable bail and better conditions in jail.The original felony charge addressed the accusation of starvation, Washington County Attorney Angie Reddish-Day said. However, as additional injuries to the child came to light through medical examination and investigation, the prosecution chose to pursue to new charges.
The two additional charges specifically relate to the boy having lost the use of his limbs – namely his legs – for an extended period time, as well as experiencing developmental, emotional and intellectual delays caused by the alleged captivity in the bathroom.
The boy has been placed with a foster family since leaving the hospital, Reddish-day said in a previous interview. The boy’s twin sister and a younger sibling, both of whom were treated in a relatively normal fashion according to investigators, were also placed in foster case, she said.
