The police arrested the accused on Tuesday and charged him with rape and murder (Representational)
A five-year-old girl from Kansas, United States, was raped and murdered at a homeless campsite after her mother threw her out of the house, as per a report in the New York Post. The accused, Mickel W. Cherry, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with murder and rape of a victim under the age of 14. He is being held on $2 million bond and will appear in court on December 21.
According to the outlet, Zoey Felix was found at a petrol station on October 2 with life-threatening injuries and she was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. According to the neighbours who spoke to Topeka Capital-Journal, Mr Cherry used to live in the same house as Zoey along with other members. However, the five-year-old's mother reportedly threw everyone out and then they decided to live at a campsite, less than a mile away. It is to be noted that the relationship between the accused, and Zoey's mother is unclear.
The girl had a "turbulent" life at her Kansas home, as per the New York Post. Neighbours have also reported seeing the child running around "unsupervised". They informed that people in the community helped to keep her hygienic and give her basic care which included bathing, food and clothing. Zoey also did not attend any school.
A neighbour, Sharon William, said, "Zoey did not deserve to be in anybody's woods. This is her home right here. She has one, two, three, four, five people that would do anything for her." Another neighbour said that she would often come to her asking for something to eat. "It was always 'Can I stay? Can I stay? Normally when a kid is persistent about staying like that, something's going on at home," Shaniqua Bradley remarked.
According to court records cited by the Capital Journal, Zoey's mother admitted guilt to aggravated violence with a dangerous weapon on a kid born in 2018 with the letters Z.F. in court records from March. She was placed on 18 months of "supervised probation" for the same.
Zoey's uncle wrote about her in a GoFundMe for funeral costs, calling her a "sweet, funny, and goofy little girl who had a great smile and laugh that lit up the world."