The wife of a Jefferson City man charged with two counts of child abuse for inflicting physical and mental abuse against children younger than 18 has been charged in the same case.
Bhakti Gandhi, 34, is charged with child abuse and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Her husband, Darshan Gandhi, 36, was charged earlier this week.
A Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement shows the victims were two girls, ages 5 and 9.
The 5-year-old was found to have burns on her ankle and on the top of one of her hands. The 9-year-old had a burn on her left hand.
Officers following up on a child abuse hotline call had Darshan come to the police station after he told them in an earlier interview that he had threatened the girls with hot spoons.
Both children said Bhakti was present when Darshan had burned them with a spoon that he heated on a stove as a way to discipline them after the girls, he felt, misbehaved at a volleyball game.
The 9-year-old told investigators that she tried to run away from Bhakti and Darshan after witnessing the 5-year-old getting burned.
The 9-year-old said Bhakti assisted in holding her while Darshan placed the heated spoon on her hand.
Both children told investigators Darshan burned the 5-year-old with a spoon two years ago when the child was 3 years old.