Couple charged with child abuse after young girl escapes, gets help from stranger

Austin and Kayla Frazier have been charged with first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12.
Austin and Kayla Frazier have been charged with first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12.(Boyd County Detention Center)
Published: Jan. 26, 2024 at 8:54 PM EST
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ASHLAND, Ky. (WSAZ/Gray News) - An 8-year-old is in the hospital after leaving an alleged abusive situation and seeking help from a stranger.

A woman says she answered a loud banging on her door Thursday evening to find a young child covered in bruises.

The woman told WSAZ she allowed the girl inside her home and called 911 before a man and woman, whom the child claimed caused the injuries, knocked on her door.

The woman said she did not answer.

Officers arrived in the neighborhood and arrested the man and woman, later identified as Justin and Kayla Frazier. They are facing a charge of criminal child abuse of a child under 12.

According to the arrest report, the child told officers the couple beat her with a metal pipe, placed her hand on a hot stove, and threw something that hit her head.

The young girl was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Doctors reported that the child had several broken bones that were in various stages of healing.

Justin and Kayla Frazier were booked into the Boyd County Detention Center on $100,000 bonds.