Evansville Grandmother Arrested for Child Abuse

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Evansville woman is facing several criminal charges after police say she abused her grandchild with autism Sunday afternoon.

Someone called police, saying they picked up their three children from Darlene Wills’ supervision. One of the children showed the caller a video depicting injuries, including blood on the children’s faces.

Police watched a video that showed Willis grabbing another one of the children by the neck and shoving them onto a bed. The child with autism told officers Willis punched him in the face and scratched his neck, causing him to struggle for breath. According to police, the child had scratches on his neck and back.

Officers also talked to the third child who corroborated the events shown in the video, saying they were too scared of Willis to intervene.

Willis was taken to jail, and she was charged with neglect of a dependent, strangulation, and battery.