Couple facing charges after physically and emotionally abusing children

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A man and a woman both face charges. Police say they physically and emotionally abused several children.

Three of the four kids have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Breezy Parker's the mother of the four children and left them home with her live in boyfriend, Antonio Henderson, while she went to work. According to the kids, he abused them and even threatened to put them into their pet snake's cage.

Parker's children are ages eight, five, four, and one. According to court documents, the five-year-old was the one who spoke out to his Aunt. Antonio Henderson, Parker's live-in-boyfriend, babysat the children and apparently would have the three boys throw a blanket over their sister and beat her up. It's something he called a "blanket party."

Henderson even threatened to put the children into the pet Boa Constrictor's cage. One of the children says he put their heads in the cage.

The five-year-old also said Henderson would choke his sister a lot and would swing her around by her feet. Other children said Henderson called it "Night night." The boy said Henderson would choke them until they passed out.

When an Officer from the Department of Children's Services went inside this home the children had obvious bruising on their faces. Parker says she never knew the abuse was going on.

The children were taken to the hospital. The little girl had a skull fracture, bruises and scratches. Some bruises were in the shape of fingers.

Doctors also uncovered another one of the children was significantly injured. He had a hemorrhage in the left eye, bruises, and soft tissue damage to his head.

NewsChannel 15 talked with Jennifer Boen at Stop Child Abuse and Neglect also known as SCAN. She says if you suspect a child's being abused you need to speak out.

"We say always err on the side of the child and it's for some people they feel like 'Wait a minute. This is someone I know. What do I do if it's somebody I know?' Look for those patterns in a child's behavior," Boen said.

If you suspect a child is being abused, call 1-800-555-5556. If you believe they're in immediate danger call 911.