MIAMI, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- In a move calculated to smoke out a slaying, the caregivers of a little girl missing for two years in Miami have been charged with child abuse.
Caregiver Geralyn Graham was charged with several cruel acts including tying Rilya Wilson's hands to a bed, confining her to a dog cage and locking her in a small laundry room, The Miami Herald said.
The charges are based on information provided by Graham's housemate, Pamela Graham, who was charged with two lesser counts of child abuse.
Geralyn Graham faces three counts of aggravated child abuse and one count of kidnapping Wilson, who would have been 7 years old.
Police and prosecutors conceded the charges are intended to pressure people familiar with the case to reveal the fate of the little girl.
"This is a concentrated effort to get more leads, to try to get additional prosecutions, and with luck and blessings, we may be able to find Rilya," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said.
