WARNING: This article contains details regarding extreme cruelty and abuse to a child.
A Thibodaux couple have been booked with attempted murder and multiple other charges in a child abuse case one officer describes as the "worst she's ever seen in her career."
Police allege the boyfriend of the girl's mother raped the girl repeatedly, and after the mother found out she blamed the girl and set her on fire with rubbing alcohol. The girl also was shot in the face last month when a gun "went off," the boyfriend allegedly told police. She had received no medical treatment for any of the injuries, they say.
Latonya Ann Harris, 40, and Terrence Washington, 41, were booked after a crash happened in Baytown, Texas and the badly injured child was found in a vehicle, according to Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet.
Harris, the child's mother, was booked with Attempted First Degree Murder, Second-Degree cruelty to a juvenile, and Domestic Abuse Battery Child Endangerment. She remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bond.
Harris' boyfriend, Washington, was booked with two counts of Attempted 1st Degree Murder, Second-Degree Cruelty to a juvenile, Obstruction of Justice, Molestation of a juvenile, 3 counts of Indecent Behavior with a juvenile, and 5 counts of 2nd Degree Rape. He remains jailed in Harris County Texas on charges related to crimes allegedly committed there.
The investigation began on April 21 when the crash happened and police found the child, badly burned and shot multiple times but still alive, during the Baytown traffic crash, the sheriff said.
The information was initially reported to the sheriff's office by local Department of Child Family Services, which quickly linked SVU Detectives to Investigators with the Baytown Police Department. Terrebonne detectives began to receive information from the Baytown Police Department, which indicated that the victim suffered severe injuries at the hands of her mother and mother’s boyfriend.
Baytown Police had received calls about a vehicle traveling recklessly on I-10, and that vehicle ultimately crashed on a service road. When Officers responded to the scene, they found Washington allegedly holding a gun. He was disarmed and taken into custody.
Police also found the child, who was transported to a hospital for treatment. Harris was hospitalized for injuries she sustained in the crash.
Staff at the hospital "discovered the gruesome extent of burns to the upper body of the victim, along with the discovery of gunshot wounds to the victim’s chest and face. An Investigator with the Baytown Police Department described the injuries to the victim as the worst she has seen in her entire career," the sheriff says.
Investigators with the Baytown Police Department interviewed Washington, who allegedly admitted to being responsible for shooting the victim, which took place during a disturbance with his girlfriend, Latonya Harris, at their residence in Thibodaux. Washington also allegedly admitted to being responsible for sexual abuse of the victim, which lasted numerous months prior to the victim’s injuries. Washington also allegedly admitted to knowledge of the victim being burned, which he stated occurred in February of 2024. Washington told police the burns were being treated at their home by Harris.
Washington allegedly told police that the family left for Texas after the girl was shot.
As the investigation continued, SVU Detectives learned that the minor child found within the vehicle was being transported back to Louisiana by a family member. SVU Detectives contacted the minor child and completed an interview with her.
She told detectives that around Mardi Gras, she woke up to find Harris standing over her bed with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a lighter.
"SVU Detectives also listened to gruesome details of the victim being shot on two separate days within the home, which went untreated as the family travelled to Texas," the sheriff said.
Terrebonne detectives executed a search warrant at the family home on West Park Avenue in Thibodaux, and found evidence to confirm gunfire in the home, blood evidence, and a "strong odor of infection and decomposing flesh."
When Terrebonne detectives went Baytown to talk to Washington, he allegedly again that during a disturbance at their home on April 19 he was holding a gun when it went off and shot the victim in the face. He told police that he learned about the burning sometime in February when he came home from work; he said the burns happened after Harris learned of his sexual abuse of the girl; she blamed the girl for the rapes.
Washington told police Harris refused to get any medical treatment for the burns.
Harris was released from the Texas hospital on May 9 and went home. She was arrested there but refused to speak to police.
This remains an ongoing investigation, and additional arrests are not known at this time, the sheriff says.
Soignet said he wanted to send a special thank you to the Baytown Police Department.
“This is the type of case that is not only difficult to deal with the circumstances, but hard to imagine the level of violence and evil that can occur at the hands of a human being. I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to have these extremely violent offenders in custody, and off of our streets. Our Detectives have worked tirelessly since learning of the incident, in hopes of protecting an innocent young lady from further torture and abuse. Unfortunately, this investigation doesn’t stop with the arrest process. Our Detectives will continue to investigate this very complex case, to ensure that these violators remain jailed for a very long time. I would also like to recognize the tremendous amount of cooperation we received from the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s Office during the course of this investigation. This is exactly the type of cooperation that will ensure these offenders are brought to justice, and for that, I am forever grateful.”
