A South Carolina woman has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for torturing her 8-year-old stepdaughter in a case prosecutors and doctors described as one of the most severe examples of child abuse they had ever encountered.
On Wednesday, Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge Grace Gilchrist Knie sentenced 27-year-old Tenika Draper to decades behind bars after she pleaded guilty to 20 counts of unlawful neglect of a child and two counts of obstruction of justice. Draper will also face five years of supervised release after serving her prison term.
Draper admitted to a pattern of physical and emotional abuse that left the child hospitalized and scarred. Three co-defendants — Ian Tatro, the child’s father; Trina Draper, her step-grandmother; and Ryan Dezotelle, her step-uncle — still await trial.
Authorities said the abuse included forcing the girl to eat animal feces, feeding her laxatives disguised as candy gummies, and beating her with objects including boards, cords, and frying pans. She was forced to sleep in a closet, kneel inside wooden crates, and stand in a garbage can for punishment, Columbia NBC/CW affiliate WIS reported.
In addition, the child was subjected to “hypothermia baths” and denied use of the bathroom. Prosecutors said she was made to clean her own waste, and at one point had her face rubbed into the carpet when she failed to meet her abusers’ demands. Medical experts later concluded the child’s injuries and experiences “clearly met the criteria for a medical diagnosis of child torture.”
The case began in September 2022, when the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) asked for sheriff’s deputies to assist in a suspected child abuse investigation at a residence in Wellford. Officials later revealed that adults in the home had previously hidden the girl from DSS workers during earlier visits.
When deputies arrived, they found four adults and four children at the residence. The oldest child — later identified as the victim — had a limp, bruises, and makeup covering her injuries. She was immediately taken into protective custody and transported to a hospital. During early court proceedings, prosecutors said the girl told rescuers: “This is the best day of my life.”