Two sentenced to prison in North Carolina child abuse case

ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) — Two North Carolina people were sentenced to prison Friday in a child abuse case from 2017 involving a 5-year-old girl who was malnourished and locked underneath a staircase.

The Randolph County District Attorney’s office said Adam Byrd was sentenced to between 16.5 years and 20 years in prison, while Crystal Carnahan was given a sentence of between 14 and 17 years, WGHP reported.

Police said officers doing a welfare check in September 2017 found the child locked in a 2-foot by 4-foot (0.6 meters by 1.2 meters) closet under a stairway.

The officers were responding to reports that a child was being abused. According to police, the girl was extremely malnourished and had burns, scratches, and bruises all over her body.

Byrd, who is the girl’s father, and Carnahan pleaded guilty to two counts each of intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.