A Missouri woman has reached a plea agreement to plead guilty to a charge related to endangering the welfare of a minor in her care in a case that has raised questions about the child supervision system.

Brenda Deutsch, 70, of Winfield, agreed to plead guilty to one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

According to prosecutors, the investigation began after a school detected repeated absences of an eighth-grade student during February 2025.

Subsequent inquiries determined that the teenager was no longer in Missouri.

According to statements collected by investigators, the minor would have been sent to a family in Texas and the transfer would have occurred as part of an exchange for a monkey.

Minor ended up in child protection after being left in the care of other people

Authorities indicated that they later located the teenager after she ended up under the intervention of child protective services in Texas.

According to Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood, the person who initially received the minor later left her in the care of another family who was also not in a position to care for her.

The prosecutor maintained that both people had limitations in assuming care and pointed out that, according to the investigation, the teenager ended up performing assistance tasks for adults.

He also stated that the minor would have been left alone for long periods.

Investigation includes previous complaints of alleged abuse

Before the discovery related to Texas, there was already an open investigation following an anonymous complaint received by the Missouri Department of Social Services, according to the probable cause document consulted by the Daily Mail.

During interviews with investigators, the teenager reported alleged episodes of physical assault and corporal punishment that occurred over several years.

Among the accusations described in court documents are beatings, threats and other acts that prosecutors consider part of a pattern of abuse and neglect.

The additional allegations remain part of the record and are not part of the charge accepted in the plea agreement.

The teenager also stated that she had previously tried to communicate her complaints without receiving a response.

Case raises questions about institutional oversight

According to statements from the prosecutor, Deutsch had participated in temporary foster care programs for years and received more than 200 minors.

Reports cited during the process indicated that for decades numerous calls were made to hotlines related to the home, although they did not lead to police reports or criminal proceedings at that time.

The woman faces a possible sentence of up to seven years in prison.

The case review is scheduled for July 21.

In addition, another separate judicial process related to alleged financial fraud is open.