Woman arrested on child abuse charges

A St. Louis woman was arrested Friday on felony child abuse charges, police reported Monday.

About 12:45 p.m. Friday, police and someone from the Missouri Children's Division went to the 700 block of South Ellis Street to investigate a hotline call about possible physical abuse to two boys, ages 2 and 6, said Darin Hickey, public information officer for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

"Through their investigation, they determined that they did believe that abuse may be occurring," he said.

Police found and arrested the boys' mother, 29-year-old Madonna D. Thurman of St. Louis, about 1:50 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 74 and Sprigg Street, Hickey said.

Thurman now faces two counts of abuse or neglect of a child, a class C felony, he said.

The boys were taken into custody and released to the Missouri Children's Division, Hickey said.

Online court records show Thurman pleaded guilty in 2007 to a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Pertinent address:

700 block of South Ellis Street