Jury Trial Next Year for Farmington Couple Accused Keeping Four Children in Boxes

(Farmington) A couple charged with multiple felony counts of child endangerment and kidnapping out of St. Francois County has a new date set for their jury trial.

Daryl Head and Laura Cheatham will have their jury trial March 22nd through the 24th of 2022 at the courthouse in Farmington.

The 41-year-olds were arrested in August of 2018 for keeping four children inside small boxes at their Farmington home.

The St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office said Head and Cheatham were arrested after members of the Missouri Children’s Division found the children being kept inside boxes that were sealed shut with plywood and screws.

Three girls and a boy between the ages 5 and 12 were found.

Those children were allegedly being held in “specially constructed” boxes that had no windows or lighting.

In January of 2018, investigators say Laura Cheatham, who was a former employee with the Missouri Department of Corrections, placed an order with Prison Industries Clothing Division for four kids’ size prison inmate uniforms.

Cheatham apparently told the inmate who was in charge of the clothing division that the uniforms were for her kids.

Head and Cheatham are facing 8 felonies apiece.

Prior to next year’s trial, Head and Cheatham will have a court appearance to review their cases on March 2nd of 2022.