A 70-year-old woman in Missouri, USA, identified as Brenda Ruth Deutsch, has been arrested after allegedly swapping her adopted daughter for a monkey. According to prosecutors, he faces three felony cases such as child neglect, child abuse, and child endangerment.
Brenda is known as a foster parent who has cared for over 200 children over a period of 15–20 years. But according to Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood, there are witnesses who say Brenda swapped one of her foster children for a monkey, and even traveled back to Missouri from Texas.
It was also learned that Brenda allegedly sent the child to a home in Texas with dirty conditions and inadequate supervision from January 1 to April 1, 2025. There, she was left to take care of exotic animals. There are also reports that the woman hit the child with a paddle, shoes, and hands, and that the child's clothes were also given away as punishment.
The woman in Texas who took the child in is also being investigated, but no charges or arrests have been made. She said she just wanted Brenda and the child to break up, but Brenda didn't want to take him back. When questioned, she even lied about the child's whereabouts.
Now, the adopted child is in the custody of child welfare, and according to the prosecutor, he is doing well. In addition, other former adoptees of Brenda have come forward and said they also experienced abuse. Brenda's bail was set at $250,000 or approximately ₱14.2 million.
