ST. FRANCISVILLE - A St. Francisville woman was arrested on child abuse charges in 2024 for allegedly abusing a child.

Gretchen Hanchey, 49, was booked into the West Feliciana Parish Prison on Sept. 26 for cruelty to juveniles and second-degree battery. She has since bonded out of jail. 

According to The Advocate, after Hanchey got custody of the child in 2018, the woman would hit her with a metal bat and sticks. The reported abuse continued over the next six years. In 2024, Hanchey and her husband brought the girl to a group home in Tupelo, Mississippi.

The paper cites a report filed by the Mississippi Department of Child and Family Services. The report says the child had burn injuries, scarring on her face, and appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma.

Court records WBRZ found also show that this wasn't the first home the child was placed in after allegations of abuse were made. In 2017, she was taken from her mother's home after allegations of poor living conditions. She was moved again in 2020 when the Hancheys got official custody of her.

District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla said that his office is aggressively pursuing the case and anticipates more charges in the coming days.