A North Carolina woman was arrested and charged on Sept. 30 after allegedly trying to castrate her stepson.
The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bracey Renee Byrd, 33, and charged her with attempted murder, felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, malicious castration, first-degree kidnapping and three counts of felony child abuse with physical injury, according to WNCT.
The Wilson County Department of Social Services alerted the sheriff’s department after Byrd’s 5-year-old stepson was brought to a local medical center with third-degree burns and other injuries in July, according to ABC 11.
The child was then transported to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill for treatment, with officials reporting the boy also had bruising on his face, arms, head, legs, back and genital area which were inconsistent with the burn injuries, WNCT reported.
Man Kills Mother with Hammer, Kills One and Injures 17 by Driving His Truck Through Crowd https://t.co/kDMMvkbxxe
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Police claimed that Byrd, who legally adopted her stepson, had attempted to murder the child, describing the case as “horrific,” according to Newsweek. She is being held under a $2 million secure bond, ABC 11 noted. Further details on the case are being withheld to protect the integrity of the case. (RELATED: Mother Arrested, Placed Under Mental Health Evaluation After Three Children Found Dead)
Malicious castration is a Class C felony in North Carolina, Newsweek reported. It carries a maximum prison sentence of 231 months, according to a local law firm.