Mom beats 2-year-old at checkout line after he’s found alone in store, TN cops say
A mother is accused of beating her 2-year-old son at a checkout line after he was found alone inside a grocery store, Tennessee police say.
The 25-year-old Dyersburg mother was arrested on counts of child abuse and neglect, the Covington Police Department said in a Friday, Oct. 3, Facebook post.
McClatchy News is not naming the woman to protect the identity of her child.
A woman came to the police department on Oct. 2 to report a possible child abuse incident she saw at a Covington grocery store, officers said.
Detectives spoke with the store’s manager, who confirmed an incident happened the day prior shortly before 6:30 p.m., police said.
While speaking with the manager, officers said they learned a child was left at the store’s service desk.
Store workers used the intercom system to broadcast a message about the toddler being found alone, police said.
Then, about 10 minutes later, a woman came to the service desk and told the toddler she planned to beat him, police said.
The woman aggressively pulled the toddler, dragged him to the checkout line and repeatedly hit him on his back, according to officers.
Police said detectives gathered video surveillance footage from the store and in reviewing the footage confirmed the witnesses’ stories.
Through an investigation, police said detectives identified the 25-year-old mother as the woman from the video.
The boy’s father took over caring for him, police said, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
“I am so thankful that a citizen and the witnesses reported this incident, Chief Donna Turner said in the post. “It is a troubling video to watch. It was absolutely the right call to say something and report the incident.”
The mother, who is being held on a $50,000 bond, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, Oct. 7, police said.
Covington is about a 40-mile drive northeast from Memphis.
This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 3:44 PM.
