Ohio mother, 3 others accused of taking turns to beat ‘terrified’ girl around 200 times with belts: sheriff

An Ohio girl was beaten so badly with several belts that she bled and had what appeared to be “road rash” on her back, authorities said.

On Oct. 8, the young girl divulged to a classmate she was the victim of abuse at home. The classmate then told school officials, prompting an investigation by the Greene County Children’s Services, court documents obtained by WHIO-TV show.

On Oct. 19, the child showed up at her Beavercreek school even though the girl’s biological mother, Tchanavian Cantrell, recently had unenrolled her from classes and said she would be home schooled.

“School officials questioned why she was there, as they had been told she was being home schooled, and then called her mother,” the court records state. “When she learned that her mother was coming to pick her up, she ran out of the school building and into a nearby wooded area.”

Greene County Sheriff’s Office deputies located the girl after about a thirty-minute search, and the victim told them she was scared to go home. Officers noted the child had what appeared to be a “road rash” injury on her back.

According to the girl, her mother, Tchanavian Cantrell, stepfather, John W. Cantrell III, and two other suspects, Tammara Cantrell and Marquette Cantrell, used “a black belt, a metal belt, and a brown belt to beat her,” court documents state, noting the child “drew a picture of a belt that was used on her which madeher bleed through her pants and shirt.”

She said her guardians “took turns hitting her with the belt approximately 200 times” and then sprayed rubbing alcohol on her back, causing her even more pain, according to the records.

According to WHIO-TV, the girl told deputies she and other children in the home — “except the babies” — would be punished when something went wrong, including not doing chores correctly. All the children in the home have since been removed.

“This is more than any kind of punishment that was, any kid should face. this was well beyond corrective action by a parent,” Maj. Shawn Prall told the station. “She was terrified. she was running through the woods and she just looked terrified...there was obviously something going on in her life that she needed help.”

The four suspects were arrested and charged with felonious assault and endangering children.