A Jacksonville couple is facing serious criminal charges after investigators alleged that four children spent years living inside the cramped cab of a semi-truck, sharing a single bed, receiving inadequate food and medical care, and rarely being allowed outside—even when they needed to use the restroom. Authorities say the disturbing living arrangement may have continued since December 2019.

Keisha Epps and her fiancé, Tamra Stewart, were arrested last week and booked into the Duval County jail on child neglect charges. The allegations outlined by investigators go far beyond concerns about inadequate housing. According to the arrest report, the children were also deprived of regular schooling and medical attention, while authorities are investigating allegations involving sexual abuse and physical violence.

Investigators say the four children had been living in the cab of a semi-truck since December 2019. A truck cab is designed as a temporary workspace and sleeping area for drivers traveling long distances—not as a permanent home for several growing children. Yet authorities allege that the children spent years inside that confined environment.

According to the report, all four children shared just one bed. They were allegedly rarely permitted to leave the truck, including at times when they needed to use the bathroom. Investigators also said the children were poorly fed and did not receive adequate nutrition.

The alleged isolation extended to education. Authorities say the children were not attending school, potentially depriving them not only of an education but also of regular contact with teachers, counselors and other adults outside their immediate household.

Schools can serve as an important safety net for children living in difficult circumstances. Teachers and staff are often among the first outsiders to notice signs of neglect or abuse. If children are kept away from school for extended periods, that additional layer of observation can disappear.

Investigators also allege that the children did not receive regular medical care. Taken together, the accusations describe children who were allegedly deprived of several basic necessities simultaneously: appropriate housing, sufficient food, education, healthcare and freedom to regularly leave an extremely confined living space.

But the investigation took an even more troubling turn when authorities began examining what the children allegedly witnessed while living with the couple.

According to the arrest report, the children reported witnessing alleged sexual abuse involving Stewart. The exact circumstances surrounding those allegations will be a matter for investigators and the courts, but authorities say the children eventually confronted Stewart about what they had witnessed.

Investigators allege that Stewart responded violently.

According to the report, Stewart struck the children in the head after they confronted him. If proven, that allegation would mean children already living under allegedly severe conditions were also subjected to physical violence after speaking about behavior that concerned them.

Authorities say the children then reported the allegations to Epps, hoping she would intervene.

Investigators allege that she did not.

Instead, Epps is accused of dismissing what the children told her and calling them derogatory names. Even more significantly, authorities say she continued leaving the children alone with Stewart despite what they had reported.

That allegation is likely to become an important part of the neglect case against her. Prosecutors may focus not only on the conditions inside the truck but also on what Epps allegedly knew, when she learned about the accusations involving Stewart and what actions she took—or failed to take—afterward.

Stewart is also facing separate sexual battery charges in Central Florida. Those allegations are separate legal matters, and charges do not establish guilt. Like Epps, Stewart is entitled to the presumption of innocence while the cases proceed through court.

The timeline described by investigators is particularly striking. If the children had indeed been living inside the semi-truck cab since December 2019, the alleged conditions would have continued across multiple years, rather than representing a temporary emergency or a short period of housing instability.

Seven years is a significant portion of childhood.

Children grow physically and emotionally at extraordinary speed during those years. Their educational needs change, their medical needs evolve and interaction with other children and adults plays an important role in their development. Investigators will likely examine how long each child lived under the alleged conditions and what effect that environment may have had.

The case also raises the question of how such an arrangement could allegedly continue for so long without intervention.

Semi-truck drivers routinely travel across cities and states, stopping at distribution centers, truck stops, fuel stations and other locations. Investigators may seek to determine who knew the children were inside the truck, whether anyone had previously raised concerns and how much contact the children had with people outside the vehicle.

Authorities could also examine records that may help reconstruct the family’s movements and the children’s circumstances over the years. School enrollment information, medical records and other documentation may help investigators determine whether the children were receiving services elsewhere or were largely disconnected from institutions that normally interact with minors.

The trucking company connected to Epps has also responded publicly.

Forward Air said Epps was an independent subcontractor rather than an employee of the company. Following the criminal allegations, the company said she had been removed from service and would not be eligible for dispatch while the case remains pending.

That distinction could become relevant as questions emerge about whether the company had any knowledge of the children allegedly living inside the vehicle or whether Epps operated independently enough that the company had little visibility into the situation.

At the heart of the investigation, however, are four children who authorities say spent years in circumstances no child should have to navigate without protection.

The allegations describe far more than an unconventional living arrangement. According to investigators, the children were confined for long periods inside a truck cab, shared a single bed, were inadequately fed, lacked regular medical attention and did not attend school. They were allegedly denied opportunities to leave the truck freely, even for basic needs such as using a restroom.

Then came the allegations involving Stewart.

If investigators can substantiate the children’s accounts, prosecutors will have to establish what each adult knew and what responsibility each had for protecting the children. Epps’ alleged response after being informed about the children’s claims may therefore receive particularly close scrutiny.

The case also illustrates why child neglect investigations often involve more than determining whether children had food and a place to sleep. Authorities generally examine the entire environment: physical safety, hygiene, healthcare, education, supervision and whether caregivers protected children from known or suspected dangers.

A vehicle may provide temporary shelter during an emergency, but investigators are alleging something fundamentally different here—a years-long arrangement in which four children were effectively living inside the cab of a working semi-truck without several basic forms of care.

Both defendants will have the opportunity to challenge those allegations in court, and the precise facts will need to be established through evidence. Arrest reports contain investigators’ allegations and should not be treated as final findings of guilt.

Still, several major questions remain.

How could four children allegedly spend years living inside a semi without regular schooling or medical care? How often were they actually allowed outside? Did anyone encounter them during those years and recognize that something might be wrong? What evidence supports the children’s allegations involving Stewart? And most importantly, what happened after the children finally spoke about what they say they had experienced?

As the cases against Epps and Stewart move through the courts, investigators may uncover records, testimony and additional evidence capable of filling in those gaps.

For now, the accusations present an unsettling picture: four children allegedly sharing one bed inside a semi-truck cab for years, isolated from ordinary childhood routines and dependent on the very adults now accused of failing to protect them.

The arrests may have ended that chapter, but the investigation is likely only beginning to reveal how the alleged situation continued for so long—and whether there were warning signs that could have brought the children help much earlier.