Did a Missouri Woman Actually Try to Trade Her Daughter for a Monkey? Authorities Are Investigating

A longtime foster mother has been arrested in Missouri on child abuse allegations, and authorities reportedly say they’re looking into claims that she may have traded her foster daughter for a monkey.

The Lincoln County Missouri Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a statement on social media this week that Brenda Deutsch is facing felony counts for neglect, child abuse and child endangerment. Deutsch, 70, is being held on $250,000 bond, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Authorities say the child, who was in Deutsch’s care in Winfield, Mo., was later found in Texas. Winfield is roughly 50 miles northwest of St. Louis.

“Criminal investigations are not about headlines or social media commentary,” the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement confirming Deutsch’s arrest. “They are about real people and real consequences, for victims, for the accused, and for the entire community.”

Deutsch has fostered about 200 children over the past two decades, authorities told local KOMU, KBTX, and NBC News.

Lincoln County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Wood claimed in an interview with KBTX that the foster mother’s alleged abuse of the young girl was not an isolated incident. “It was a culture of abuse and neglect,” he said.

Furthermore, Wood told NBC, “At least two witnesses have come forward with information regarding the transportation of the monkey back to Missouri after the child was delivered. But we will have to further investigate whether that was actually a trade for the child or if it was something that does not rise to the level of any type of trafficking.”

PEOPLE’s calls to Wood’s office were not immediately returned.

NBC reports that more than 200 calls had been made to the Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division about activity at Deutsch’s home. PEOPLE has reached out to the social services department for comment but did not immediately receive a reply this week.

The girl authorities recovered in Texas had allegedly told investigators that she was physically beaten by Deutsch with wood trim, shoes, and a paddle, KOMU reported, citing a probable cause statement from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

The outlet reported that investigators began looking for the girl in February after school officials contacted them about her missing classes, according to court documents cited by KOMU and KBTX.

The outlets report that investigators then heard a rumor that Deutsch had allegedly traded the girl for an exotic monkey in Texas, leading them to contact authorities in Texas to look into it. Officials in Texas were able to find the girl and take her into protective custody, KOMU and KBTX reported, citing court documents.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Wood told KBTX that the couple who allegedly traded Deutsch a monkey for the girl were disabled and unable to adequately take care of her. “From what we can tell, the child was taking care of them,” the prosecuting attorney alleged to the outlet.

In a statement on social media, Wood said it’s likely that the probe into Deutsch “will end up being a lengthy investigation that must cover over a decade’s worth of allegations of abuse.”

Deutsch is due back in court next Tuesday.