Stepmom’s Shocking Abuse: Young Girl Chained in Room, Forced to Scavenge for Food

A Texas woman faces a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of severely abusing her stepdaughter, a middle school student, by confining her in a locked bedroom and forcing her to scavenge for food in trash cans.

Marianna Miles, aged 46, received a prison sentence of up to 70 years following a jury’s decision on Thursday that found her guilty of causing serious mental injury to a child, as reported by the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office.

Miles became the guardian of her stepdaughter and her four brothers after their biological parents were incarcerated on unrelated charges. Authorities initiated an investigation in 2022 when Miles enrolled the girl at Connally Junior High School in Elm Mott, near Waco.

During a meeting with the school’s officials, Miles claimed her stepdaughter exhibited “severe behavior problems” and insisted she needed constant supervision. Miles also stated the girl was not permitted to eat without her explicit consent, according to prosecutors.

However, school staff grew concerned about Miles’ treatment of the child, especially after noting that the girl, despite being “unkempt with inadequate clothing,” was “well-behaved and polite.”

“Educators also noticed that the child was thin and always hungry, even going so far as to rummage through garbage cans for food,” prosecutors said.

Then in October 2022 a teacher noticed an injury to the child’s face. At first, the girl was hesitant to say what happened but then pointed the finger at Miles, saying her stepmom beat her with a belt buckle. The teacher alerted Child Protective Services and the Lacy Lakeview Police Department.

Authorities visited Miles’ home and discovered the girl was forced to stay in a “sparse” bedroom with no mattress and an alarm on the door that would go off if she tried to leave the room. According to a courtroom report from local CBS affiliate KWTX, the girl testified that Miles would force her to stay in her room for up to 20 hours during the pandemic.

Not only would Miles beat her, but the stepmother would also force the victim’s brothers to beat her.

“Miles also bound the child in both duct tape and, ultimately, heavy chains,” prosecutors said.

The suspect initially denied using chains on the girl but CPS investigators found the them inside the home. A child psychologist testified at trial that the girl suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Miles reportedly testified she restrained the girl because she would often run away, attempted suicide three times and was a threat to the younger siblings.

“Our greatest privilege as prosecutors is to hold accountable those who perpetrate evil against those who are most vulnerable,” Tara Avants and Will Hix, assistant district attorneys, said in a statement. “This case exemplifies that. If convicted criminals were treated in the manner that Marianna Miles treated this child, prison authorities would be subject to prosecution. We are grateful to the real-life superheroes at Connally Junior High School, CPS and the Lacy Lakeview Police Department who made it possible to bring justice to an offender who earned every minute of her 70-year sentence.”

By law, Miles will be eligible for parole after 15 years. Prosecutors said they plan to object to her parole when she is eligible.

The girl, now 16, is living with her mother and siblings in Killeen, per KWTX.