Newly obtained court records provide new details about the case against active-duty Airman Benton Christopher Fezer, who faces 22 felony child abuse charges involving his 5-year-old daughter.
Editor’s Note: This story discusses allegations of child abuse. Some details contained in court records have been omitted from this report due to their graphic nature. An uncensored version containing additional details from the court records is available to subscribers at TheSaltySoldierUncensored.com.
An active-duty Air Force airman accused of severely abusing and neglecting his 5-year-old daughter faces 22 felony child abuse charges and potential exposure of up to life in prison, according to newly obtained court records.
Benton Christopher Fezer and his girlfriend, Kaycee Jenkins, were arrested in January following a Tucson Police Department investigation into the treatment of Fezer’s three young daughters at their home on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Fezer’s defense attorney later wrote in a court filing that he faces 22 felony child abuse charges and that his “total trial exposure is up to life in prison.”
The newly obtained records provide a more detailed account of the allegations than what was publicly known following the pair’s arrests.
A Pima County grand jury indictment accuses Fezer and Jenkins of depriving the 5-year-old of adequate food, water and medical care over a period of months. Fezer is separately accused of repeatedly physically abusing his daughter during the days immediately before she was hospitalized.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Child Hospitalized in Critical Condition
As The Salty Soldier previously reported, Tucson police began investigating after Fezer’s 5-year-old daughter was taken to Tucson Medical Center on Dec. 30, 2025.
Medical personnel documented numerous injuries and found the girl suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition, according to records reviewed by The Salty Soldier.
The child weighed approximately 33 pounds and was described in investigative records as having a “gaunt face with sunken eyes.”
Doctors also identified dangerously abnormal electrolyte levels and other medical problems. Her condition was serious enough that she spent nine days in intensive care.
Investigators said the girl’s condition appeared to have developed over an extended period rather than suddenly.
Fezer and Jenkins allegedly told investigators that the child began having difficulty walking the previous day but that they initially believed she was faking her symptoms. They also reportedly attributed some of her behavioral problems and loss of appetite to her mother leaving earlier in 2025.
Police later said evidence collected during the investigation contradicted portions of the couple’s account.
The girl reportedly gained approximately eight pounds after being removed from the home and placed into state care.
Grand Jury Returns 23 Charges
The grand jury indictment lays out 23 criminal charges stemming from the investigation.
Fezer is named in 22 of them.
Jenkins is named in five.
Prosecutors allege both Fezer and Jenkins failed to provide the girl with enough food and water between April and December 2025, causing dehydration and malnutrition.
They are also accused of failing to provide adequate dental care and failing to seek timely medical treatment as the girl’s condition deteriorated.
The remaining charges against Fezer describe a series of alleged physical assaults during the final days before his daughter was hospitalized.
Prosecutors accuse him of repeatedly striking and injuring the child during incidents on Dec. 26 and Dec. 29.
Several of the allegations involve conduct prosecutors say created a risk of death or serious physical injury.
Some of the allegations are particularly disturbing and have been omitted from this version of the report.
Police Say Digital Evidence Captured Alleged Abuse
Investigators also obtained digital evidence during the investigation.
According to records previously reviewed by The Salty Soldier, investigators recovered video that allegedly showed Fezer physically abusing one of the children.
Tucson police searched the family’s residence at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and seized forensic and digital evidence as the investigation expanded.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations assisted Tucson police.
Investigators also examined the treatment of Fezer’s two younger daughters, who were 4 and 3 at the time.
All three children were ultimately removed from the home and placed in the care of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
Jenkins Also Charged
Jenkins is accused alongside Fezer of participating in the alleged deprivation of food and water, failing to provide dental care and failing to obtain timely medical treatment for the 5-year-old.
She also faces a separate charge alleging that she physically abused the girl on Dec. 30, shortly before the child was taken to the hospital.
Police previously alleged that Fezer and Jenkins acknowledged restricting the children’s access to water in an effort to reduce bathroom use.
Jenkins faces five charges under the grand jury indictment.
Fezer’s Defense Says He Faces Up to Life
The potential consequences for Fezer became clearer in an April filing from his own defense attorney.
While asking the judge for additional time to prepare for trial because of the size and complexity of the case, the defense wrote that Fezer faces 22 felony child abuse charges and that his “total trial exposure is up to life in prison.”
The defense also described the evidence turned over in the case as extensive, including several hundred pages of written material.
Prosecutors have formally alleged that several of Fezer’s charges qualify as dangerous crimes against children under Arizona law.
The judge has since formally designated the prosecution a complex case.
Jenkins Released on $20,000 Bond
Jenkins was initially held on a $50,000 bond following her arrest.
In June, her attorney asked the judge to release her without bond or reduce it to no more than $10,000.
Prosecutors opposed the request.
The judge ultimately reduced Jenkins’ bond to $20,000 and ordered that she be supervised by Pretrial Services if released.
Court records show a $20,000 surety bond was subsequently posted and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department authorized her release.
Fezer remained in custody when the case returned to court in August.
During an Aug. 24 hearing, attorneys updated the judge on records being obtained from the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
The judge formally designated the prosecution a complex case and scheduled the next major proceeding for Dec. 7.
The hearing is listed as a change-of-plea, Donald hearing and pretrial conference. That designation does not mean either defendant has agreed to plead guilty.
Neither Fezer nor Jenkins has been convicted in connection with the allegations.
The newly obtained indictment provides the clearest account yet of the criminal case that developed after the 5-year-old was hospitalized in December.
Fezer and Jenkins have pleaded not guilty and remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Salty Soldier will continue monitoring the case as it moves through Pima County Superior Court.
The uncensored version of this report, including additional allegations contained in the grand jury indictment, is available to subscribers at TheSaltySoldierUncensored.com.
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