Family of six-year-old found dead in east Charlotte says system failed to protect her

CHARLOTTE — For the first time since the gruesome details about Dominique Moody’s death, we are hearing from those who adored her.

“She was always, always, always happy,” said Myocha Moody, the 6-year-old’s grandmother. “Always smiling. Even though she was small, she knew who her family was and she was loved.”

Myocha said a few years ago, Dominique’s mother fell on hard times and sent her child to stay at an east Charlotte home with Tonya McKnight. Prosecutors say she was Dominique’s legal guardian.

“She trusted her! She trusted the wrong person,” said Myocha.

But the house is where prosecutors say unthinkable horrors played out.

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Detectives allege McKnight often bound Dominique in duct tape and forced the child to live in a dog cage for days at a time, leaving her unable to walk properly.

When she died nearly two weeks ago, the 6-year-old was just 27 pounds and had several cuts and broken ribs. Detectives believe the abuse was going on for more than a year and a half.

“You know, I hurt, but she’s not in no more pain anymore,” Myocha. “It’s hard, it’s hard for me to sleep sometimes, you know?”

“Every time I close my eyes, I just see my baby suffering,” said Shirley Mack, Dominique’s great-grandmother. “I just can’t believe it.”

Dominique’s loved ones say they tried to get her back in their custody, and they believe the system built to protect children failed.

“They supposed to go in the person’s home, yup and check, yup,” Mack said. “They didn’t do none of, none of it.”

Last week the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees DSS, told Channel 9 they were aware of this case. But they hid confidentiality laws and would not say if they ever visited that home, or how often they may have been called out there.

VIDEO: ‘House of Horrors’: Police detail conditions leading to 6-year-old’s death after guardian’s arrest

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