Photo: Essex County Prosecutor's Office
The mother of a rescued teenager is the subject of a new criminal complaint that accuses her of abusing and mistreating her daughter for years.
Jamie Moore pleaded for help in finding missing 14-year-old Jashyah Moore who vanished after making a trip to a nearby corner store in mid-October. Thankfully, Jashyah was found safe in NYC after taking refuge in a women's shelter in Brooklyn last week through a coordinated search effort led by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
According to reports, Jashyah Moore told investigators she was fleeing her mother and the abuse she endured at home. Jashyah reportedly detailed years of mistreatment and several instances of abuse –– including an incident where her mother sprayed bleach into her eyes.
Jashyah said her mother would pull her braids out, and hit her with various objects, including a frying pan. A criminal complaint against Jamie Moore states she would put her knees on Jashyah's neck and back "causing her to struggle to breathe."
The 14-year-old said she was "forced to cook" for herself and younger brother, or else they wouldn't eat. Authorities are also accusing Jamie Moore of educational neglect after school records indicate Jashyah was kept from attending or enrolling in school.
Instead, the criminal complaint says, Jamie Moore would send her daughter out to panhandle –– a claim that the East Orange Police Department said has been corroborated.
Authorities said Jashyah had cut her braids off to avoid being recognized in NYC, but finally admitted who she was last week.
"The young lady appears to have run away, and didn't want to make herself known to anybody where she was," Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens III said at a news conference Friday (November 12) before news of Jamie Moore's arrest was made.
"She seemed to be more at ease where she was."
Volunteers who looked for Jashyah alongside Jamie Moore say they feel tricked after learning of the criminal complaint against her.
"We feel like we was shafted, bamboozled, misled," one search volunteer Tony Olajuwon told NBC New York.
Jashyah and her three-year-old brother are in the custody of New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
Jamie Moore faces two counts of child endangerment and is accused of physical abuse and neglect. She remains in the Essex County Correctional Facility before a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday (November 17).
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.