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WEST HAVEN — The sister of the 12-year-old boy allegedly starved to death in West Haven is breaking her silence.
Mayloni Peterson, 19, Gavin Peterson's older sister, alleged she also suffered physical abuse and starvation at the hands of her father, Shane Peterson, stepmother Nichole Scott, and on occasion her older brother, Tyler Peterson.
Shane Peterson, 46, Scott, 50, and Tyler Peterson, 21, are in custody facing multiple charges connected to Gavin's death, including child abuse homicide.
"They manipulated me into hating my mom … and cut off all contact with her," Mayloni Peterson said.
Mayloni Peterson said she lived in a world of isolation under the roof of her father Shane Peterson and his partner Nichole Scott in West Haven.
According to Mayloni Peterson, she noticed her father and stepmother's attitude start to change when she was about 13 in late 2018, after she'd lived with them for over two years. Mayloni's older brother Tyler, younger brother Gavin — about 6 years old at the time, and a half-brother one year younger than Gavin also lived in the home.
"I started looking a little bit like my mom, and Nichole started to resent me for it," Mayloni Peterson said. "She called me names every day. It was just constant, just horrible."
Mayloni described being berated and beaten by Scott, who she said once shaved her head as punishment for brushing her hair.
"I found a comb on the bathroom floor, and I started combing my hair with it, and she found out about it and got really mad at me. And that's what eventually led to her shaving my head," Mayloni Peterson said.
Mayloni Peterson said she had to be "granted permission" to shower and use the restroom — which she could only use with the door open.
"She would tell me what to do, and I would listen. At that time, I was mostly focused on surviving," Mayloni Peterson said. "I don't know how I did it, but I remember her telling me that she wanted to kill me."
The then-13-year-old also spent long hours outside; doing yard work at her dad's house and her great-grandmother's place across the street.
"I was their maid ... they would have me outside from morning until dinner time," Mayloni Peterson said.
Over the course of several months, Mayloni Peterson said she was only fed one or two times per day.
"They would starve me until I was really skinny," Mayloni Peterson said.
Mayloni Peterson said she was fed the same food prosecutors allege, in court documents, that her little brother Gavin ate. After his death on July 9, doctors observed Gavin's body was "visibly emaciated" and his internal organs "shut down completely," according to court documents.
"I ate the same thing Gavin did, bread with mustard, because we hated it (mustard)," Mayloni Peterson said.
Of the food she ate, Mayloni Peterson said she would "prefer not to go there."
To this day, she said memories of the abuse haunt her. "I remember watching the hands on the clock, I would count, seven, maybe 10, hours before I was allowed to eat anything."
"(Nichole's) still in my head," Mayloni Peterson said.
Mayloni Peterson also talked about being locked inside the bedroom she shared with her siblings; her stepmother kept a camera on a dresser in the room to track her movements.
"She had a surveillance camera, she had an app on her phone and she would track everything I did," Mayloni Peterson said.
At one point, Mayloni Peterson alleged she was tied to the bed with zip ties.
"They would tie my ankles, and she said if I moved, she would beat me over and over again." Mayloni Peterson said that the punishments were often ordered and carried out by her stepmother. Her father also participated or watched as they were executed, Mayloni Peterson said.
According to Mayloni Peterson, her older brother, Tyler Peterson, was also encouraged to beat her even though the two siblings had once been close.
"Tyler, he basically did whatever they wanted. They told him it was OK to beat me. I don't know what was going through his head at the time," Mayloni Peterson said. "It's just hard knowing that he was my best friend."
"I believe he was manipulated by them," Mayloni Peterson said of Tyler Peterson. "That's what he knew."
At the time, Mayloni Peterson said Gavin wasn't punished as severely as she was. Instead, she was punished whenever her little brother "did something bad."
"I want Gavin to get the justice he deserves. I don't know what is going to change, but I hope it's the system. I hope that they are open to creating new laws to protect the safety of kids," she said.
The Utah Division of Child and Family Services has declined to comment on the case.
The Weber County Sheriff's Office has also declined KSL-TV's request for all police records and incidents related to Nichole Scott and Shane Peterson. In a push for transparency, KSL-TV is appealing the denial.
Read the entire story at KSLTV.com.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
- The Utah Division of Child and Family Services offers counseling, teaches parenting skills and conflict resolution and can connect families with community resources. Its goal is to keep children with their family when it is "possible and safe." Visit dcfs.utah.gov/contact-us/ or call 801-538-4100.
- The Christmas Box House acts as a temporary shelter for children and can provide them with new clothing and shoes, among other services. Call the Salt Lake office at 801-747-2201 or the Ogden office at 801-866-0350.
