BENTON COUNTY, MO. (KMOV.com) – A Benton County, Mo. man and woman accused of torturing their neighbors and killing a 4-year-old girl were charged Monday.
Officers were called to a home on Buckskin Lane in rural Camp Cole, Missouri just before 1 a.m. Sunday for report of a child dead.
A 28-year-old man told police his 4-year-old daughter was badly beaten, submerged in a pond and left to freeze on the bank before being taken back into the home, where she later died.
Police said the child’s, 28-year-old mother, and two-year-old brother were also found tortured and beaten. Both were taken to a hospital in Sedalia, Missouri for treatment.
On Monday, deputies arrested the family’s neighbors, 35-year-old Ethan Mast and 21-year-old Kourtney Aumen, in connection to the murder.
It is unclear if Ethan Mast was related to the family at this time.
Both Mast and Aumen were charged with second-degree murder, sexual abuse, and three counts of assault. They are being held without bond.
“This is still an active investigation with the possibility of further arrests, so we are unable to provide any further details at this time,” Sheriff Eric Knox with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said.
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