Erica and Clifford Sayre of Evans, West Virginia, Each Face Six Felony Counts After Deputies Say Three Children in Their Care Were Starved and Strangled
Three children told investigators in Jackson County, West Virginia, that for years they were hit, strangled, kept from food and water and punished in ways deputies later described in detail. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has charged the couple they lived with, Erica Lynn Sayre and Clifford Gale Sayre, with six felony counts each, WSAZ reported. Sheriff RH Mellinger called the home a “house of horrors.”
Both have been released on bond. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The Six Counts Against Each of the Sayres
Erica Sayre, 45, is charged with three counts of child abuse resulting in bodily injury and three counts of child neglect creating risk of injury, according to WSAZ. Clifford Sayre, 46, is charged with three counts of child neglect resulting in bodily injury and three counts of child neglect creating risk of injury. KIRO 7, citing court records, described the risk counts as gross child neglect creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury, and WSAZ reported that all six counts against each defendant are felonies.
The couple lives in Evans, in Jackson County. The charges stem from a Sept. 7 complaint, and a warrant was issued Oct. 9, according to court records cited by KIRO 7. Erica Sayre was released after posting three $250,000 bonds, and Clifford Sayre after posting a $150,000 bond.
The sheriff’s office said the charges followed what it called an extensive investigation into allegations of physical and emotional abuse involving three children, WSAZ reported in its coverage of the sheriff’s press conference. Preliminary hearings for both defendants have been scheduled in the case.
What the Children Told Deputies
According to the sheriff’s office, the children said they were repeatedly hit and strangled, deprived of food and water, and denied bathroom privileges. Deputies said soiled cat litter was dumped in their beds and dog feces were placed on their belongings, and that the children were made to run barefoot on a gravel driveway as punishment.
The children also described being hit with household objects hard enough to cause heavy bleeding, being forced to put a soiled sock in their mouths and having their hair cut by force. One child said she was struck in the head with an electronic device, causing a bleeding injury, and was denied treatment for it.
Another child was threatened with being killed if she contacted child protective services, authorities said.
The children were also tormented and harassed about their biological parents, who have died, according to the sheriff’s office. The office has not said how the children came to live with the Sayres or whether they are related to the couple, and it did not release the children’s ages.
Clifford Sayre’s Alleged Role
Deputies said Clifford Sayre witnessed the abuse and did not intervene. In one account, a child said he held her hands down while Erica Sayre forcibly cut her hair with a razor blade, causing an injury.
In a forensic interview, the children summed up the household in a few words, according to the sheriff’s office: their “mom” hit them, and “Gale lets her.”
During interviews with investigators, one child became visibly emotional and said she could not go back to that home, WSAZ reported.
Mellinger said investigators found physical evidence, including scars consistent with the children’s accounts, and that the children’s statements matched one another. He described the alleged treatment as disturbing.
What West Virginia Law Sets for These Charges
Under West Virginia law, child abuse that causes bodily injury is a felony punishable by two to 10 years in a state correctional facility, or up to a year in jail at the court’s discretion, according to W. Va. Code 61-8D-3.
The state’s child neglect statute, W. Va. Code 61-8D-4, makes neglect that causes bodily injury a felony with the same two-to-10-year range. Neglect that creates a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury is a felony carrying one to 10 years. The statute allows up to double the prison term for a defendant with a prior qualifying felony conviction.
Neither Sayre has been convicted. The sheriff’s office has stressed the importance of reporting suspected child abuse.
How Abuse Is Reported in West Virginia
West Virginia takes reports of suspected child abuse and neglect through a single statewide line run by the Department of Human Services. The number is 1-800-352-6513, and anyone who believes a child is in imminent danger is told to call and choose option 2, according to the state’s Bureau for Social Services. The same intake system handles reports of sexual abuse and assault involving children.
The state does not leave reporting only to relatives and neighbors. Under W. Va. Code 49-2-803, a long list of people who work with children must report suspected abuse or neglect immediately, and no more than 24 hours after they first suspect it. That list includes medical, dental and mental health professionals, school personnel, child care and foster care workers, emergency medical workers, law enforcement, clergy, judges and magistrates, and coaches and volunteers in organized children’s activities.
When those workers believe a child has suffered serious physical abuse, sexual abuse or sexual assault, the law also requires an immediate report to the State Police and the local law enforcement agency. Telling a supervisor does not satisfy the duty on its own, and anyone else with reasonable cause to suspect abuse or neglect may also report it.
For the three children in Jackson County, the case now moves to the courtroom. Their accounts, and the scars deputies say back them up, will be tested there as the case against both defendants moves forward.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) – CC BY-SA 2.5/Wikimedia Commons
