Louisiana police say teenager was raped, shot twice by mother's boyfriend and set on fire by mother: 'They're pure evil'

Louisiana police are investigating a horrific case of abuse against a 15-year-old girl allegedly at the hands of her mother and the mother's boyfriend.

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet released details about the investigation in an emotional media briefing on May 15, according to WDSU-TV.

'For somebody to do that to their child, I can’t even put it to words or understand.'

Soignet said the abuse was discovered after a car crash on April 21 involving the victim; her mother, 40-year-old Latonya Harris; another child; and her mother's boyfriend, 41-year-old Terrence Washington.

Washington got into a crash on Interstate 10 while driving recklessly on the way to Texas, and police said they were horrified to find the victim in the backseat with injuries unrelated to the crash.

Soignet said the girl was "found to be suffering from large-scale burns to majority of her upper body and multiple gunshot wounds."

Police said that Washington admitted to sexually abusing the girl and shooting her with a shotgun and also admitted to knowing about Harris setting her on fire.

Soignet said they also took into custody the 10-year-old child.

'I'd say they're pure evil.'

Investigators believe that the teen was abused for months at the couple's trailer in Terrebonne Parish.

Washington and Harris were arrested, and the teenager was transported to a hospital for treatment of her extensive injuries.

Soignet struggled to explain what motivation they might have had for the horrific abuse.

“I’d say they’re pure evil. They might have some mental issues going on. They know the difference between right and wrong," he continued.

'You have to be a monster to tell a child, to make it seem like it’s her fault.'

The teenager's identity was not released to the public, but her father and stepmother spoke to WVUE-TV about her medical condition.

Timothy Johnson said he was called about his daughter the day after the car crash, but he believed it was a practical joke and hung up. Once he realized it was not a joke, he and the girl's stepmother rushed to go see her.

“The doctor said, ‘Brace yourself before you walk in,’” said LaTricia Johnson.

“I walked in the room. I fell. My sister and the nurse had to try to grab me,” said Timothy Johnson.

They said the teenager had half of her face burned off and one of her eyes had to be medically removed. She is permanently disfigured and has lost multiple teeth.

“They took a lot away from her physically, mentally and emotionally,” LaTricia Johnson added.

“It hurts to hear her tell me everything she went through, and no one had a clue,” Timothy Johnson continued. “You have to be a monster to tell a child, to make it seem like it’s her fault.”

He says that he allowed his daughter to go live with Harris after she expressed the desire to reconnect with her mother. The father now regrets that fateful decision.

They say that initially the teenager was allowed to contact them but the interactions grew more and more sparse and eventually stopped altogether.

“If you didn’t want her, you could’ve brought her back. You could’ve called. We would’ve come and gotten her. Just could’ve brought her back to where she’s loved at,” LaTricia Johnson said.

They said despite the horror that she's been through that she wants to study to become an attorney and help other children who suffer from abuse.

The family has set up a GoFundMe donation page to help pay for her lengthy medical procedures.

“For somebody to do that to their child, I can’t even put it to words or understand,” Soignet concluded.

Here's a news video about the incident:

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