LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. – Officials say new child abuse charges filed against a Winfield woman who has fostered children for a decade is “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood released a statement Sunday evening that Brenda Deutsch, 70, was arrested for the neglect, abuse and endangerment “stemming from initial allegations of a missing child that was later located in the state of Texas.”

“It’s going to be a large investigation, and it will take some time,” Lincoln County prosecuting attorney Mike Wood said.

He said that even though the investigation is not yet completed, his office acted because another child was in Deutsch’s care at the time of her arrest. 

The child in this case was fostered and eventually adopted by Deutsch and had been in her care for at least four years.

At the time of Deutsch’s arrest, there were two other children in the home. However, there have been several other foster children in the home prior, which allegedly had over 200 hotline calls to the address, Wood said.

Court documents note several instances where Deutsch abused the child with a paddle, wooden trim from walls, and shoes. She’s also accused of taking clothes from the child and not providing enough food.

Court documents indicate an anonymous call was made to social services in November alleging abuse.  Authorities say the Winfield School District reported excessive absences involving the child in February.  

In that month, a school resource officer (SRO) was notified about the child missing school. As the school began investigating, they learned the child was in Texas. The SRO was told a rumor that the child was exchanged to an individual in Texas for a monkey.

Wood said over the course of the investigation, there have been allegations Deutsch offered to trade her foster child for a monkey with that friend in Texas.

“We don’t know that yet, but it is an allegation that’s out there that we need to look into,” he said.

A missing child report, nevertheless, was then filed by the school, according to Wood.

After getting in touch with Texas law enforcement, the SRO was able to contact the child, who said she was OK. Police in Texas reached Deutsch’s friend, who was keeping the child at her residence to distance the two of them, as they “were not getting along.”

Wood noted that both Deutsch and her friend owned exotic animals, and that another witness was allegedly asked to take the child in exchange for a monkey.

The child stayed in Texas as the friend said Deutsch did not want her back. Deutsch countered by telling investigators she had purchased a plane ticket for the child, but her friend did not have a way to get the child to the airport.

The child told Texas police of the physical abuse occurring at her home in Missouri and that the individual she was staying with left for days at a time to tend to the exotic animals. When Deutsch’s friend was gone, the child was brought to a second person’s home.

Deutsch’s friend was anticipated to be out of town for five days, and when she did not return for seven days, the second individual turned the child over to Child Protective Services in Texas. Wood said that the child is still in the custody of Texas CPS.

Despite the alleged hotline calls to Deutsch’s home in Winfield, there were never any police reports made to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Wood added. Officials are investigating this detail of the case.

Wood emphasized that this will be a lengthy case as they uncover more details, and he expects more charges to be filed.

He said the case has raised questions about whether there were any failures along the way.  He said, “If there was some type of failure in the system, where was it and how can we fix it.”

However, he encourages victims to contact his office at 636-528-6300.

A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Social Services said through an email that “information related to specific child abuse and neglect investigations is closed and confidential under Missouri law, except under very limited circumstances (please see §210.150 RSMo).”

The spokesperson added, “Under Missouri law, the Department of Social Services must contact appropriate law enforcement agencies when it receives a report that merits investigation. Law enforcement agencies may co-investigate or provide other assistance.

The Department of Social Services strongly encourages anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to call its 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-800-392-3738. 

Deutsch is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. Her initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.