Jackson County jury convicts Kansas City woman of felony child abuse

A Jackson County jury on Wednesday convicted a Kansas City woman of eight felonies related to domestic abuse for beating a child so severely that doctors found the victim was at risk “of serious harm or death” without immediate intervention.

Nancy Russell, 41, was found guilty on four counts of domestic assault and four counts of armed criminal action in Jackson County Circuit Court, Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced in a news release. The convictions stem from an investigation opened in October 2017.

Detectives with the Kansas City Police Department were called to investigate allegations of abuse after the beating victim and his sibling were taken from Russell’s care to Arkansas, according to court documents.

Family members told police they came to Russell’s home in Kansas City and found the abused child walking with a limp. Gashes and other injuries were also noticed on the his body.

Doctors at a children’s hospital in Arkansas determined there were signs of apparent abuse. The child had a broken foot, several lacerations to his head and a “severe, open” laceration to the arm.

According to medical records, the doctors at the hospital determined “the degree of violence which produced these injuries” put the child “at risk of further serious harm or death in the environment where these injuries occurred.”

During interviews with investigators, the children described being beaten by Russell on a routine basis. The incident that was apparently the genesis for the criminal investigation occurred as Russell was “upset” because the child did not perform chores “properly,” one told investigators.

After that beating, Russell allegedly forced the child to clean up his own blood with a towel.

On other occasions, Russel was accused of using an extension cord, belts, switches and or thick piece of wood to beat the children.

Under Missouri law, Russell faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on each count of domestic abuse. The felony of armed criminal action carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Russell is scheduled to be sentenced May 26.

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