SURPRISE, AZ — The wife of the man who allegedly shot his step-daughter in the heart with a pellet gun has also been arrested.
On May 2 police arrested Ayzia Cierra Jones, age 33, for child abuse and interfering with child protection.
Police say that on April 30 they responded to the home near Litchfield and Waddell roads after a 13-year-old girl was shot in the chest by her step-father, 37-year-old Isiah Jackson.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the house and found the victim lived in "deplorable conditions," including a lock on the outside of the door, a bunk bed with only one mattress and no personal belongings. The room also smelled of urine, officers wrote in a probable cause statement.
Investigators say that "several of the children were placed in foster care in 2010-2013 due to physical abuse allegations."
When Jones came to the hospital, none of her six children were with her. When officials went to take custody of the children Jones refused to give them information regarding their location. She later reportedly provided them with five of the six children. The sixth child was given over to the officials on May 1.
Investigators conducted surveillance on the home and allegedly found a seventh child, a one-year-old staying at a friend's house. It was not until confronted with this that Jones admitted to having a seventh child.
Court records show that the original 13-year-old victim is in stable condition.
Jones has been charged with child abuse, unlawful imprisonment, and kidnapping.
