Mom of over 200 foster kids accused of child abuse and trafficking, MO cops say
A woman who has reportedly fostered more than 200 children now faces over a “decade’s worth” of abuse allegations, Missouri officials say.
Brenda Deutsch, of Winfield, was arrested and charged with two counts of child abuse and one count of child endangerment, court documents show.
But according to Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood, that’s “just the tip of the iceberg” as authorities continue to investigate allegations against the 70-year-old woman, KTVI reported.
“It’s going to be a large investigation, and it will take some time,” Wood told the outlet.
The initial investigation began in November 2024 and continued the following month when a girl said she was physically and mentally abused by Deutsch, according to a probable cause statement.
“The victim stated when she was in middle school, eighth grade, the suspect hit her with a lot of different things,” the court documents say. “The victim described some of the objects as a paddle, trim and shoes. The victim stated there was a time when the suspect ‘smacked’ her on the nose causing her to bleed.”
The victim was fostered by Deutsch and was in her care for several years, KTVI reported.
She also described Deutsch pulling her pants down on five occasions and spanking her with a paddle, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. As the alleged physical abuse intensified, the girl said Deutsch would only stop hitting her when she was quiet, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
She said Deutsch would verbally abuse her, telling her she would kill her “if she did not shut up,” the probable cause statement says.
As deputies investigated the girl’s allegations, they learned in February of a rumor that Deutsch “traded” the girl for an exotic animal in Texas, according to court documents. The girl has been in custody of Child Protective Services since Feb. 21.
“A witness who had come forward with some information regarding the systemic abuse that was going on in the home, had said that they had been asked to bring the child down to Texas and bring the monkey back in return,” Wood told KSDK. “Obviously we have to do more investigation to see if that’s actually credible or if that’s true.”
Court documents say Deutsch has been a foster parent or adoptive parent to more than 100 children, but Wood told KSDK that number is actually upwards of 200.
Authorities learned other children in Deutsch’s care “were also subjected to similar physical and emotional abuse,” the prosecutor said.
“This matter is ongoing and we expect more charges to follow as information becomes available,” the prosecuting office said on Facebook. “Numerous victims and witnesses have already contacted my office and I would encourage anyone else with information to continue reaching out to my office, as well as investigators.”
Winfield is about a 45-mile drive northwest from St. Louis.