A Gloucester Township couple have been charged with kidnapping and other crimes after allegations of prolonged child abuse and confinement suffered for eight years by a female in their home, according to Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and township Police Chief David Harkins.
Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, have also been charged with assault, sexual abuse and aggravated assault after the now 18-year-old – described as Spencer’s daughter – escaped the home on May 8 and reported years of nightmarish abuse to a neighbor. Mosley was described as the girl’s stepfather.
Mosley, a SEPTA train conductor, and Spencer, who is currently unemployed, were arrested at the home on May 11 and transported to the Camden County Correctional Facility, where they await detention hearings in Superior Court.
Authorities say the victim endured abuse that dates back to 2018, when Spencer removed her from school in the sixth grade and confined her to the home. The victim told detectives she was forced to live in a dog crate for about a year and only let out at intervals. She also testified that she was chained and confined to a padlocked bathroom, and temporarily released during visits from unsuspecting extended family, police said.
The victim also reported being locked in a bare room monitored by an alarm system that would alert Spencer and Mosley if she tried to escape. With no access to a bathroom, she was forced to use a bucket, authorities said. She also alleged that Mosley physically beat her with a belt and sexually assaulted her over a period of years.
A search of the couple’s home uncovered what officials described as squalid living conditions, with multiple dogs, chinchillas and other animals. Authorities also found a 13-year-old living in the home who was allegedly withdrawn from school and home-schooled by Spencer.
“Both children are safe right now,” MacAulay said.
The couple were also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and assault with a deadly weapon, among other offenses. Mosley also faces charges of aggravated sexual assault.
Authorities are asking anyone with additional information to contact Det. Timothy Jordan of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at (856) 365-3073 or Det. Daniel Ritz of the township police department at (856) 228-4500. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through CAMDEN.TIPS.
