Mom and grandma 'blamed ghosts' for toddlers' broken bones, bite marks, burns and fentanyl exposure

A North Carolina mom and grandma accused of heinous child abuse that included fentanyl exposure are blaming paranormal activity — ghosts — for the wounds two toddlers suffered. Emily Marie Edwards, 25, and her mother, Sherrie Jean Edwards, 54, were each arrested and charged with two counts each of felony child abuse causing serious bodily injury and booked into the Catawba County Jail, records obtained by Law&Crime reveal.

The women allegedly told law enforcement officers upon their arrest that it had been ghosts who caused the injuries. "The basic response, really, was nightmares," Newton Police Chief Vidal Sipe told Charlotte-based local station WSOC.

Sipe continued, "They heard the kids yelling, and they'd go over there and they'd see injuries on the kids. So, they're saying there's spirits that were in the house at the time that caused these injuries."

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Copies of the indictment, which were obtained by the TV station, state that the women showed "reckless disregard for life" as they inflicted "serious bodily injury" on both young children, ages 1 and 2.

The toddlers suffered burns, bite marks and several broken bones, it was reported. They also both tested positive for fentanyl, according to the indictments.

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The pair was eventually arrested last week after an investigation that lasted from December 2023 to earlier this month. The family reportedly lived at an apartment on West C Street in Newton, which is a small town about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte.

A third adult may have also been responsible for the child abuse, the police speculated, but he reportedly died last year. The women subsequently became the only suspects.

Both women reportedly told the police they used a Ouija board to summon spirits but also blamed evil spirits for abusing the children. Law enforcement as well as neighbors, however, say they don't believe paranormal activity had anything to do with the children's abuse.

Both parties are being held on a $250,000 bond. The mother reportedly doesn't have a court date set as of yet, but the grandmother is slated to appear on Oct. 7. Both are facing multiple years in prison for their alleged crimes.