MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NC- It's not certain if there is something in the water in North Carolina, but we continue to see disturbing stories coming from there. The latest outrage is that of a court-appointed guardian who has been accused of fatally abusing a 6-year-old child under her care, Law & Crime reports.
Authorities said that Susan Robinson, along with two other adults living with her, duct-taped and starved the child for over a year as “punishment for many things,” including eating. She was “forced to stay in a dog crate,” the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said.
Robinson was arrested last week and charged with one count of intentional child abuse resulting in serious physical injury and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse. Another adult in the home, Tonya McKnight, was arrested and charged this week with felony intentional child abuse causing severe bodily injury. A third adult, Tery’n McKnight, is still at large.
Authorities said the three sickos were living in “horrid” conditions with at least five children and were their primary caregivers. The six-year-old victim, Dominique Moody, died earlier this month. Hospital staff said she weighed only 27 pounds, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The other children are aged five, four, two, and one.
“Tery’n McKnight, Susan Robinson, and Tonya McKnight...are the primary caregivers,” the affidavit read. “The unkempt and inhospitable state of the residence, the children residing amongst rats and cockroaches, the children being bitten by rats, the residence’s daily lack of heat, and the duct taping are well known to all three individuals.”
The Sheriff’s office said that photos obtained from one of the suspects’ phones showed Dominique “duct taped with black duct tape, her hands and feet swollen, lying on the carpeted area of the living room” before her death.
Police alleged that Robinson and the other abused the child for approximately a year and a half, forcing her to watch them eat as she sat in a “soiled, urine and feces-filled diaper for days and days,” the affidavit says. The child had an “extreme rash” due to those conditions, and also had multiple serious injuries, including wounds from the rash, broken bones, scars, and burns,” authorities wrote.
“The victim was extremely small. She had a healed ligature mark going all the way around her right ankle and linear healed scars on top of her right arm,” the affidavit said. “On top of her right foot and outer right leg were healed circular scars. The victim had an open circular wound on the outer ankle, which appeared to be a burn. She had various minor open wounds on her knees, face, arms, and legs.”
Police also wrote that Dominique showed a “fracture to the right pinky toe, which was older and had healed,” and also had multiple lower rib fractures on both sides of her body.
“These fractures were newer, but in various states of healing,” the affidavit continued.
Robinson, the affidavit said, had “seen Dominique Moody, duct taped, left without food, in soiled diapers for days, and refused to assist, call 911, or report that abuse and neglect.” The affidavit said the residence “had a mixture of animal and human feces throughout.”
Authorities said there was no central heat in the house, with the only heat sources being the oven, a space heater in the living room, and a space heater in a bedroom. Numerous rats were seen “scurrying” through the home. They noted that overnight temperatures had gotten down to 20 degrees.
Robinson was appointed as caregiver for Dominique by the Department of Social Services. Law & Crime reached out for comment; however, DSS did not respond. Robinson has been held without bail and is due back in court on Jan. 9, 2026. McKnight is being held on a $2 million bond with a Jan 13, 2026, court appearance date. Efforts to locate Tery’n McKnight have proven unsuccessful.
Law Enforcement Today has also reached out to DHSS for comment. We will update this story if/when that is received.
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