West Virginia couple charged with felonies over alleged child strangulation and deprivation

A couple from Evans, West Virginia, has been charged with six felony counts each following an investigation into alleged years of physical and emotional abuse of three children, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities allege the children were struck and strangled, deprived of food, water and bathroom access, and subjected to other punishments, including being forced to run barefoot on gravel. Investigators also cited allegations that one child was injured with an electronic device and denied medical care, and that another was restrained while her hair was forcibly cut. The sheriff’s office said physical evidence, including scars, and the children’s accounts supported the charges; the children were removed from the home, and the couple has posted bond, according to one report.