In a tragic case that has shocked North Carolina, three women now face charges connected to the death of a 6-year-old girl who weighed only 27 pounds at the time of her passing earlier this month.

The young girl’s name was Dominique Moody, and court documents reveal she suffered from numerous injuries and scars upon her death, as reported by the Charlotte Observer.

Details from the records indicate that Dominique had burn scars, fractured ribs, and wounds typically associated with prolonged exposure to urine or feces, likely from being left in soiled diapers for extended periods.

Children residing in the same home informed investigators that Dominique’s legal guardian, her aunt Tonya McKnight, forced the girl to stay in a dog crate.

McKnight made a 911 call on December 16, leading officers to a home in disarray, overwhelmed by a “strong odor of feces and urine.” According to an affidavit, the premises were infested with rats and cluttered with both human and animal waste.

McKnight, Moody’s adopted sister, Tery’n McKnight, and another woman who lived at the home, Susan Robinson, were charge with five child abuse counts and are being held without bail.

According to WSOC, prosecutors are awaiting lab results, which could lead to murder by torture charges.

The Observer also reported that police had been called to the home five times since 2022.

Tonya McKnight filed for custody of Moody and her sibling in 2020, writing in her filing that the children’s mother “is unstable and not equipped to care for the children.” The mother signed “permanent  custody agreements” with McKnight that same year, giving her sister power of attorney over the children.

A court order was issued to that effect the following year.

According to WBTW, Tonya McKnight, 51, is the grandmother to three other children – ages 1 to 4 — living at the home. The status of those children is unclear.