NEW JERSEY – Police allege that the mother of a 14-year-old New Jersey girl, whose disappearance drew national attention, brutally abused her for years, forcing her to skip school and beg for money on the streets, they reveal. a judicial complaint.
The complaint against Jamie Moore details a shocking litany of violence that the girl was allegedly forced to endure, prompting her to run away from home and spend a month on the run.
Moore, 39, was arrested Friday on two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Her two children, the 14-year-old and her 3-year-old brother, have been placed in the custody of child protective services.
The 14-year-old East Orange girl disappeared on October 14 after going out to buy some groceries from a local deli. Police safely located her Thursday, exactly four weeks later, in New York City.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens III said in a press release Thursday that the girl was “currently safe and receiving all appropriate services,” and that she would soon be taken back to her home in New Jersey.
Investigators revealed at a news conference Friday morning that the teenager decided to flee her home. Stephens and other top law enforcement officials revealed that their investigation points to the young woman spending a significant portion of the past month in New Jersey before traveling to New York City. How it moved and who, if anyone, may have supported its efforts is something researchers are still trying to piece together.
According to Stephens, the 14-year-old girl had last stayed in a shelter in Brooklyn before the New York City police located her in Harlem. Investigators are also looking at the young woman’s efforts to conceal her identity, possibly by cutting her hair, in addition to initially denying who she was to the officers.
“This is an ongoing investigation. We are pursuing certain leads that we believe may lead to some charges,” Stephens said Friday.
At the time of her disappearance, the young woman was not enrolled in any school, the prosecutor revealed.
The first sign of possible criminal charges also came during the press conference, when Stephens said the leads under investigation “may lead to some charges.” He said he and other officials had planned to meet with the mother later that day.
“The family and our community are grateful that she is safe and alive. We are grateful to all who went out of their way to help find her,” a spokesperson for the Moore family said in a statement at the time.
The girl’s family reported her missing that same day, and Moore told police that she thought her daughter had run away. Later, after attracting media attention and community support in the search for the girl, they insisted that she must have been held against her will. The family also started a GoFundMe to raise funds.
Some of those who joined the recent search efforts said they were upset by what they perceived to be a double standard in the care given to the disappearance of the New Jersey teenager compared to that given to Gabby Petito of Long Island.
“We want the same care for our babies,” a volunteer said recently.
Officials said they were watching from all angles as they investigated the girl’s disappearance. The FBI was also said to have been involved, and a $ 20,000 reward was offered for information that could help bring the girl home.
The criminal complaint offers a narrative contrary to Moore’s public version of events. On the day her daughter left, law enforcement officers allege that the mother verbally and physically abused her daughter for losing her EBT card. They said the 14-year-old girl told investigators she did not return home for fear of further abuse.
According to the complaint, which describes in brutal detail years of alleged abuse at the hands of Moore, the girl suffered regular violence that left her bruised and scared, all while being ordered to care for her younger brother. Since then, Moore’s two children have been placed in the custody of child protective services.
The 14-year-old girl told investigators she was forced to take care of her 3-year-old brother when he woke up in the middle of the night and cooked for the two of them, or they would not eat. The complaint also claims that the mother had her daughter begging in the streets and that further abuse would be distributed if a certain amount of money was not returned. East Orange Police say they were able to substantiate the girl’s allegations of begging.
Investigators said that the forced care of the girl by her brother led to a deterioration in education. Moore forced her daughter to skip virtual school to take trips to the store and spend more time looking at her brother during the day, according to the complaint. After the first year of online instruction, the complaint claims that Moore refused to enroll his daughter for the 2021-22 school year.
It is unknown if Moore obtained an attorney who could comment on the charges he faces.
– .
