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A professor at a Southwestern Adventist University in Keene and his wife have been arrested on charges related to the physical and sexual abuse of a child.
Seth Michael Day and Heather Marie Day, both 39, were booked at the Johnson County Jail. Seth Day, an assistant professor of psychology at Southwestern Adventist, has been placed on administrative leave, university officials said on Facebook.
A high school teacher reported receiving an outcry about the Days’ alleged abuse on Sep. 24, according to KDFW-TV.
The victim told the teacher that, two days prior, Seth Day had struck her in the face and chest with her cellphone, leaving her with visible lacerations and bruises, according to arrest warrant affidavits obtained by KDFW. Investigators also wrote that Heather Day was present at the time of the abuse and chose not to intervene.
Additionally, the victim reported that Heather Day knew about prior abuse, failed to report it, and frequently had the victim conceal the abuse by wearing a facemask, according to the affidavits.
Over the course of the investigation, Keene police Chief James Kidd said, additional allegations of sexual abuse by Seth Day were also uncovered. Investigators executed a search warrant and recovered evidence related to the case, according to KDFW.
Seth Day is charged with injury to a child and sexual assault of a child, and Heather Day is charged with injury to a child by omission.
“We are fully cooperating with law enforcement,” officials with Southwestern Adventist University wrote on Facebook. “We understand that the current allegations do not involve SWAU students, staff, or other faculty members. The safety of our University community remains our first priority. We will share additional details as appropriate.”
Heather Day hosts Christian podcasts, and together the couple co-authored the relationship book “I’ll See You Tomorrow.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 10:14 PM.
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