A Florida couple is being accused of confining four children in the cab of a semi-truck for more than six years, where the victims were forced to share a single bunk and subjected to various forms of abuse, according to the state's top prosecutor. Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, of Jacksonville, and Keysha Monique Epps, 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, have been charged in Orange County with sexually battering, molesting and neglecting four children.
“These children were trapped in a rolling prison and abused by the adults who were supposed to protect them,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement. “Florida has zero tolerance for anyone who preys on children.
We will seek the maximum punishment under the law.” Stewart is charged with two counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of battery of a child by expelling certain fluids or materials, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, and two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement.
Epps is charged with two counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement, and four counts of failure to report child abuse. While the investigation remains ongoing, the attorney general’s office noted that additional charges may be filed.
Special Counsels Rita Peters, Stephanie Bergen and Beth Shelley in the Ninth Judicial Circuit will be the prosecutors for this case. An investigation found that from January 2020 through April 2026, Epps, a commercial truck driver, and Stewart were the primary caregivers of four children.