Wisconsin couple kept teenage daughter with autism locked in cold basement without toilet or sink

[davidn3600]

BROOKFIELD, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin couple is accused of locking their 13-year-old daughter in a cold basement with no toilet or sink, forcing her to wear diapers and refusing to allow her to sit on furniture in the family home, according to criminal charges filed this week.

The 41-year-old woman and 47-year-old man — the girl's mother and stepfather — are each charged with one count of child neglect. Court records say the girl continually showed up at school with dried feces on her, and that the stepfather said he was disgusted with the girl and called her "Stink."

He also refused to let her use the family bathroom or furniture, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, school personnel told authorities the child has low-level autism and some cognitive disabilities. The girl came to school in December with soiled pants, dried stool in her hair, and stool coming out of the sleeves, bottom and neck of her shirt. The school contacted the girl's mother, but the girl repeatedly came to school with dried stool in a diaper or sometimes on her clothing.

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The girl told school personnel that when she arrived home after an after-school program, she was taken to an unfinished room in the basement and changed into a onesie with a zipper in the back. The girl told school officials that she was locked in the basement until the next day and sometimes has dinner there, the complaint said.

http://news.yahoo.com/couple-accused-locking-teen-basement-163118423.html

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. I wonder if the girl's father knew of her mistreatment?

And since schools are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect, I wonder why the courts didn't.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Words fail me.

[liberal_at_heart]

3. well now they'll get to spend some time in a small little room and use the bathroom and shower

in front of lots of people.

[hifiguy]

4. Sounds like they are due for about 10-15 years

in the Big House. Jebus wept.

Human sewage.

[Scuba]

5. No words.

[NaturalHigh]

6. These parents aren't even human.

[jwirr]

7. There are some real failures of the state here. Years ago this was a common thing because parents

were often ashamed of their disabled children but I don't think that was the issue here. Assuming that the teachers did their part and reported this to the social services as soon as they realized nothing was going to be done by the parents - then I want to know what social services were doing about it?

These parents did not have to keep this child in their home - WI has foster homes for disabled children. What was going on here? Did the parents want her Social Security Disability money? And if she was getting SSA money then she had a social worker who was supposed to be monitoring her care. There is more to this story than we are being told.

What county is this in?