TEXARKANA — The parents of a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old are facing felony charges in Miller County on accusations of physical abuse of the children.
Alixyana Michella Williams, 21, and Cody Howard, 37, were arrested May 12, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Howard has been charged with two counts of battery and is being held in the Miller County jail with bail set at $200,000. Williams has been charged with two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor and is being held in the Miller County jail with bail set at $50,000.
Both drew the attention of Texarkana police after two family friends took the children to a hospital May 11.
When investigators first observed the children, they noted fading bruises on the boy and fresh bruising on the girl, according to the affidavit.
The 1-year-old girl had bruising on her legs, back, left and right temples and under her left eye.
A cut was discovered on the girl’s inside upper lip, and she had a cut above her right eyebrow, cuts running down the side of her right eye and a healing scratch on her chest.
“Her left eye was also red and nursing staff advised there may be eye damage as well,” the affidavit said.
The family friends told investigators that Williams was not responding to phone calls or text messages since they informed her of their intent to take the children to a hospital, the affidavit said.
Detectives found Williams at her apartment, and she agreed to speak with them at the Bi-State Justice Building.
Williams initially denied knowing why detectives wanted to speak with her about her children, the affidavit said.
“She then said that her friends had pointed out a black eye on (the girl) but she denied any knowledge of the black eye, saying, ‘(the girl) been having a spot under her eye,’” the affidavit said.
“When advised this was more than a spot, she advised she didn’t know anymore.”
Williams also initially denied knowing the origin of marks on the children that appeared to have been made with a strap but later told investigators that Howard hit the children with a belt, according to the affidavit.
When asked by detectives if it were reasonable to hit an infant who couldn’t even walk, Williams said it was unreasonable and claimed that she had told Howard as much, according to the affidavit.
She claimed that Howard had begun hitting the girl only recently and only when she cried “for no reason,” the affidavit said.
“She added that (the girl) cries very loudly and won’t stop, even though she is clean, dry and fed,” the affidavit said.