Two Children Charged with Rape, Attempted Murder of 5-Year-Old Girl

Two Cleveland children have been hit with some pretty horrific charges, after the brutal assault of a 5-year-old girl.

On Wednesday, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office in Ohio announced that two juveniles — a 10-year-old female and 9-year-old male — have been charged in connection with an attack on another child. They’ve initially been charged with one count of attempted murder, four counts of rape, two counts of felonious assault, one count of kidnapping, one count of strangulation.

Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing — adding that, “given the sensitive nature of this case, we decline to release any additional details and decline to comment further.” A spokesperson told the New York Times that the charges were filed in juvenile court, while the two children would be arraigned at a later date.

According to a police report, via 3News, police responded to a 911 call from a babysitter saying the 5-year-old girl had gone missing.

The child was later found in a field, in the fetal position, near the home — as a witness told authorities they saw three children take her to the area and attack her. Her clothing was later found in the field, per the report, while video evidence and Ring camera footage was recovered.

The victim’s mother, Antavia Kennibrew, also spoke with the outlet, telling them her daughter has “been affected mentally and physically by what was done with her, so just seeing how much she changed is hard.” She added, “What was done to her was inhumane, so it made me think like there was no more human decency left.”

Speaking with Cleveland 19, she said her daughter was “unrecognizable” when she saw her.

“What I saw was unbelievable,” she continued. “My daughter was not my daughter. Her hair was scalped from her head. She had bruises and blood all over her body. Her eyes were filled with blood. Her lips and mouth were filled with blood. Her nails had debris and dirt in it.”

Kennibrew shared more on Facebook, where she has been trying to get more coverage of her daughter’s case — even sharing photos of her injuries — before the initial charges were announced.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw in front of me,” she wrote, detailing the alleged signs of physical and sexual assault she witnessed, while saying her daughter was “unresponsive.”

“My daughter is completely traumatized. I am completely traumatized. These kids broke my daughter’s spirit,” she wrote. “They literally tried to kill my daughter.”

The mother added that her daughter is now in therapy, adding, “I want her to be somewhat of a normal five-year-old again.”

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.