3-year-old girl found dead in Higginsville motel, 2 charged with child abuse
Police said one of the caretakers for a 3-year-old girl who died at a Higginsville hotel Dec. 23 said the girl’s other caretaker kicked her in the head shortly before her death, according to court documents.
In interviews with police, the girl’s two caretakers, Kyle Earl Scott Galloway and Deanna Kay Hankins, both said they had struck the child in the hours before her death, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged both Galloway and Hankins with three felonies Wednesday in Lafayette County Circuit Court: abuse or neglect of a child, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of a controlled substance.
Court records do not list attorneys for Hankins and Galloway.
A GoFundMe page established by a family member of the 3-year-old girl identified Galloway as the child’s father.
An obituary, which identified the girl as Novaleigh Elizabeth Perkins, said the child loved to be outside, loved to play the harmonica and enjoyed sweet tea.
“She was born with a bright spirit and a loving smile, Novaleigh brought joy and laughter to everyone around her,” family members wrote in the obituary. “Even though her time with us was short, she touched countless lives with her curious nature and gentle kindness.”
Police investigation
Higginsville police were called to the Classic Motel off Missouri Highway 13 around 4:20 a.m. Dec. 23 on a report that a child was not breathing. There, they found the girl was dead and that she had marks on her body, including black eyes and ligature marks on her wrists and feet, that indicated she was possibly abused before her death, police said.
Hankins and Galloway were with the girl when she died, police said. Investigators also found meth and drug paraphernalia inside their hotel room, according to court documents.
In interviews with police, both said they had struck the child, court documents state.
Galloway allegedly said the girl was zip-tied and restrained due to behavioral issues on the morning of her death and said he had physically disciplined the child throughout the day and night, according to court documents. Hankins allegedly said she had swatted and smacked the girl to correct her behavior.
Hankins said at one point during the night, as they were attempting to sleep, Galloway got upset and kicked the girl in the head. She later checked the child, found she was unresponsive and called emergency services.
She told investigators the meth and drug paraphernalia was hers and that she had recently relapsed, according to court documents.
