Muskogee Co. Sheriff's Office
Dustin Walker and Cherie Walker were initially charged with child neglect after they told authorities they had no idea the 11-year-old was pregnant until she gave birth at home -- but DNA test result reveal that Dustin, the girl's stepfather, is a 99.9% DNA match for the baby's father.
After a DNA test told a different story than the one he and his wife had already told authorities, an Oklahoma stepfather was arrested and charged with sexually abusing his 11-year-old stepdaughter. This comes after his initial claims that he and his wife had no idea the girl was pregnant until she'd given birth unattended in their home.
Dustin Walker, 34, and Cherie Walker, 33, had initially been charged with one felony count each of child neglect after the girl gave birth to a full-term baby on August 16.
Drugs, Violence & Potty Training: Ex of Woman Who Hid His Kids' Bodies for 5 Years Testifies Against Her
View StoryAfter the DNA test results came in through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, though, charges for both were amended, with Dustin arrested and charged with child sexual abuse, according to ABC affiliate KTUL. He is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing the girl between January 1 and August 16.
Cherie was charged with enabling child sexual abuse. The couple are also now facing six counts of felony child neglect, including failing to provide their daughter with adequate medical care and supervision when she gave birth at home, according to court documents seen by the news outlet.
The other five child neglect counts are related to the couple's other five children, ages 2, 4, 6, 7, and 9, as they were "living in deplorable conditions," per the legal filings. Further, "the victims were found to be living in dog feces and had no clothing on," according to documents.
All of the children were removed from the home on Tuesday.
Family's Initial Story
Before the DNA test results had come back, the girl's grandmother insisted to a local news station that no one in the family knew the girl was pregnant. Her parents also both told authorities they had no idea she was pregnant.
A woman named Michelle, who told NBC affiliate KJRH she was the child's grandmother, said then, "I just want people to know, we did not know this was happening. None of us. They've made my daughter and my son-in-law a monster. They are not. They love those children. They love them."
Man 'Pleased and Satisfied' After Murdering Co-Worker Over $31K, Boasting About It on TikTok: Police
View StoryIn regard to the alleged home conditions, Michelle, who purportedly lives with the family, said, "We have animals, and so sometimes there's trash on the floor because the dogs get into the trash. It gets cleaned up. Right now, it's probably a mess because the animals are in there. We try to let them out, but they try to keep it clean."
She also claimed that the father of the child was a "12-year-old that i used to babysit. She keeps telling everybody that it was him. They got curious. That's all I know."
Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson told NBC affiliate KJHR that her office first became aware of the case after the unidentified girl was transported to a hospital after she'd given birth unattended by medical professionals in the family's home on August 16.
Fox affiliate KOKI reports, per court filings, that the girl had not been to see a doctor in more than a year and received no prenatal care before delivering the child.
Man Kidnaps, Sexually Abuses Girl, 11, Looking for Lost Dog by Posing as Animal Control: Police
View StorySpeaking with CBS affiliate KOTV, Hutson said that while schools and doctors typically report cases like this, it appears that the girl was homeschooled, limiting opportunities for awareness of her condition and possible intervention on her behalf.
"This child is traumatized," Hutson said before paternity had been determined. "She's been through a horrific ordeal. I mean, not only has somebody gotten her pregnant, but she gave birth at home without medical assistance, and this will be her life for the rest of her life."
After the DNA results came in, Hutson called this "one of the most if not the most serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted" in a statement received by NBC News. "Each of the charges against both defendants are punishable by up to life," she added.
The couple is due back in court on September 3.
If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.