JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a case that has shocked even hardened investigators, four children were allegedly forced to live for years inside the cramped cab of a semi-truck, rarely allowed outside even to use the restroom, according to police reports and charging documents.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detectives say the children had been confined in the truck cab driven by their mother, 51-year-old Keisha Monique Epps, since December 2019. Epps worked as a truck driver, and her fiancé, 37-year-old Tamra Stewart, allegedly helped keep the children locked inside the vehicle.
The kids shared a single bunk mattress, forced to sleep side-by-side and curled up because there was not enough room to stretch out. Investigators say they were fed poorly, received no proper medical care, and were never enrolled in school. When detectives finally located them, the children walked with an “unnatural gait”, a physical deformity caused by years of near-total confinement in the tiny space.
According to the arrest report, the nightmare went far beyond neglect. The children told police they witnessed and experienced sexual abuse by Stewart. When the kids confronted him, Stewart allegedly beat them by punching them in the head. The children said they reported the abuse to their mother. Epps, police say, did not believe them, called them derogatory names, and continued leaving them alone with Stewart.
Stewart now faces capital sexual battery charges, Florida’s most serious sex crime against children, along with child neglect counts. Epps faces four counts of child neglect. Both were arrested on August 6 and remain in the Duval County Jail. Court appearances are scheduled later this month.
The trucking company that employed Epps, Forward Air, has cut ties with her.
Authorities describe the conditions as among the most disturbing cases of prolonged child confinement and abuse they have seen. The children are now safe and receiving care. Prosecutors are expected to pursue the maximum penalties available under Florida law.
This is one of those cases that leaves no room for excuses. Four children spent the better part of a decade living like animals in a truck cab while the adults responsible for them allegedly looked the other way, or worse. Justice must be swift, and it must be severe.
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