A Christian author and her pastor husband face charges in Texas after their teenage daughter told investigators he abused her and her mother helped conceal it.
Heather Thompson Day broke down during her bond hearing, repeatedly declaring “this is not true!” as she denied allegations that she failed to protect her teenage daughter from abuse.
“I am a professor of communication, my husband’s a pastor! This is not true!” Day told Justice of the Peace Andrew Nolan during her Sept. 24 bond hearing, according to footage reported by Spectrum Magazine, an independent Seventh-day Adventist news outlet.
Keene police arrested Day and her husband, Seth Michael Day, both 39, after a teacher reported injuries to their 14-year-old daughter’s face and head. The girl later told investigators her father repeatedly assaulted her, and her mother helped conceal the abuse, according to arrest affidavits.
Heather Day, whose legal name is Heather Marie Day, faces a charge of injury to a child by omission. Seth Day faces charges of injury to a child and sexual assault of a child.
The couple, who co-authored the Christian relationship book “I’ll See You Tomorrow,” later posted bond and left the Johnson County jail. Emergency protective orders restrict their contact with their children and require them to wear ankle monitors, Spectrum Magazine reported.
During her court appearance, Heather Day insisted Child Protective Services knew the allegations were false. She said a CPS investigator “was very shocked by what’s happened to me,” according to Spectrum Magazine.
She also said her daughter had mental health issues and “she doesn’t understand what she’s doing.”
But the affidavits describe a teenager who said she repeatedly told her mother about the alleged abuse without getting protection.
The investigation began Sept. 24, when a high school teacher contacted the Keene Police Department about the girl’s visible injuries. Authorities took her to the Johnson County Children’s Advocacy Center, where she described what she said were repeated assaults.
The teenager told investigators her father most recently attacked her Sept. 22, hitting her with a cellphone out of “anger,” according to the affidavit. She said he struck her face and chest while her mother and two siblings were inside the home.
While receiving treatment at Cook Children’s Medical Center, the girl also reported that her father sexually assaulted her that same day, police said.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the family’s home in Keene, southwest of Fort Worth. According to court documents reported by Spectrum Magazine, they found a bottle of lubricant where the teenager said it would be. Investigators also reported finding other evidence consistent with her account.
The girl had told authorities that a bloody paper towel remained in a bathroom after she used it to clean her cellphone following the alleged beating. Investigators also learned that Heather Day had photographs of her daughter’s injuries on her phone, according to the documents.
Authorities accuse Heather Day of helping conceal the injuries rather than reporting the alleged assaults.
Her daughter told investigators that her mother encouraged her to lie about how she got hurt and wear a mask at school. The girl also said her mother took her to the hospital after earlier assaults but told medical staff she did not know what caused the injuries.
According to the affidavits, the teenager said she had been told she had hereditary angioedema, a condition that causes swelling. She told investigators she believed that explanation was a “cover-up” for the abuse.
Police said the condition could cause swelling but did not explain the girl’s bruises and lacerations.
Spectrum Magazine reported that people connected to Heather Day defended the family, attributing the teenager’s facial appearance to a medical condition.
The girl also described earlier alleged abuse and previous CPS involvement. According to the affidavit, CPS investigated an incident in Midland, Texas, in August 2026.
She told investigators the family also moved from another Keene home after a CPS report. Police said CPS had received other reports that authorities later closed.
The arrests brought scrutiny to a couple whose public work centered on Christian faith, relationships and communication.
Heather Day hosts the podcasts “Viral Jesus” and “What if I’m Wrong?” She founded Cross Communication, a network for Christian speakers, in 2024.
Although she identified herself in court as a communication professor, Spectrum Magazine reported that she left Andrews University in 2024.
Seth Day worked as an assistant professor of psychology at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene. The university placed him on administrative leave after his arrest.
“We are fully cooperating with law enforcement,” the university said in a statement. School officials said the allegations did not involve university students, staff or other faculty members.
Seth Day remained mostly silent during his initial court appearance, according to Spectrum Magazine. He asked what had happened to his wife and whether their children could stay with relatives in Michigan.
He returned to court Sept. 25 to face the sexual assault charge. The magistrate increased his bond by $250,000 from the initial $100,000, Spectrum Magazine reported.
