Prominent Christian Authors in North Texas Arrested in Connection With Child Abuse Investigation

Both were booked into Johnson County Jail on charges of injuring a child. Seth Day also faces a charge of sexual assault of a child.

Christian Authors Face Allegations Following Teacher's Report

The investigation began when a teacher reported a teenage student with 'severe injuries' to her head and face, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

The teenager told authorities that Seth Day struck her in the face and chest with her cell phone, leaving multiple bruises and lacerations. According to the affidavit, she told investigators this was not the first instance of abuse.

The affidavit alleged that Heather Day knew about the abuse and did not intervene. It also alleged that she attempted to conceal the injuries by asking the teenager to wear a mask at school.

When medical professionals questioned Heather Day about the bruising, she would state that she did not know, according to the affidavit.

Police uncovered sexual abuse allegations involving Seth Day and collected evidence from the couple's Keene home, according to the affidavit. The newspaper's report does not establish whether those allegations concern the teenager who reported physical abuse.

The couple, both 39 at the time of the report, were released on bond, according to jail records. Heather Day's bond was $100,000 (£75,800) and Seth Day's was $350,000 (£265,200).

University Response to Christian Authors' Case

Jason Buchanan, chief special investigator for the Johnson County District Attorney, told The Dallas Morning News that the case was still under investigation. He declined to provide further information.

Neither Day responded to the newspaper's emails, phone calls or text messages.

Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, where Seth Day is a psychology professor, announced that he had been placed on administrative leave. The university stated that the allegations did not appear to involve university students, staff or faculty members.

'We are fully cooperating with law enforcement,' the university stated. 'The safety of our University community remains our top priority.'

Christian Authors' Books and Online Following

Heather Day hosts the podcasts Viral Jesus and What if I'm wrong? and has written books including What If I'm Wrong? and It's Not Your Turn.

She and Seth Day co-wrote I'll See You Tomorrow, about navigating difficulties in relationships. With her daughter, she co-wrote Can I Sit Here? A Story about Feeling Lonely, Being Brave, and Making Friends.

In 2024, Heather Day founded Cross Communication, a network of Christian speakers.

Several Seventh-day Adventist and Christian publications first reported the charges. Jenai Auman, a Houston mother who writes online about spiritual formation, responded in a post.

'I don't know how to metabolize the amount of grief and rage in my body,' she wrote.

According to the newspaper, the couple had not addressed the charges on social media. Heather Day had shared a post recounting an earlier job loss as the couple prepared to close on a house.

'In the aftermath of feeling like my life had burst into flames, I did something peculiar. I went to my diner in a small town, ordered a coffee and corned beef hash, and sat at a table for one,' she wrote. '...What an ordinary moment after a profound tragedy. The cross is central to the gospel. But the cross is not the end of the gospel. There is resurrection. There is life on the other side of suffering.'