Both pleaded not guilty to charges and have hearings scheduled for this week.
Knox remained in custody in the Montgomery County Jail as of early Monday afternoon. Shepherd posted bond on Dec. 5, according to court records.
Montgomery County Children Services has filed an order seeking temporary custody of the boy and his 9-year-old sister.
Court records allege the children were kept to a bedroom on Arlene Avenue and physically abused by Knox.
The investigation started on Nov. 18 after a woman found the two children wandering in the neighborhood.
“I was looking out my door and I saw them walking and something just didn’t sit right with me,” the 911 caller said, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center records.
The woman said the boy’s mouth was “beat up” and had been bleeding.
“Ma’am his mouth, someone has tortured this child,” she told the dispatcher.
Due to concerns that whoever hurt the children was looking for them, the dispatcher asked the caller to take the children to another place to meet with police.
The boy had bruises, cuts, bloodshot eyes and a severe lip injury that left him unable to close his mouth, according to juvenile court records.
“The children claimed they were regularly tortured by Mr. Knox,” records read. “They reported that he regularly hits and smacks (the boy), sometimes even cutting him with objects.”
Both children were taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital. The girl had a bruise on her side and signs of malnutrition. She was discharged the next day.
The boy had injuries all over his body.
“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.”
The boy also was malnourished, records said. He was discharged on Nov. 21 but will need multiple follow up appointments and possible reconstructive surgery due to the injuries to his face, according to court documents.
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
The children were released to a non-relative who has been in their life but hasn’t seen them since January. The children reportedly haven’t had contact with their birth father for years, and his whereabouts are unknown following their parents’ divorce, according to court records.
Montgomery County Children Services filed a motion seeking temporary custody or alternative care custody to the non-relative.
Children services also wants the children to receive counseling immediately and to be registered for school.
“The children reported that they are not allowed to go to school or take showers,” according to court records. “(The girl) confirmed that they are not going to school.”
Dayton police served a search warrant at the home and found it messy with cat feces throughout the residence, according to juvenile court documents.
“The children’s bedroom appeared to be worse, with a strong odor, trash and refuse in the room,” according to a memo. “Blood was visible on the wall, mattress, air mattress, curtains, towel and items of clothing.”
There were four bottles of urine in and around trash bags and burn ointment on the bed. A camera reportedly was propped up on Pringles cans facing into the room and other cameras were placed outside the house.
Marijuana also was found throughout the house, including places the children could access, according to court documents.
“(The girl) described Mr. Knox was the only one allowed in their room,” court records read. “She said he came in to bring food or to be mean to (the boy).”
The children ate in the bedroom and reportedly had to have Knox’s permission to use the bathroom.
The girl said she was present when Knox punched the boy in the face and would be told to lie down and close her eyes when he was abusing the boy, according to court documents. She also reported Knox would burn them with a lighter and wouldn’t let her brother wear pants or underwear in the house.
“She had to tell him to put them on to run away,” according to court records. “She said they ran away because (the boy’s face) did not look good.”
The girl also reportedly described Knox beating her brother with a belt, using an orange box cutter on him and other abuse.
During an interview with Shepherd, investigators learned she provided the primary income and Knox watches the children while she works.
She said Knox does not allow her to see the children and that he was responsible for their online schooling and feeding them, according to court records. Knox reportedly used the camera to check on the children while they were together and she made deliveries.
“Mother admitted that 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,” read court documents. “She denied ever hearing any screams or crying from the children’s room”
When Shepherd was shown pictures of her son’s injured face, she was visibly shocked and emotional, according to court records.
She reportedly said Knox is “a bit controlling” and breaks things when angry but denied he was physically violent.
Knox denied knowing how the children were injured, according to court documents. He said Shepherd gets the children a sitter when they go on deliveries, but he told police he did not know the sitter’s name and never saw this person.
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