Girl, 5, raped & murdered at homeless camp was always dirty & begged neighbours
A five-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered at a homeless camp was always dirty and often begged neighbours "can I stay?".
Zoey Felix, from Kansas, was found dumped in a field near a homeless camp after being allegedly raped by Mickel Wayne Cherry, 25, who has also been charged with her murder. His bond is set at $2 million according to Timothy Phelps, deputy director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.
The Kansas Department for Children was called multiple times in the weeks leading up to her death as her mum Holly Jo Felix, 36, chucked her daughters and husband out of the home. Neighbours have confessed the toddler was often seen wandering around the street without her parents pleading for help Neighbour Sheryl revealed: "Everybody on the block took care of Zoey. Everybody loved Zoey, except her parents."
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(AP)Neighbours report taking Zoey in and cleaning her up. "It was always 'Can I stay? Can I stay?' neighbour Shaniqua Bradley said of Zoey. "Normally when a kid is persistent about staying like that, something's going on at home."
In addition, cops confirmed they had made three visits to the home in September to check on the child's welfare amid reports the home had no electricity and running water. They were also called out for domestic disturbance. "I just reported the neglect that was going on," neighbour Sharon Williams said. "She's always dirty, no food unless some of us fed her, but they didn't obviously take it serious."
Holly Jo Felix kicked her daughter out her house (pd)
In this photo provided by Desiree Myles, 5-year-old Zoey Felix poses for a photo after neighbours bought her a new outfit and cleaned her up in September 2023 (AP)Timothy Phelps, deputy director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cherry used to live at the same address as Zoey, but at the time of his arrest, Cherry was homeless. He also has no criminal record in Kansas, but he does have a misdemeanour criminal trespass conviction in Amarillo, Texas.
Neighbours said they had raised concerns that Zoey’s family home had no electricity and that they called the police and child welfare.
Mickel Cherry has been charged by police (AP)
(gofundme)“She just had a good spirit to her. Honestly, very outgoing, smart. She was curious about everything. She’d ask you a 1,001 questions, and she demanded answers for those too,” said Shaniqua Bradley, a neighbour.
City spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker said that during the first call police met with the child, saw she was in “good spirits” but still made a report to child welfare and property officials. The city moved to condemn the house but backed off when the utilities were turned back on. Neighbours said that everyone but the mother had moved out by then.
She was chucked out of her home by her own mum (AP)Authorities have released no details about the cause of Zoey’s death, but former neighbours of the girl and her family believe she, her father and Cherry had lived the past few weeks in a grove of trees on a wooded lot near the gas station, just blocks from the home where her mother lived. They believed she was carried from the wooded lot to the gas station, but police have not confirmed any of those details.
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