A Las Vegas couple has been apprehended and charged with severe child abuse crimes, following the discovery of children who were reportedly confined in cages and showed signs of severe mistreatment. Amanda Stamper, 33, and Travis Doss, 31, were taken into custody on June 11 after Stamper contacted the police from a nearby Walgreens store close to their extended stay hotel.
According to court records, Stamper informed the police that Doss had confessed to her about kicking one of the children in the head, believing the child to be dead, and planning to put the child in a body bag. The police, equipped with body cameras, arrived at the hotel unit and requested the children to unlock the door. When the children declined, a maintenance worker persuaded them to allow the officers inside.
The police discovered two children confined in what seemed to be dog kennels inside the unit. Four additional children were found in the unit, all displaying signs of child abuse. All six children were aged 11 or younger. The two children found in cages, aged 9 and 11, had difficulty walking after being freed, as per the police report.
One of the children was reported to have “two black eyes that were swollen shut, multiple marks and bruises all over his body, and he was emaciated.” The child informed the police that he had not eaten for several days and that his father would physically abuse him with cords and belts. The police stated that the child’s life was likely saved by their intervention and subsequent hospitalization.
Court documents revealed that all the children bore “marks from their neck down.” A grand jury indicted Doss on 38 counts of felony child abuse, first-degree kidnapping, sex trafficking, and living off the earnings of a prostitute. Stamper was indicted on 7 counts of felony child abuse.
In a later interview with KLAS-TV, Stamper claimed that she was also a victim of Doss’s abuse and that he had coerced her into prostitution. She asserted that she had no control over Doss and that he would use food deprivation as a form of punishment.
Stamper, who is the biological mother of a 2-year-old and stepmother to Doss’s six children, expressed her desire for the children’s safety and Doss’s incarceration. She also revealed that she was pregnant and that there were two other children not involved in the case.
The Las Vegas police department described it as one of the most horrific cases of child abuse they had ever encountered.