DALLAS (AP) — A woman who was rescued from trash- and feces-strewn closet as a child and later spoke publicly about her abuse was arrested on a child sex assault charge in Texas, police said.
Lewisville police said Lauren Kavanaugh, 25, admitted having a “sexual relationship” with a 14-year-old girl. Records show she was booked into the Denton County jail on Wednesday.
Kavanaugh met the girl through a Facebook page she used to offer support and friendship to other abuse victims, authorities said. Police said the teenager and her parents confirmed that Kavanaugh lived at their apartment, but it’s unclear if the parents knew about the relationship. The teenager told authorities she and Kavanaugh had been in a sexual relationship for the past two months.
Police did not release further information on the case.
Kavanaugh was 8 years old and weighed only 25 pounds when investigators found her at a mobile home in Dallas County in 2001. Authorities said she’d also been sexually abused. Kavanaugh has spoken publicly about the abuse, including on national television.
Jail records don’t list an attorney who could speak on her behalf.