Three women face charges after a 6-year-old girl died in east Charlotte.
Mecklenburg Trial Court Administrator’s Office
Three women have been charged in the death of a 6-year-old girl whom police found scarred and weighing just 27 pounds earlier this month, court records show.
A medical examiner found the girl, Dominique Moody, had a number of injuries by the time she died. They included burn scars; fractures to her ribs; and wounds from “prolonged sitting in urine/feces-soiled items, such as a diaper, for extensive periods of time,” according to an affidavit filed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
Other children at the east Charlotte home told detectives Moody’s legal guardian, Tonya McKnight, forced the girl to live in a dog crate, the affidavit said.
Police went to the three-bedroom home after McKnight called for help on Dec. 16.
It was “extremely unkempt” and had a “strong odor of feces and urine,” the affidavit said. It was cluttered, rat-infested and had human and animal feces throughout, according to the affidavit.
McKnight faces fives child abuse charges — one felony and four misdemeanors. She is in uptown’s jail under a $2 million secured bond.
The girl’s adopted sister, Tery’n McKnight, and Susan Robinson, who also lived in the home, are also in jail. They face the same charges and are being held in the jail without bond.
In court last week, prosecutors said they were waiting on lab results, which could lead to murder by torture charges being filed, The Charlotte Observer’s news partner WSOC reported. The case nearly brought one career prosecutor to tears, according to WSOC.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published December 29, 2025 at 2:22 PM.
Ryan Oehrli
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