Roxie Lee Huffman held child's head in toilet: Police

Roxie Lee Huffman (Vanderburgh Sheriff's Office)

A 52-year-old woman in Indiana was arrested over the weekend after she was allegedly caught on camera abusing her foster children, including forcibly shoving and holding the head of one of the children in her toilet bowl while he struggled to get free.

Roxie Lee Huffman was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count each of domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old and one count of neglect of a dependent, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Evansville ABC affiliate WEHT, officers with the Evansville Police Department on May 21 responded to a 911 call at a residence located in the 1200 block of S. Roosevelt Drive in reference to a report about a child being abused. The caller, identified in the report as Craig Phillips Sr., told the emergency dispatcher that his four children were under the care of Huffman and that he had photographic and video proof that she was subjecting them to physical abuse.

The incident reportedly involved Phillips’ eldest child capturing footage and images of another sibling being abused during the previous week. The visual evidence was shared by the juvenile with a friend who subsequently forwarded them to the child's mother, identified in the report as Britney Fisher, who then forwarded them to Phillips.

Police say that Phillips showed the officers a 12-second video where a woman alleged to be Huffman was shouting at one of the children while forcefully submerging their head into a toilet bowl, WEHT reported. As the child could be seen struggling to break free, another child reportedly entered the frame as the woman continued to use offensive language, repeatedly exclaiming, "Do you see that!" as she continued to forcibly press the second child's head into the toilet, the station reported, citing the court documents.

Additionally, Phillips reportedly provided authorities with eight photographs showing injuries suffered by one of the children. Four of the images allegedly showed the child with bleeding lacerations on their forehead, two depicted bleeding lacerations on the back of the neck, and another two showed a bleeding scratch and abrasion on the child's throat and left collarbone. Phillips noted that this particular child has been diagnosed with Epilepsy and Addison's Disease — a rare illness that affects the production of hormones in the adrenal gland, the station reported.

The Kentucky Department of Child Services (DCS) was contacted, and a DCS Family Case Worker reportedly confirmed that all four juveniles were under state custody and had been placed with Huffman, WEHT reported. It is unclear why the children were in state custody.

A welfare check was subsequently conducted with Huffman's consent. Upon entering the residence, the officers immediately noticed a strong smell of urine and feces, WEHT reported. The feces appeared to be from rodents, and there were puddles of animal urine in a room adjacent to the kitchen, with gnats observed in both the kitchen and living room.

After inspecting the bathroom depicted in the video, the affidavit reportedly states that Huffman's physical appearance and voice matched those of the woman seen in the footage.

Officials also reportedly mentioned that while the DCS agent spoke with the children, Huffman engaged in a conversation with the officers outside. Huffman allegedly stated that the children had been under her care since September 2022 when asked about the duration of their placement. When asked whether the children frequently argued and fought, Huffman reportedly replied, "Yeah, they do." She further allegedly claimed that one of the children had recently pushed another child's head into a trash can.

Huffman reportedly claimed that the child was not injured but she reprimanded the responsible child, made them stand in a corner, and delivered another extended lecture.

When asked if any further punishment was imposed, Huffman reportedly responded with a firm "No." Seeking additional information about the toilet incident, the officers inquired if she had pushed the juvenile's head into the toilet, to which Huffman also reportedly replied, "No." Upon being informed that the officers possessed a video showing her engaging in the act, Huffman simply stated, "No," and claimed she had nothing else to add.

DCS relocated the children to a different residence under the care of a family member. Huffman was taken into custody and transported to the Vanderburgh County Confinement Center. She was released the following day after posting a bond of $500, jail records show.

She is barred from having any contact with Phillips or the children.

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Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law.