Did Agency Miss Signs of Child Abuse?

June 24, 2004 -- A 3-year-old Tennessee girl is lying in a Knoxville hospital, recovering from chemical burns on her eyes, arms, legs and buttocks, while the county Department of Child Services is investigating whether it could have done something to prevent the abuse.

While Haley Spicer recovers from surgery to treat her injuries, her biological father and his live-in girlfriend have been charged with child abuse.

Haley was taken from her Jacksboro home on June 16, when sheriff's deputies responding to a call from a neighbor found the girl burned and starved, with her eyes swollen shut and other bruises and marks on her body.

In addition to the chemical burns, Haley had a broken nose, scalding marks on her back and feet that may have been from boiling water, and cigarette burns all over her body, police said.

The neighbor discovered the child's condition after the father, who has custody of her, and his girlfriend were arrested earlier in the day on unrelated charges. Haley's brother and two sisters — who apparently hid when the deputies took the couple away — had gone to the neighbor's home.

Haley's siblings appeared to be in good health and were placed together in a foster home, according to county officials.

Tommy Owens, 30, and Charlotte Claiborne, 31, pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse and child neglect Monday and were both ordered by Judge Joe Ayers to be held in the Campbell County Jail on $400,000 bond. They are due back in Campbell County court on June 29 for a preliminary hearing.

Owens and Claiborne are not the only ones facing charges related to the case, though.