Photo: Constantine Johnny / Moment / Getty Images
A Harrisburg mother and stepfather are facing serious criminal charges after three young children reported being physically abused, sexually assaulted, and subjected to cruel punishments inside their home on S. 15th Street.
Keysha Reyes-Troche, 27, and Wuilder Ernesto Herrera-Palacios, 30, were both taken into custody and are now held at Dauphin County Prison. According to online court records, charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment were filed against both suspects.
The investigation began when officers responded to the home of the children's biological father after a 7-year-old girl said she and her 5-year-old brother were being hit by Reyes-Troche and Herrera-Palacios. The children were later interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center, where they described a pattern of abuse.
The 7-year-old told investigators that Herrera-Palacios touched her sexually, and that she had told Reyes-Troche about it. She also described being made to eat food off the floor, having her hair cut by Reyes-Troche, and being called ugly and useless. The children said they were forced to kneel on rice as punishment — with their hands raised against a wall or tied behind their backs.
The 5-year-old told police that Reyes-Troche hit him with a belt and a stick, and would pull his ears until he bled. According to the affidavit, the children also said that their 3-year-old autistic half-brother was locked in a closet.
Police photographed scars and scratches on the children after being called to a hospital on Wednesday (January 21). During a search of the home on Thursday (February 19), officers found two black belts, a chopstick with letters on it, and a large bag of rice. Reyes-Troche told police that a second stick they were looking for had been thrown out.
Reyes-Troche faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault, simple assault, endangering the welfare of children, false imprisonment of a minor, kidnapping of a minor, sexual exploitation of children, and unlawful restraint of a minor. Herrera-Palacios faces those same charges, along with a count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.
Herrera-Palacios' bail was set at $1.5 million, while Reyes-Troche's bail was set at $50,000, according to court records. Preliminary hearings for both suspects are scheduled for Thursday (March 5).