Woman trades foster daughter for monkey as they 'weren't getting along'

A 70-year-old woman has admitted to endangering a child's welfare in a US court after she shockingly exchanged her foster daughter for a monkey because they "weren't getting along".

Brenda Deutsch, from Winfield, Missouri, sent the eighth-grade-age girl in her care to a family in Texas and received the animal in return, according to witness testimony provided to investigators.

Deutsch accepted a plea deal on Monday, entering a guilty plea to a single count of first-degree child endangerment.

She had cared for more than 200 foster children throughout her time as a carer, but now faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years for her treatment of the girl, who was aged between 13 and 14 at the time.

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The incident only came to light when Winfield School District launched an inquiry into the girl's recurring absences over February last year.

Investigators discovered she had been handed over to Child Protective Services in Texas, after Deutsch abandoned her with a family deemed incapable of looking after her.

Mr Wood said: "Both of those people are disabled and not able to take care of the child. From what we can tell, the child was taking care of them."

"It wasn't isolated. It was a culture of abuse and neglect," he added, with investigators finding the youngster had been left unattended in her Texas home for lengthy periods.

Prior to the school's investigation, Missouri's Department of Social Services had received an anonymous tip in November 2024, alleging Deutsch was mistreating the child.

The girl told investigators of the abuse that had persisted for some three years, from September 2022 to January 2025.

Cited in court documents, she described being struck in the face, beaten with a paddle, and smacked by her foster mother, resulting in injuries and bleeding.

In one incident, the girl recounted lying on the living room floor while Deutsch "hit her and called her a "b**ch".

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She also claimed a family member was instructed to restrain her while Deutsch pulled down her trousers and struck her with a paddle.

Most shockingly, the foster mother allegedly threatened to kill the child, and called her "annoying and rude".

When the girl attempted to flee at age 14, Deutsch contacted police, which saw the youngster spend nine months in a psychiatric facility.

The girl told investigators she had reported Deutsch's behaviour to numerous people, but her complaints were dismissed.

She also alleged other children in Deutsch's care had suffered similar treatment, but despite more than 200 calls made to a hotline about Deutsch over the years, none resulted in police action.

Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood said: "Disappointed to learn that this particular home, despite the notoriety that it had gained, was not in our system.

"We didn't have any police reports. We didn't have any requests for prosecution. We didn't have anything."

Deutsch's case is scheduled for review on July 21, with the convict also facing a separate financial fraud charge pending before the courts.

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