Family Land Dispute Turns Violent in Camden Park
A bitter family dispute over land in Camden Park has escalated into a brutal physical altercation, leaving a 19-year-old mother injured and raising serious allegations of negligence and active misconduct against local police officers.
Neosha Providence, a former police recruit, recently came forward in a public radio interview to detail a harrowing two-day ordeal in which she was allegedly attacked by multiple family members, including being chopped with a cutlass by a 15-year-old cousin. Beyond the violent family clash, Providence’s account paints a troubling picture of law enforcement, accusing an off-duty female officer of physically restraining her while she was being assaulted, and condemning responding officers for locking her in a holding cell instead of providing medical attention.
The violence stems from an ongoing dispute over a shared family yard containing three homes. According to Providence, the land originally belonged to her deceased grandfather, who willed it to her aunt. However, Providence’s mother legally owns a house on the property, and tensions have run high over property expansion, space, and a proposed septic tank installation. The hostility previously forced Providence, who has a one-year-old child, to move out of her mother’s house and stay with her boyfriend’s family.
The situation reached a boiling point when Providence visited the family yard to pick plums. After a verbal confrontation with her aunt reportedly sparked by a perceived slight a few days prior, Providence left the yard and called the police.
Rather than dispatching officers to mediate the hostile situation, police instructed Providence over the phone to collect her belongings from her mother’s house and call back if any problems arose. Following these instructions, Providence returned to pack her clothes, but upon leaving, she was ambushed.
Providence reports that her older sister threw ginger ale in her face, after which both her sister and her aunt dragged her by the hair, stomped on her, and kicked her on the ground. During the melee, her 15-year-old cousin emerged with a cutlass and chopped her on the hand. Despite suffering a chop wound, Providence says the police did not arrive until she called them again after the attack. When they finally appeared, officers merely provided her with medical paperwork, asked about the chop wound, and left without taking anyone into custody or escorting her to the hospital, forcing her to hitch a ride to casualty.
The situation worsened the following day when Providence’s boyfriend, upset over the assault, approached the property with his farming cutlass. Providence arrived to de-escalate the situation, but another chaotic confrontation broke out involving her aunt, the aunt’s boyfriend, and other relatives who allegedly possessed two cutlasses of their own.
According to Providence, the family called an off-duty female police officer with whom they are friends. When this officer arrived, she allegedly held Providence down, allowing Providence’s aunt to stomp on her chest and kick her. The off-duty officer then called for backup.
When the transport arrived, officers arrested Providence and her boyfriend the victims of the attacks and placed them in a cell at a local station, treating them like criminals while ignoring the relatives who initiated the violence. Providence was kept in the holding cell until 12:00 PM without being allowed to see a doctor for her injuries, despite crying out in pain.
No charges were officially filed against Providence, but the physical and emotional toll has been severe. She is currently experiencing severe abdominal pain, cramps, and is passing blood clots, prompting deep concerns for her health. Furthermore, she and her boyfriend have been left without proper housing, currently sleeping on the floor at his mother’s partner’s house.
Despite the severity of the attack, no arrests have been made regarding the 15-year-old who chopped Providence or the family members who orchestrated the assault. Providence has since visited the Police Public Relations department to file a complaint against the off-duty officer involved in the second altercation. She is now being publicly urged to file a formal report at the central station to ensure a full investigation into both her family’s violent actions and the disturbing conduct of the police officers involved.