An Air Force lieutenant colonel and his wife in Oklahoma are accused of keeping their malnourished 9-year-old adopted daughter confined to a closet and calling her “Jingle Bells” because they strapped bells to her so they could track her movements around the house.
Lt. Col. Steven Haynes and his wife, Susan Haynes, now face child neglect charges, according to court records.
An arrest affidavit obtained by KFOR, the NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City, says the girl weighed only 39 pounds, a weight more typical of a child four or five years younger.
Department of Human Services investigators found that the child had been living inside a closet in the family’s Enid home, sleeping on a bare cot with just a blanket and no pillow. A bucket was reportedly kept in the closet for her to use as a toilet.
The girl reportedly told investigators she was so hungry at times that she resorted to eating dog food.
The Hayneses reportedly told investigators the girl suffered from an eating disorder. When asked why they never sought medical treatment for her, Susan Haynes allegedly said she doubted a doctor or counselor would be of any help.
Investigators said the couple’s nickname for the child, “Jingle Bells,” stemmed from bells fastened to her neck, wrists and legs, meant to alert her parents whenever she moved through the house. She was also reportedly made to take cold showers.
This isn’t the first time the family has drawn scrutiny from child welfare officials. Years earlier, when the girl was in pre-K, school staff notified DHS after noticing signs of malnourishment and behavior suggesting she was stealing food from classmates. Rather than address the concerns through the school, the couple withdrew her and began homeschooling her instead.
The case resurfaced recently after the girl described her living conditions to DHS workers in a way that suggested she believed such treatment was simply normal.
Both suspects were booked into the Garfield County Jail following their arrests and have since posted bond, set at $10,000 each. They are scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 5.
According to a statement the Air Force gave to KFOR, Steven Haynes serves as a flight instructor at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, roughly 80 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, and has spent 19 years in the service.
He was also among nine airmen who previously sued the Air Force after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, arguing it contained “unclean things forbidden by God,” KFOR reported.
