Another person has been arrested in connection with a years-long case of a Margate teen who police say was abused, tortured and caged up for years by her legal guardians, records show.
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Denaria Graham, 24, was arrested Wednesday on charges including aggravated child abuse, child neglect with great bodily harm and failure to report child abuse, Broward jail records showed.
Graham is at least the sixth suspect arrested in connection with the case involving a 15-year-old who police said was “maliciously tortured” and “willfully abused” for years.
Authorities said the teen was abused over the course of about 10 years and was found with “evidence of long-term trauma” on her body, including scars, bruising, insect bite marks and signs of malnutrition.
The victim said she slept in two closets throughout almost 10 years, and was allegedly locked in the closets, bound with zip ties, and provided only a bucket for her to use the bathroom in.
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In 2023, the teen’s legal guardians, Latricia Crawley and Benjamin Lockett, were arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm.
Shankyria Clayton, who was accused of participating in and witnessing the abuse, was also arrested, along with the victim’s cousin, Treaunshae Jashawn Gibbons.
Another member of the family who lived in the home, Horace Crawley, was also arrested on charges related to failing to register as a sex offender, records show.
The teen was placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
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