NJ Couple Allegedly Kept Daughters In Dog Crates And Chains For Years Of Sexual And Physical Abuse

A New Jersey couple is facing a slew of charges for allegedly keeping two daughters out of school and confined in squalid conditions while sexually abusing at least one of them, authorities said.

The Camden County Prosecutors Office Special Victims Unit and Gloucester Township Police Department said in a joint press conference Wednesday that Brenda Spencer, 38, and her husband Branndon Mosley, 41, are both facing a dozen charges, with Moseley facing additional sexual assault charges. Spencer is the victims’ mother, and Mosley their stepfather.

Investigators were notified on May 10 that an 18-year-old woman had escaped the home on May 8. She reported she had been pulled out of school in the sixth grade and held captive in the home for several years. She was allegedly forced to live in a dog crate for about a year, before she was forced to live in a padlocked bathroom while chained up and sexually abused. At other times, she was forced to live in a bare room with only a bucket to use as a toilet. The room allegedly had an alarm system that would notify Spencer and Mosley if she tried to escape.

The victim said she was beaten and sexually abused by Mosley. Some of abuse allegedly dates back to when the girl was between 13 and 16. 

When detectives searched the residence, they found the victims had been living in “squalid conditions alongside numerous dogs, chinchillas, and other animals.” A 13-year-old who also lived at the home had also been removed from school years ago.

“This is one of the most despicable cases I’ve ever run across,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said during the press conference.

“What this young woman survived was absolutely horrific,” said Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay, who also noted there had been no prior complaints about the couple from their neighbors. She also noted that in New Jersey, parents need only notify their school district of their intent to homeschool, with no requirement by the state’s Department of Education to follow up or confirm instruction.

“Homeschooling may be the right choice for many families, unfortunately, it can be used by others as a means to hide abuse,” she said.

Spencer is unemployed, while Mosley was working as a train conductor for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

Both Spencer and Mosley were arrested and charged with first degree kidnapping, second-degree conspiracy to commit kidnapping, second-degree aggravated assault, five counts of endangering the welfare of a child – abuse/neglect, third-degree criminal restraint, third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

Mosley was additionally charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child – sexual contact.