On Facebook, Amberly Britton described herself as a “loving parent of 3 children,” but it appears the Missouri mother had a dark secret. Britton’s 7-year-old son reportedly showed up at school with a significant injury requiring medical treatment. When officials tried and failed to get in touch with the child’s parents, investigators went to the family’s mobile home. Britton shared the St. Charles County residence with her boyfriend, Mark Myers, a registered sex offender. Her 7- and 8-year-old boys and her 13-year-old daughter also lived with the couple.
Shockingly, it appears the children suffered significant abuse while living in disgusting conditions. According to court documents, Brian Adelsberger with the St. Charles County Police accompanied Missouri Department of Social Services investigators to the family’s home. While there, they reportedly found “hazardous and unsanitary living conditions.” The extremely cluttered trailer had a strong urine odor, large amounts of trash covering surfaces, and no heat. The parents allegedly kept locks on the refrigerator and cabinets to keep the children out.
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time social services had visited the home, but despite multiple warnings, the adults did not correct the issues. Instead, the family continued to live in squalor, which Britton told police was her children’s fault. When speaking to law enforcement, the children made horrific accusations about the home.
The adults in the home reportedly denied the children food and forced them to endure physical pain from hunger. The 13-year-old told police she vomited from being so hungry and faced punishment for getting sick. Britton and Myers reportedly showed no regard for the children and made them completely fend for themselves.
“They described being subjected to physical discipline, including being struck with belts, paddles, and other objects, as well as being grabbed or dragged by the neck. The children stated that their bruises and injuries were concealed, and they were instructed not to disclose what occurred inside the home,” a probable cause statement noted.
Britton, who recently received an inheritance, apparently didn’t spend any of it on her children, as no children’s clothing or toys were spotted in the home, per the document. Investigators also noted the mother showed no remorse for the family’s living conditions.
The residence also housed drug paraphernalia and substances, according to a probable cause statement. Andrew Nicolay with the St. Charles County police believes Britton and Myers intended to sell the drugs.
“Upon defeating the locked safe, multiple baggies of suspected methamphetamine were located inside the safe along with a digital scale and an undetermined amount of money. lt should be noted, each baggie appeared to have a different amount in each bag, appearing to be packaged up for sales,” he wrote.
“Due to my training and experience as a narcotics detective, I believed the narcotics were packaged up for sale along with the digital scale and undetermined amount of money being located in the same safe as the suspected narcotics.”
Police arrested Britton and Myers, who each face drug trafficking and child endangerment charges. A judge ordered their bonds at $250,000, cash only. Perhaps they’d like to be beaten, starved, and forced to live in a filthy cell with no heat while they await their court date. Sadly, they’ll get better treatment in jail than those poor kids.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
