Holly Springs Couple Arrested on Felony Charges After Scalding Child's Feet

Christopher Eugene Ross, 41, and Tamara Ross, 37, were arrested Wednesday on felony child abuse charges after prosecutors alleged they forced an 11-year-old girl to place her feet into scalding hot water, burning and blistering her skin and leaving permanent scarring she carries to this day. Both were out on bail on related allegations at the time of the arrest and are now being held at Wake County Jail without bond.

The 11-year-old, identified in court as Tamara Ross's biological daughter and Christopher Ross's stepdaughter, was subjected to what authorities described as torture extending well beyond the scalding incident. A prosecutor said in court that Christopher Ross "placed and forced this victim's feet into scalding water, leaving peeling and permanent scarring that she still carries to this day." Warrants allege he also held the child's head in a sink with a washcloth over her mouth while running water, which prosecutors characterized as waterboarding. In a separate act of confinement, prosecutors said Christopher told the girl they were playing "cops and robbers," then locked her in a bathroom for several days, permitting her to leave only for family events and throwing uncooked ramen noodles inside for food.

Prosecutors said Tamara Ross allowed her husband to torture and starve the child. She faces charges of intentional child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, false imprisonment, and failing to report a crime against a child. At the time of her arrest, she was employed as a teacher at Douglas Elementary School in Raleigh. A Wake County judge told her at a first appearance via video conference: "Mrs. Ross, you're on a first appearance for intentional inflicting serious bodily injury. It's a class B two felony and facing maximum punishment of 393 months in prison."

Christopher Ross faces two counts of intentional child abuse and false imprisonment tied to a January 2024 incident, along with a separate misdemeanor child abuse charge from an Oct. 1, 2024, incident. During a recent hearing to determine whether one child could be returned to the home, Christopher Ross submitted what prosecutors called a disturbing video showing him holding the child on the ground. Authorities have seized two of his cellphones, which they believe contain multiple recordings documenting the alleged abuse.

The abuse extended to other children in the household. The couple, married in 2021, were raising four children together: Christopher Ross's children by another mother, ages 11, 18, and 20, and a 3-year-old they shared. A search warrant states that one child disclosed being hit on her genitals to the point of bleeding, another disclosed being waterboarded, and their mother was raped in front of the children. A third daughter described being punched in the face, choked with a remote control forced into her mouth, and held with her head underwater. Prosecutors also said Christopher threatened to wrap the child in a blanket, set the house on fire, and tell firefighters he could not get her out.

Holly Springs police learned of the abuse after a concerned citizen placed a call. None of the children remained in the Rosses' care as of Thursday, with all placed in foster care. Prosecutors said the children will be put up for adoption, meaning the couple could lose parental rights permanently.

These arrests come nearly a decade after Christopher Ross first faced abuse charges out of Fuquay-Varina, where a Sept. 1, 2015, incident led to charges filed by Fuquay-Varina police in April 2017. He pleaded guilty, and in exchange the Wake County District Attorney's Office dismissed several charges, including misdemeanor child abuse. He received three months in jail and 18 months of supervised probation.

Tamara Ross is seeking immunity, claiming she was the first to report to police that her husband attempted to restrain her daughter during what she described as a mental health crisis. The couple is scheduled to return to court at 9 a.m. on April 9. The investigation remains active.