Stepfather and mother arrested after 11-year-old gives birth at home — DNA test reveals shocking paternity

A Muskogee, Oklahoma, couple faces serious criminal charges after an 11-year-old girl in their care gave birth at home without medical attention. The case took a shocking turn when DNA test results revealed the stepfather was the biological father of the newborn.

Dustin Walker, 34, and Cherie Walker, 33, were initially arrested on August 16 after the child gave birth to a full-term baby at their home. The couple originally claimed they had no knowledge of the girl’s pregnancy and said she had not seen a doctor in over a year. However, DNA test results from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation showed a 99.9% match between Dustin Walker and the baby, confirming he was the father.

According to NBC News, the DNA test revealed the shocking truth that the stepfather had been sexually abusing his 11-year-old stepdaughter, resulting in her pregnancy. The charges against the couple were amended following these results, with Dustin Walker now facing charges of sexual abuse of a child under 12, while Cherie Walker was charged with enabling child sexual abuse.

Living conditions raise additional concerns about child welfare

The case has revealed disturbing details about the children’s living situation. A neighbor, Cheryl Adkins, reported that the family had been without running water for two to three years and kept multiple dogs and cats inside the house with six children. Court documents described the children as “living in deplorable conditions” and noted they were “found to be living in dog feces and had no clothing on.”

Adkins told local media she had made multiple calls to authorities about the family’s circumstances, but “nothing was done to address the children’s living circumstances.” She expressed her belief that the parents knew about the pregnancy, saying, “They robbed her of her childhood.”

The couple now faces six counts of felony child neglect in addition to the sexual abuse charges. Five of these counts relate to the neglect of their other children, ages 2, 4, 6, 7, and 9. All six children have been removed from the home. This case highlights the ongoing issue of child abuse cases involving trusted adults that continue to shock communities nationwide.

Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson called this “one of the most, if not the most serious child sexual abuse and neglect cases I have ever prosecuted.” She noted that the girl would have been approximately 10 years old when she became pregnant. Both defendants are being held on $100,000 bond each, with each charge carrying a potential life sentence. The case shares similarities with other recent shocking child abuse arrests that have drawn public attention to the need for better child protection systems.