Samuel Roy, on the left, and Tiffany Roy, on the right, appear in mugshots. (Tipton County Sheriff’s Office)
A married couple in Tennessee are facing criminal charges for allegedly breaking their 6-year-old daughter’s arm, on purpose, and then lying about it – and for treating multiple small dogs poorly.
Samuel Roy, Jr., 39, and his wife, Tiffany Roy, 39, stand accused of one count each of aggravated child abuse, and cruelty to animals, according to Tipton County Court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
On June 30, deputies were alerted to allegations of child abuse by staff at a local clinic in Brighton, roughly 30 minutes northeast of Memphis, the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office alleged in press release.
“Deputies spoke with a nurse practitioner who stated she was seeing a patient when she became suspicious about a possible child abuse situation and received conflicting statements about a particular injury,” the TCSO said. The nurse then told deputies the child had been referred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in downtown Memphis “due to the severity of the injury. ”
A detective then visited the hospital and confirmed the “severe injury” to the girl. Staff there said she arrived with her mother.
At the Roy residence on Holly Grove Road, the detective spoke with the girl’s parents – and learned that the 6-year-old had suffered a broken arm which was caused from the torque of a twisting motion,” the sheriff’s office said.
Details about the ensuing interview and investigation are scarce – but the defendants allegedly confessed to each of their roles in the girl’s abuse and a subsequent effort to hide said abuse.
“Samuel Roy Jr. was interviewed and confessed to causing the injury out of anger,” the TCSO press release says. “Tiffany Roy was also interviewed and confessed that she was aware of the true nature of her daughter’s injury and lied to law enforcement, medical staff, and the Department of Children’s Services to protect her husband.”
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Deputies also found three puppies, approximately 3 weeks old, at the Roy residence. The puppies were locked in a small cage, the sheriff’s office said, which was covered in feces and left out in the blistering heat – without any food or “sanitary water” inside.
Each of the dogs was removed by animal control officials, according to the TCSO, “for proper housing and care.”
The girl and other children in the Roy house were placed with relatives by the Department of Children’s Services.
“Cases like these are sickening” Sheriff Shannon Beasley said in the press release. “Our hearts break for this six year old child, as well as the other children, in what appears to be unfit living conditions within the home. I am very thankful for the medical staff that noticed this child’s injury and took appropriate action to notify law enforcement. I am also grateful for the persistent work done by the detectives on this case to bring these two to justice.”
Law&Crime reached out to the TCSO for additional details on this story but no response was immediately forthcoming.
After being arrested and charged, the defendants made initial and secondary court appearances before Judge William A Peeler on July 7 and July 14. Samuel Roy, who has a long list of prior charges dating back to 2004, was assessed $20,000 bond; Tiffany Roy’s bond was set at $10,000.
The defendants are both slated to appear back in court on Aug. 8.
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