Trigger Warning: This article mentions details about ruthless physical and sexual abuse
Thanks to news reports and social media, stories of child abuse across the world have now come to notice. In the latest news, an Arkansas man has been slammed with alleged child abuse charges after a school counsellor said that a man had sexually abused a girl.
Daniel Caler, 31, and Annie Caler, 29, were arrested by the Benton Police Department on May 9 after she complained to the school counsellor, who called the cops.
While the relationship between the girl and the couple remains unclear, at the time of writing, she claimed Daniel Caler had ra-ed her for three years, from August 2020, according to an affidavit obtained by KHBS. Shockingly, after one such abusive instance, the girl allegedly claimed that she overheard Daniel telling Annie he would “kill her” if she told anyone.
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As per The Mirror, the girl, whose name and age haven’t been publicly released, was reportedly very scared to open up about the abuse since Daniel Caler’s threatening statement. The rest of the affidavit also contained some disturbing details of the abuse. For instance, she said that the couple used to hit her regularly and that Annie allegedly stabbed her in the neck for not doing the “dishes correctly.”
The girl also informed the police that she was given only one Pop-Tart and one glass of water to consume. In addition, she was forced to sleep in the bathtub without a blanket or pillow. Sadly, the girl who seemed traumatized said that they made it feel like the abuse was her fault.
As per the outlet, Daniel Caler has been charged with assault, abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, according to online jail records. Meanwhile, Annie Caler has been charged with child abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, along with terroristic threats and the introduction of a controlled substance into another body.
A couple in Arkansas was arrested after a girl told a school counselor about the abuse she suffered for three years. https://t.co/E3ixHwrU5F
— 13 Action News (@13abc) May 28, 2025
The couple has been detained in the Benton County Detention Center. According to court papers, Daniel Caler is being held on a bond of $750,000, and Annie Caler’s bond was set at $500,000. They are set to be appointed public defenders, and hearing dates are supposed to be in June. Consequently, no details about the girls’ custody have been known after she was taken from the couple’s home.
As per the Psychiatric Research Institute, in 2007, Arkansas recorded a total of 58,000 investigations into suspected cases of child abuse or maltreatment, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Of those, 9,847 were confirmed as incidents of sexual and physical forms of child abuse.
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that 52 per cent of women who were mothers were more likely to be the abusers compared to 42 per cent of men. Sadly, in 2007, 1,760 children under the age of 18 in the U.S. died as a result of abuse or neglect.
The side effects of abuse, especially on a child, can be severely damaging, from mental health issues to impaired brain development and poor overall health. Psychologically, cognitive impairments and social difficulties.
Behaviorally, the results may include juvenile negligence, criminal behavior in adulthood, substance abuse, and a higher risk of perpetuating abuse.
