Broward stepmom whipped 8-year-old with phone chargers and jumped on her back: BSO
When an 8-year-old walked into her Broward elementary school with two black eyes and dried blood on her ears, a school counselor acted fast to save the child from possible abuse, deputies say. By the end of the school day, the little girl’s stepmother was in handcuffs.
Melirose Joncky, 42, is facing charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm, records show. As of Wednesday, she remained in the Broward Jail’s North Bureau following her Thursday, April 9, arrest.
Joncky’s attorney, Lindsay Chase, told the Miami Herald that deputies have not given the full story, and she is eager to provide context in the coming trial. Exactly what was allegedly misconstrued was not said.
“My client maintains her innocence and denies these allegations,” Chase said. “The facts are not as they have been portrayed, and there is significant context that has not been presented publicly. We look forward to addressing these issues in court, where the evidence, not speculation, will determine the outcome.”
On April 9, a school counselor at Tedder Elementary in Pompano Beach noticed one of her second-grade students was covered in injuries: two black eyes, a large contusion on her forehead, dried blood coming from her ears and scratches on her arms and neck, Joncky’s arrest report read.
The 8-year-old girl told the counselor all the wounds were inflicted by her stepmother Joncky, the report read. The child was also wearing an arm cast from a previous injury, which she said was also caused by Joncky.
The counselor quickly called 911, and the child was taken to Coral Springs Medical Center by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.
CT and X-ray scans revealed she was suffering from swelling of the neck, scalp hematomas and fractures to her ribs, arm and foot, the report read.
BSO detectives said the child told them Joncky had pushed her to the ground then pulled her by her feet and forced her onto her stomach the day prior. Joncky started to walk and jump on the child’s back. She then grabbed the back of her head and slammed it into the floor.
Joncky also armed herself with phone chargers and whipped the little girl with them, deputies said. She also choked her and hit her on the head with a kitchen knife and pot.
“Another form of punishment was to force an entire bottle of hot sauce into her mouth, as well as a mouthful of salt,” deputies wrote.
A Broward County Child Protection Team member, who evaluates alleged incidents of child abuse and neglect, confirmed the child’s injuries were consistent with what she told deputies, the report read.
During the interview with the detectives, deputies also said the 8-year-old told them her father sexually assaulted her when she lived in Indiana.
It’s unclear if an investigation has been opened into the claim.
Joncky was arrested at Tedder Elementary when she came to pick up her stepdaughter on April 9.
Deputies said Joncky denied hitting the 8-year-old, but she was aware of the condition the child was in when she dropped her off at school that morning.
Joncky went on to say her stepdaughter’s injuries were due to acne and that she ran into a wall the week before.
WPLG-Local 10 News reported during her first appearance in court Friday, a Broward County Circuit Court judge said, “I’ve never read anything like this. .... I’ve got serious concerns for the safety of the victim.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 8:42 PM.
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