Investigators in Louisville, Kentucky, have charged three adults in connection with what they describe as one of the most serious child abuse cases they have seen. The accused are the children’s father, 27-year-old Nicholas Shanks, the mother of the 2-year-old, 25-year-old Shelby Kuntz, and the children’s grandmother, 49-year-old Yvonne Shanks, according to Jefferson County jail records and local news reports.
Allegations Against Parents And Grandmother
All three adults are being held in Jefferson County, according to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections online roster, which lists active charges and booking dates. Those records show that Yvonne Shanks is charged with child abuse, domestic violence assault, and wanton endangerment related to the children.
Her son, Nicholas Shanks, faces the same child abuse, domestic violence, and endangerment counts, as well as charges of possession of methamphetamine and promoting contraband, according to the same jail records, which match details reported by NBC affiliate WAVE 3. The 2-year-old’s mother, Shelby Kuntz, is also charged with child abuse, domestic violence assault, and wanton endangerment.
Under Kentucky law, first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12 is a felony that can carry a prison term of 5 to 10 years, according to the Kentucky Revised Statutes on criminal abuse offenses (KRS 508.100). The specific degree of criminal abuse alleged in this case has not been detailed in publicly available court records cited by local outlets.
All three defendants have entered not guilty pleas. A preliminary hearing in Jefferson District Court was scheduled for Jan. 26, according to Fox affiliate WDRB and Law&Crime. At this stage, the charges are allegations, and none of the three has been convicted.
What Doctors And Detectives Say They Found
According to WAVE 3, which cited a Louisville Metro Police incident report, the case began when a 2-year-old was brought to a local hospital in full cardiac arrest. Staff told investigators that no 911 call had been placed before the child arrived, the station reported.
Medical staff documented a long list of injuries. WDRB, citing arrest records, reported that the 2-year-old had a skull fracture, several missing teeth, rib fractures, bruising, anemia linked to blood loss, and evidence of injuries to muscles, the liver, and the pancreas. These details are drawn from hospital assessments summarized in police affidavits and reported by the station.
After the 2-year-old was stabilized and admitted, detectives went to the family’s home in Louisville to investigate. There, they found the children’s grandmother, Yvonne Shanks, and another child described as 1 year old, according to WDRB.
WDRB, quoting from Shanks’ arrest citation, reported that the 1-year-old was found lying on a bed in the master bedroom with “obvious signs of trauma.” Hospital staff later determined that the younger child had up to three possible skull fractures, a possible fracture of the jawbone, a liver injury, cuts above both eyes, at least one missing tooth, and severe anemia caused by internal bleeding into the head, abdomen, and soft tissue, according to the station’s review of the police report.
The conditions of the two children have not been detailed in the public reporting. Local outlets have described both children as hospitalized but have not provided updates on their longer-term prognoses.
Failure To Seek Help And A Disputed Substance
One of the key allegations centers on what the adults in the home did, and did not do, once they saw injuries on the children.
According to WDRB, citing the arrest report, detectives wrote that Yvonne Shanks acknowledged seeing several injuries on the 1-year-old but did not call 911 and did not seek medical care. The same reporting indicates that investigators believe the injuries occurred while the children were in the custody of Nicholas Shanks and Kuntz.
WDRB and WAVE 3 both report that the parents told officers they were the only people who had custody of the children and that no one else had been around them recently. Those statements, as described in the arrest citations, are likely to be central to how prosecutors attempt to assign responsibility if the case proceeds to trial.
After his arrest, Nicholas Shanks was taken to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, where he was searched by staff. During that search, officers found what they described in a report as several pieces of a “loose translucent crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine,” according to WAVE 3, which reviewed the document. The station reported that Shanks told officers the material was road salt. A K-9 unit, however, alerted to the substance as if it were narcotics, WAVE 3 reported.
As of the latest public reports, laboratory testing results for the seized substance have not been published. The additional drug and contraband charges remain allegations tied to the booking search.
Police Reaction And Community Impact
Louisville Metro Police leaders have spoken publicly about the case, using unusually strong language to describe what officers encountered.
In an interview reported by WDRB, interim Police Chief Paul Humphrey called the alleged abuse by the parents “the lowest of the low.” He went further, telling the station, “There’s a special place in hell for people like that.” Those remarks, which Humphrey made while the case is still in its preliminary stages, underscore how seriously the department is treating the investigation.
At the same time, the justice system is in its early phases. The next formal step is the preliminary hearing that was set for late January. At such hearings in Kentucky, judges typically decide whether there is probable cause to send felony cases to a grand jury. The defendants, through their attorneys, can begin to challenge the state’s evidence, including medical findings and statements attributed to them in police reports.
Public records and local coverage do not yet include any detailed defense arguments or alternative explanations for the injuries described. It is also not yet clear whether prosecutors might seek additional charges, such as more specific counts of criminal abuse or assault, once the case reaches a grand jury.
What Remains Unanswered
Many facts about what happened inside the Louisville home remain under seal in investigative files. Police affidavits summarized by local outlets provide a medical snapshot, but they do not fully explain timing, possible prior injuries, or what each adult in the home may have known at different points in time.
The public record so far shows two very young children with extensive injuries, three adults facing serious felony charges, and a police chief who chose unusually direct language to describe what his officers found. Until more evidence is presented in open court, it is unclear how, or even if, a judge or jury will connect those pieces into a final legal conclusion.
