7-year-old girl escapes home after being chained to treadmill, forced to drink dirty toilet water, authorities say

(Gray News) - A man and his girlfriend in California kept his 7-year-old niece chained to a treadmill and forced her to clean “using her tongue,” according to authorities.

Devin Hughes, 39, and Kayla Reynolds, 32, were sentenced to 25 years for abusing Hughes’ 7-year-old niece at their mobile home, according to a press release.

The couple pleaded guilty in March to more than 10 felony counts, including torture, child abuse, corporal injury, mayhem and assault likely to cause great bodily injury.

According to prosecutors, the victim escaped in July 2025 after she “found the courage and opportunity to run to a neighbor’s home to ask for help” while covered with bruises, scars, burn marks and a black eye.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found the girl malnourished and suffering from visible injuries. She told investigators that her uncle had tied her hands behind her back with a zip tie before tripping her, causing the black eye.

The girl also said that Hughes and Reynolds would cut her hair with a pocketknife and burn her with vape pens. She was allegedly starved and forced to drink dirty toilet water.

She was forced to hold her urine to the point of wetting herself and then would be forced to clean it up using her tongue.

Along with that, she was forced to sleep on the floor and would often be chained to a treadmill using a cable lock.”

The victim was hospitalized, where she gained 5 pounds during treatment.

She was later placed with a family member and is “now thriving in her new environment,” according to prosecutors.