“The systemic abuse these children went through was horrific,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. “This defendant deserves every single day of his lengthy prison sentence for what he did to these precious children.”
On Nov. 18, 2024, a woman found a 9-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy wandering Arlene Avenue in Dayton.
She called 911 and reported the boy’s mouth was “beat up,” according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center records.
“Ma’am his mouth, someone has tortured this child,” she told the dispatcher.
The children told Dayton police they left home and were looking for help, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Both children were taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital.
The boy had a severe lip injury that prevented him from closing his mouth, as well as injuries all over his body, according to Montgomery County Juvenile Court records.
“He had burns, cuts, bruises and fractures in different stages of healing,” records read. “Some were fresh. He also had injuries to his genitalia and buttocks.”
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
His sister had a bruise on her side. The boy and girl had signs of malnutrition, according to juvenile court documents.
Knox allegedly confined the children to a bedroom, and they had to get his permission to use the bathroom.
When police searched the house, they found trash, refuse and bottles of urine in the children’s bedroom, according to juveniles court documents. A camera was propped up on two Pringles cans facing into the room.
“Blood was visible on the wall, mattress, air mattress, curtains, towel and items of clothing,” a court memo read.
The girl told investigators she was present when Knox punched her brother in the face and was told to lie down and close her eyes when Knox abused the boy, according to court documents.
Knox also allegedly burned the boy with a lighter, hit him with a belt and used a box cutter on him.
The children’s mother, Kayla Shepherd, told detectives Knox takes care of the children while she works and he doesn’t allow her to see them, according to court documents.
“Mother admitted she knew the children were imprisoned in their room since the summer of 2024 and she regularly did not see them for weeks at a time,” juvenile court records read. “She denied ever hearing any screams or crying from the children’s room.”
Knox denied knowing how the children were injured. He said Shepherd got a sitter for them when they made Spark and DoorDash deliveries, according to court records.
On Nov. 27, 2024, a grand jury indicted Knox and Shepherd on four counts of endangering children.
More than 100 counts were added to Knox’s case on Jan. 2, 2025, according to the prosecutor’s office. Shephard faced two additional drug charges.
Knox pleaded guilty to 102 counts of endangering children, seven counts of aggravated arson (harm to a person) and one count of strangulation last month.
Shepherd pleaded guilty to four counts of endangering children and one count each of aggravated possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to common pleas court records.
The possession of drug paraphernalia and one of the endangering children charges are misdemeanors. Shepherd’s sentencing is set for May 25.
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