SMITHFIELD -- The mother of 4-year-old Teghan Skiba faces child-abuse charges after investigators determined that she saw her boyfriend abuse the child before leaving her in his care.
Helen R. Reyes saw Jonathan Richardson whip Teghan before she left July 6 to do Army Reserve training in New Mexico, said Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell. Ten days later, the girl died from what investigators described as abuse-related injuries, and Richardson was charged with first-degree murder.
"The child had been disciplined in a manner that was not appropriate in the presence of the mother," Bizzell said. "Helen Reyes, in my opinion, neglected her duties as a mother. This so-called mother failed to provide the care that children need, desire and deserve."
Reyes, 27, of 5255 Passenger Place near Garner, was charged Thursday morning with felony negligent child abuse causing serious bodily injury and taken to the Johnston County jail. She was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Reyes also suffered physical abuse at the hands of Richardson, Bizzell said. According to a search warrant, Richardson told detectives that his bipolar disorder makes him short-tempered and that "little things set him off."
The arrest warrant says that Reyes exposed her daughter to "verbal threats, intimidation, forced consumption of alcohol, severe physical beatings and assault by biting."
Bizzell said that on one occasion, both Reyes and Richardson stood by and watched while Teghan chugged a bottle of beer.
The more serious abuse, which included sexual assault, occurred after Reyes headed to New Mexico, Bizzell said. "It escalated apparently after she left," he said.
The three had been living in a barn behind the home of Richardson's grandparents, Wade and Helen Creech, in the Brogden community near Smithfield. The barn had no bathroom, no running water and a single air mattress on the floor for sleeping, Bizzell said.
Bizzell doesn't plan to charge the Creeches or anyone else with crimes, although his detectives are still investigating.
Report points to Reyes
On Wednesday, investigators from Wake County Child Protective Services issued a report that found Reyes responsible for Teghan's abuse. They determined that she did not leave the child with an appropriate caretaker when she left for Army Reserve training, and social workers took temporary custody of the girl after she was hospitalized.
Bizzell said the Wake County report did not affect the decision to press charges.
If convicted, Reyes could face up to 30 years in prison.
Reyes is scheduled to make her first appearance in court this morning. It was not clear late Thursday whether she had an attorney. Richardson's next court date is Aug. 5.
