Ala. couple arrested for allegedly torturing woman’s children with blowtorch
10/09/2023 1:04 pm PDT
DALE COUNTY, Ala. (TCD) -- A 27-year-old woman and her 53-year-old boyfriend are accused of burning and torturing her young children with a blowtorch and allegedly subjecting them to other abuse.
Dale County Jail records show Ashleigh Ableman and Howard Anderson were both taken into custody Oct. 5 on a charge of torture/willful abuse of a child.
Dale County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Caroline Jackson told WDHN-TV that investigators and officials from the Department of Human Services were informed that the three children made allegations against Ableman and Anderson regarding the suspected abuse. Jackson said there were "obvious marks of abuse on the children."
WDHN reports the victims are all younger than 12 years old. The two adults allegedly injured the children using a blowtorch, causing serious burns.
Jackson said, "This is a case of obvious torture to these children. We knew immediately that we had to intervene."
The Dale County Sheriff’s Office reportedly has been dealing with an increase in suspected child abuse cases since the school year started.
She told WDHN, "During the summer, the children were home with the abusers, so they didn’t have anyone to report the abuse to. Now that school has started back, the school is unfortunately some of the children’s safety zones, so they feel comfortable confiding in counselors and teachers at the school."
Bond has not been set yet for Ableman and Anderson.
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