Foster parent may avoid prison for endangering the welfare of a child

WINFIELD, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) — A Missouri foster parent accused of trading a child for an exotic animal and who pleaded guilty to a child endangerment charge may not go to prison.

Brenda Deutsch, of Winfield, was charged in April 2025 with felony counts stemming from allegations of a missing child who was later found in Texas. A grand jury later indicted Deutsch on two counts of abuse or neglect of a child and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

In June, Deutsch pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The other two charges were dropped.

Ahead of Deutsch’s sentencing, her lawyer filed a sentencing memorandum that argues Deutsch never traded the child for an exotic animal.

“One of those claims was even that Brenda traded the child for a monkey, which was untrue and was confirmed by the investigation to be untrue,” Deutsch’s defense attorney claimed.

Deutsch was recently sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of state-supervised probation. However, her prison sentence is suspended if she completes the terms of her probation. Her foster parent license was also revoked.

According to court documents, in November 2024, the Missouri Department of Social Services received an anonymous report that Deutsch was abusing a child.

Court documents say the victim was interviewed by the state in December 2024 and told state officials about her abuse, which had started about three years prior.

According to court documents, the victim said she was hit with a paddle, was smacked and faced other abuse. The victim also said she had seen other family members being abused.

In February 2025, the child’s school district reported that she was missing from school and was found in Texas. One witness told investigators it was because Deutsch and the victim weren’t getting along. A different witness told investigators it was so that Deutsch could exchange the victim for an exotic animal.

Deutsch was a foster parent for more than 200 children over several decades. During that time, more than 200 calls were made to a child abuse hotline to report Deutsch.