Warrensburg couple charged after 2 girls found locked in home

WARRENSBURG, Mo. — A west-central Missouri couple are accused of felony child abuse for allegedly locking two children inside their bedrooms.

Johnson County prosecutors have charged Robert Lee Brown and his girlfriend, Brandi Emiston, with two counts each of child abuse involving Emiston’s children.

Authorities said the investigation began in April when a neighbor asked the sheriff’s department to check on two children inside the Warrensburg home.

A responding deputy reportedly saw an 8-year-old girl banging on a second-story window, crying for help, and a 10-year-old girl there reportedly managed to force her way out of a locked bedroom and let the deputy inside. Both girls were home alone.

A prosecutor said firefighters removed a padlock and freed the 8-year-old.

Online court records don’t show whether Emiston or Brown have attorneys.

Pertinent address:

Warrensburg, Mo.