An Arkansas couple has been accused of subjecting a teenage girl to years of abuse and forcing her to survive on just one pop-tart and a glass of water per week.
Daniel Caler, 34, and his wife Annie Caler, 28, were arrested after the girl eventually confided in a school counselor about the abuse.
The couple is alleged to have starved her, forced her to take drugs, and physically abused her, according to a Bentonville Police Department affidavit obtained by 5News and KNWA.
Highlights
- An Arkansas couple allegedly forced a teenage girl to survive on just one pop-tart and a glass of water per week for years.
- Daniel Caler is accused of raping the girl multiple times over three years, with his wife Annie reportedly aware of the assaults.
- The girl was starved, physically abused, forced to take drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine, and denied medical care even for a broken leg.
- Annie Caler allegedly stabbed the girl with a fork and threatened her, showing ongoing physical violence beyond neglect and drug abuse.
- After confiding in a school counselor, the Calers were arrested and face multiple charges including rape, abuse, and drug offenses.
Daniel and Annie Caler allegedly abused the girl for years
Daniel Caler is also accused of raping the girl on multiple occasions over the course of three years.
His wife is alleged to have known about the serious sexual assault—once walking in as the girl was being raped.
Daniel Caler reportedly said that if she told anyone, he would kill her—traumatizing his victim to such an extent that she feared confiding in anyone about the abuse she was suffering at home.
The last time Daniel Caler allegedly raped the girl was when Annie Caler intervened.
According to the affidavit, she walked in after hearing the girl’s screams and fled outside with her.
“This statement made by Daniel scared [the victim] and this is why she never told anyone what was happening to her until now,” the affidavit states.
A further instance of abuse detailed by police was when Annie Caler allegedly stabbed the victim in the neck with a fork for not washing the dishes “correctly.”
She reportedly told the victim after the attack, “I hope you die.”
Image credits: Facebook
Along with the sexual and physical abuse, the girl said she was made to sleep in a bathtub with no pillows or blankets, as she didn’t have a bed.
On one occasion, she told the Calers that she had broken her leg, but they refused to take her to the hospital for medical treatment.
She also described being forced to take drugs despite telling the couple she did not want to. This included fentanyl, cocaine, methadone, and methamphetamine.
The couple reportedly forced the girl to take drugs and refused to help when she broke her leg
Image credits: Facebook
The affidavit said the girl was made to “snort the drugs at least four times.”
In April, the girl was able to confide in a school counselor who immediately contacted a school resource officer, and the Calers were subsequently arrested.
“I couldn't live with the guilt anymore. I thought it was my fault. But now I know I’m safe and have people who will protect me,” the girl told police after coming forward.
Image credits: Facebook
Daniel and Annie Caler are both being held at Benton County Detention Center and are due in court next month.
Annie Caler has been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, permitting the abuse of a minor, and the introduction of a controlled substance into the body of another person.
She also faces charges of battery and terroristic threatening and battery.
Daniel Caler has been charged with rape, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a minor, terroristic threatening, and permitting abuse of a minor.
The couple’s relationship to the victim and her exact age have not been released to maintain her privacy.