Cody Wayne Ainsworth, a 52-year-old Texas resident, was recently arrested on charges of child injury. The charges stem from allegations of severe abuse against his young grandchildren. Ainsworth was apprehended last week when the Bruceville-Eddy Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding potential child abuse at a home in Waco, roughly 100 miles south of Dallas.
The call was placed by Ainsworth’s stepdaughter, who is also the mother of the three children involved. She reported a dispute with Ainsworth concerning his treatment of her children. The mother recounted a disturbing episode where Ainsworth allegedly became enraged when her 7-year-old son used his body wash to create extra bubbles in the bath. According to a probable cause affidavit, Ainsworth forced the child to put his hand on the kitchen table and then repeatedly struck the child’s hand with his own.
The mother also alleged that this type of punishment was not unusual for Ainsworth. She claimed that he frequently used adult language and profanity when speaking to the children, often threatening them with physical harm.
Further evidence was provided by Ainsworth’s wife, the children’s grandmother. She shared a series of recordings with investigators in which Ainsworth can allegedly be heard threatening the children. The grandmother can also be heard chastising her husband for his treatment of the grandchildren, accusing him of treating them like dogs and speaking to them as if they were adults, which she identified as child abuse.
As the investigation continued, a school nurse reported a conversation with one of the boys who claimed he had injured his back when “Grandpa Cody” tackled him. A teacher also provided documentation of one child’s frequent physical discomforts, including injuries to his stomach, feet, cheek, chin, and elbows.
During forensic interviews, the youngest victim, a 4-year-old boy, reportedly told authorities that he was afraid of Ainsworth, who he claimed had used a belt to hit him on his stomach. Ainsworth was held in the McLennan County Jail on a $150,000 bond and has since bonded out. His court date has not yet been announced.