A Missouri woman was charged Tuesday after authorities accused her of allowing men to have sex with her 14-year-old disabled daughter, who police say has the mental capacity of a 2- to 3-year-old child, in exchange for cash and drugs.
Renee Collins, 49, is facing charges of sex trafficking and child endangerment. Her boyfriend, 44-year-old William A. Thomas Jr., is charged with first-degree rape in connection with the disturbing case, the Columbia Daily Tribune reports.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by the newspaper, Columbia police were alerted by the FBI on July 7 regarding an anonymous tip they received that a minor was being left alone with strange men for extended periods of time inside of a Welcome Inn hotel room.
Police say the teen victim is autistic and uses corrective leg braces, in addition to having cerebral palsy and being partially deaf.
A witness reportedly told detectives of an incident where Collins was offered cocaine by two men in exchange for sex with her daughter. When the witness asked the girl about the men, she apparently said that the teen, who is now under the care of protective custody, spoke about the “bad men” and went on to describe sexual activity taking place in the room.
Authorities say that upon questioning the victim, she told them she was raped by men, referring to them as her “mother’s boyfriends,” in exchange for drugs and money that was given to Collins. Further, investigators say they obtained additional information pertaining to the abuse during interviews over the course of a year.
Collins and Thomas Jr. are behind bars, each with a cash-only bond of $200,000.
[Feature photo: Renee Collins & William Thomas Jr., Boone County Jail]