‘CPS failed us’: Winston Co. siblings call out Winston County CPS after father beats his daughter

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A family in Winston County claims they have slipped through the cracks with Child Protection Services and have suffered abuse because of it.

Late Sunday night, July 17th, a Winston County deputy was called out to a home in Noxapater where 15-year-old Kaitlyn had been beaten by her father, Jimmy Todd Thrash.

Her older brother, 18-year-old Connor Thrash, said he had to pull his father off her.

“I got a call from my younger sister Dixie, and you hear all the kids crying and screaming. I got up and put clothes on, [and] went over to the house, which is across the pasture right here. [I] went into the door, and our father was still on top of Kaitlyn, and she had blood coming from her mouth,” Connor Thrash said.

When a Winston County deputy arrived, he spoke with both Kaitlyn and her parents. Connor said he wasn’t prepared for the deputy’s response.

“She was going in and out of consciousness, still couldn’t stand by herself. He called us up to the porch, and he asked her if she would have just done what she was told to do, that none of this would have happened,” Connor Thrash said.

After the deputy and ambulance left, Kaitlyn was left with her parents and siblings. Jimmy Todd Thrash, Kaitlyn’s father, admitted he took it too far that evening.

“This is the first time that an incident like this has gone this far, and I’ll be the first to admit, I went too far,” Jimmy Todd Thrash said.

However, according to Jimmy Todd’s two eldest daughters, Cheyenne and Stephanie, this isn’t the first time.

“There was another incident where I was holding a baby, and something didn’t go his way, I guess. And he had, like, had his hand on my throat was pushing me up against the wall,” Cheyenne Thrash explained.

“I can remember all the hateful fights and the arguments and him coming to the house and acting crazy,” Stephanie Thrash said.

Melisa Thrash, the mother of Kaitlyn, Connor, Cheyenne, and seven other children, said she and Jimmy Todd said they previously had a counselor and that they’ve sought resources from CPS. However, they received no help from the agency despite agents visiting the home ten times in the past year.

“We’ve been asking for help with Kaitlyn and for me for the last two and a half years. We’ve been asking for some in-home counseling. They recommend somebody, and we were turned down,” Jimmy Todd Thrash said.

According to Dr. Laura Boltz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University, Child Protection Services could have offered in-home services monitoring and more.

“There are long wait lists. There is counseling. There are also things where if this is something that the case has been open to the court, it can be ordered for families to receive those services,” Dr. Boltz explained.

Connor said he and his siblings have witnessed the dysfunction of his parents for years and that Winston County CPS has done nothing.

After posting on Facebook about his dad recently abusing Kaitlyn, he said CPS in Jackson stepped in and ordered Kaitlyn to be removed from the home temporarily.

In fact, Connor and his siblings have gone as far as to say that Winston County CPS has failed them.

“CPS in Louisville at least has, you know, they’ve had several opportunities to come and help, and they’ve done nothing. There’s no telling how many kids have had that happen, too,” Connor Thrash said.

“I think CPS has failed us. But I think our mom has also failed us because she, you know, she’s making all these calls, but she is still letting the abuser into the house,” Cheyenne Thrash said.

Jimmy Todd Thrash has since been charged with assault and has been released on bond.

Kaitlyn Thrash has since been placed back in the home with her parents, in spite of all that’s happened.

If you or your loved ones are a victim of child abuse or neglect, please call the Mississippi Centralized Intake hotline at: 800-222-8000 or (601) 432-4570.

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