Last week in Oklahoma, Camille Rechae Lewis and John Lawrence Miles were arrested on multiple counts of child abuse and child neglect. Miles was additionally charged with one count of child sexual abuse. The arrests of Lewis and Miles come amid an ongoing investigation into the death of their 11-year-old son, whom Lewis claimed ran away.
The case broke open when the children’s grandmother contacted police on January 27th, reporting that her grandson had been missing for some time and may be deceased. She also stated that her granddaughter had been the victim of severe continued sexual abuse. The grandmother also mentioned that Lewis had left her 13-year-old daughter with her in September 2022 and that she was skin and bones. Lewis said that the 11-year-old had died, but did not provide any further details.
The 13-year-old girl told detectives that her mother and stepfather would confine her and her brother in separate closets for days at a time and that they were not fed or given anything to drink. Additionally, they were beaten with belts and cords. The girl also said that at times she and her brother were made to sleep in an igloo-style doghouse in the backyard and exercise outdoors in the cold. The stepfather allegedly offered the girl food in exchange for sexual favors.
The girl also recalled her mother telling her about her brother’s death. According to Lewis, the 11-year-old had suffered a seizure and died, and they did not seek medical help in fear of being in trouble. In order to cover up the death, Miles and a cousin buried the body in a park before digging it up, burning it in a barrel and disposing of the ashes in a drainage system.
When authorities took Lewis into custody on February 7th, she admitted to abusing her children and causing the scars seen on her daughter’s body, but said she hadn’t seen her son since he ran away.