LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. (KTVI) — A Missouri foster mother, who had fostered children for decades, is facing child abuse charges after someone reported that she had traded an adopted daughter to someone in Texas for a monkey. According to authorities, these charges are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

In a statement Sunday, Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood said a 70-year-old woman from Winfield had been arrested for the neglect, abuse, and endangerment “stemming from initial allegations of a missing child that was later located in the state of Texas.”

“It’s going to be a large investigation, and it will take some time,” Wood said, noting that while the investigation was ongoing, the woman was arrested because other children were under her care.

At the time of the woman’s arrest, there were two other children in the home. However, there have been several other foster children in the home prior, which allegedly had over 200 hotline calls to the address, Wood said.

The child at the center of this case, a girl in her teens, was fostered and eventually adopted by the Missouri woman and had been in her care for at least four years.

The woman has been accused of abusing the child with a paddle, wooden trim from walls, and shoes several times in court documents. She’s also accused of taking clothes from the child and not providing enough food.

The girl said she tried to tell people what was happening but that no one believed her.

Court documents indicate an anonymous call was made to social services in November alleging abuse. Authorities say the Winfield School District reported excessive absences involving the child in February.  

That month, a school resource officer (SRO) was notified about the child missing school. As the school began investigating, they learned the child was in Texas. The SRO was told a rumor that the child was exchanged to an individual for a monkey.

A missing child report was then filed by the school, according to Wood.

After getting in touch with Texas law enforcement, the SRO was able to contact the child, who said she was OK. Police in Texas reached the foster mother’s friend, who was allegedly keeping the missing child at her residence to distance the two of them, as they “were not getting along.”

Wood noted that both the woman and her friend own exotic animals and that another witness was allegedly asked to take the child to Texas and bring a monkey back.

“We don’t know that yet, but it is an allegation that’s out there that we need to look into,” he said.

While the woman’s friend told authorities the child was staying in Texas because the foster mother did not want her back, the woman told investigators that she had purchased a plane ticket for the child’s return, but her friend was unable to bring the child to the airport.

The girl was ultimately turned over to Child Protective Services in Texas after being left with another person while the Missouri woman’s friend was away.

Wood said over the weekend that the child is still in the custody of Texas CPS, but the Associated Press reported Wednesday that the teenager has returned to Missouri.

The foster mother is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. She is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Despite the alleged hotline calls to the woman’s home in Winfield, there were never any police reports made to the prosecuting attorney’s office, Wood added. Officials are investigating this aspect of the case.

Wood emphasized that this will be a lengthy case as they uncover more details, and he expects more charges to be filed. The case has also raised questions about whether there were any failures along the way. 

“If there was some type of failure in the system, where was it and how can we fix it,” Wood said while discussing those concerns. He encourages victims to contact his office at (636) 528-6300.

A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services said through an email that “information related to specific child abuse and neglect investigations is closed and confidential under Missouri law, except under very limited circumstances (please see §210.150 RSMo).”

The spokesperson added, “Under Missouri law, the Department of Social Services must contact appropriate law enforcement agencies when it receives a report that merits investigation. Law enforcement agencies may co-investigate or provide other assistance.

The Department of Social Services strongly encouraged anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to call its 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-800-392-3738.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.