Former Missing Teen's Mom Arrested for Child Abuse and Endangerment!

14-year-old JaShyah Moore had been missing for weeks and presumed endangered until she was found by New York police. JaShyah, in an attempt to conceal her identity, had shaved off her hair and was hiding in an undisclosed location. Why was she hiding? Well, sources say she was hiding to escape a physically abusive mother.

Jashyah's mother, Jamie A. Moore, 39, was arrested shortly after her daughter was found and charged with two counts of second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The second count stems from Moore's three-year-old little boy who was allegedly abused and neglected as well. Both children were removed from Moore's custody.

JaShyah was last seen at a store close to the family's home on October 14th. She was reported missing when she didn't return home from the deli.

Authorities say that when she was first approached, JaShyah Moore allegedly denied being the missing teen, but she eventually confirmed her identity. Investigators believe she had been at several locations before being found on Thursday.

“It appears that JaShyah was a runaway,” acting Essex County Prosecutor Ted Stephens said.

According to court documents filed in the case, JaShyah Moore had suffered years of abuse at the hands of her mother. The complaint describes Moore’s abuse, alleging she stabbed her daughter in the shoulder with a steak knife, “causing a laceration that is still visible.”

Moore also allegedly sprayed bleach in her daughter’s eyes, pulled her braids out, and would hit her with several objects, including a frying pan. She would also strike her daughter with her hands, and put her knees on Jashyah’s neck and back, “causing her to struggle to breathe,” according to the complaint.

The 14-year-old was allegedly “forced to cook” for herself and her younger brother, or else neither would eat that day. Her mother is also accused of “educational neglect,” keeping the girl from attending or enrolling in classes. Instead, the complaint alleges, Moore sent Jashyah out to panhandle, a claim the East Orange police said they have corroborated.

JaShyah Moore’s aunt said the girl’s estranged stepfather is an East Orange police officer who is facing an assault charge for an incident last year in Irvington. The aunt said the stepfather punched her niece twice in the face. The unidentified aunt says that she became suspicious when JaShyah went missing just days before the pending court date.

We're thankful that JaShyah was found safe and that her younger brother is safe as well.

Jamie Moore is due in court this week.