Trigger Warning: The article contains details of child assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Kenneth Ray Cook of Raleigh County allegedly sexually assaulted her daughter for 12 years. As per court documents viewed by PEOPLE, Cook started to assault her daughter sexually since she was a mere child of 9 years and he continued till she was 21 years old. As a result of these assaults, 3 children have also been born as confirmed by local NBC affiliate WVVA.
The 44 years old father was first charged back in April, with allegations of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and child neglect. There were also charges of incest against him. He was then indicted on June 3, based on the testimony of a deputy with the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office and as reported by PEOPLE, “faces 149 total counts of incest — the most recent dated July 2024, per court records. He faces a total of 152 charges.”
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The court records mentioned that one of three children that Cook had with his daughter was found in a neglectful condition. The child is only 1 years old. Presently, Cook is in Southern Regional Jail as he has been since March and is on a $500,000 bond.
The incident shows how it is important to keep a tab on children even when they are living with parents. Despite being a father, Cook assaulted his own daughter and fathered three children with her. Moreover, these children were also being neglected and if Cook was not put behind the bars, the assaults could have continued.
As per National Statistics on Child Abuse, “550,000 children are known to U.S. authorities to be abused. More than 550,000 children are known to U.S. authorities to be abused. An estimated 558,899 children (unique incidents) were victims of abuse and neglect in the U.S. in 2022, the most recent year for which there is national data. That’s 8 children out of every thousand.”
The site further mentioned, “U.S. Child welfare authorities look into the safety of more than 7.5 million kids annually. Of those, around 3 million children received an investigation or alternative response from child protective services agencies.”
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Besides the registered cases, there are also instances of abuse that never get reported. Children who grow up abused show signs of mental and physical health issues and often transition into a troubled adulthood.
It is therefore important to keep an eye out and report any instance of abuse to Childhelp National Child Abuse by calling on 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453.
