A Memphis woman was jailed this week after police say she struck a child who was standing in a hot shower and only ceased when the instrument she was using snapped. The allegations, laid out in a police affidavit, have prompted renewed scrutiny of how authorities handle reports of violence inside family homes.
Authorities identified the suspect as Deandra Bynum, 35, who is being held at the Shelby County Jail East facility on a $10,000 bond, according to booking records reviewed by reporters. Local prosecutors have charged her with child abuse and neglect.
Memphis police were called to a residence on Thursday after a family member reported an assault, the affidavit obtained by local media shows. Investigators say Bynum used a thin, flexible stick commonly associated with corporal punishment to strike a related child while the child was naked in a hot shower; the document says the blows stopped when that object broke.
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Police allege the incident did not end there. A second woman present at the home — identified in court filings as Raven Porter — is accused of forcing the child down, placing a foot on her neck and cutting off the girl’s ponytail. At the time of the latest reports, Porter was not in custody and was listed as serving probation after pleading guilty in a prior abuse case, according to the affidavit and court records.
- Location: Memphis, Shelby County
- Arrested: Deandra Bynum, 35
- Charges: Child abuse and neglect
- Bond: $10,000
- Other person involved: Raven Porter — reportedly on probation and not in custody
- Next court date: Bynum is scheduled to appear Monday
Officials say they compiled their account from witness statements at the scene and the written affidavit. Local reporting notes that Bynum has previously been mentioned to reporters in connection with other school-related incidents involving relatives, including a broken leg and an alleged threat that led to a school removal.
The case will proceed through the local court system this week, where prosecutors must decide whether to pursue formal indictments and what evidence to present. For now, police filings remain the primary public source of details about the alleged assault.
The allegations raise immediate questions for child protection advocates and law enforcement: how recurring reports about the same household are tracked, how probation is enforced when others on probation are implicated, and what steps are taken to safeguard children after an initial report. Officials have not released further updates publicly; the scheduled court appearance Monday may provide additional information.
