Girl, 14, found weighing just 35 pounds in Outagamie County 'house of horrors'
https://www.wisn.com/article/girl-14-found-weighing-just-35-pounds-in-outagamie-county/69427544
https://www.wisn.com/article/girl-14-found-weighing-just-35-pounds-in-outagamie-county/69427544
49 Comments
someguy3@lemmy.world · 97 pts · 268d
foodandart@lemmy.zip · 54 pts · 268d
From the article: Melissa Goodman and Lefever "were extremely obese to the point of being nearly bed-bound, and rarely left the residence." While the 14 year old nearly starved.
If I was a judge, I'd make sure in jail, they'd all get a similar diet as the one they gave that child.
Until they were almost as small.
arrow74@lemmy.zip · 67 pts · 268d
And this is why you'd never be a judge. You described a punishment that is inherently unconstitutional.
I get it we want to make monsters like this suffer, but that's not basis for a legal system
DougHolland@lemmy.world · 55 pts · 268d
Cruelty does not demonstrate righteousness.
village604@adultswim.fan · -11 pts · 268d
In cases of extreme child abuse it does.
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · -16 pts · 268d
Retribution may be born of righteousness but the point is to inflict the same suffering. It may not be righteous but it is just.
SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 24 pts · 268d
"Just"
An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind.
Restitution works towards material conditions being corrected. Justice requires making things right --conditions, capacities, results.
But revenge is just childish emotional indulgence. Prison is revenge, at its core. I'd like to see victims set right as the main result of sentencing.
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · -6 pts · 268d
Sometimes like with this instance the only thing that can be done is to ensure they do not have the fundamental capacity to inflict such suffering. Take their skulls and let the ravens feast on their corpses, then ensure the victim heals as much as possible.
foodandart@lemmy.zip · -8 pts · 268d
Or, the one-eyed becme the object lessons in what not do so as to get that eye popped out in the first place.
Examples should be made of those who'd eat themselves into near immobile obesity while their mentally handicapped child is starved to death.
There is no touchy-feelying this one into anything remotely civilized. Which is honestly beside the point..
Regardless of whatever internet arguments we may have out here, once the general population in whatever jail they land in learns what they did, a lost eye may be the least of it.
People that abuse children - don't have a good time in jail.
SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 268d
Whelp, if deterrence worked the prisons wouldn't be overflowing. Most murderous bastards are not rational about it.
Ah there it is, the rule of law is subject to the Law of the Jungle ethos.
'They weren't civilized, why should I be?' I have explained this issue to toddlers through teens. That is not how it works.
Restitution vs retribution is not touchy-feely FFS. It’s basic ethics. We need more of that in grade school curriculum, along with history.
foodandart@lemmy.zip · -5 pts · 267d
How many decades does this restitution take to actually make criminally vile behavior stop? I'm no spring chicken and I've been waiting for a long time for a train, it seems, that is just not coming.
Fundamentally the issue is that those wretched parents did not care for the child because the girl was handicapped. That's the kind of spiritual malaise that isn't going to be easily or ethically changed. It's hard-wired animal behavior.
The jungle is still where H. Sapeins lives, for all of the lofty proclamations otherwise. Digital watches, indoor plumbing and microwave ovens are only proof of knowledge, not wisdom.
Not saying don't try.. It's a noble as a grape to do so, but let's not pretend that we are more than we are at this point in our moral development.
So yeah, throw the goddamned book at them.
Dasus@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 267d
If deterrence worked the US wouldn't have such a high murder rate and drug prohibition in general would actually work.
DougHolland@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 266d
It is just savagery. Fix your heart! (:
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 266d
No. But I will offer yours to the Allfather.
fleton@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 268d
Such a waste of good whale oil. Melt em down to help fund her treatments.
webp@mander.xyz · 10 pts · 268d
Pretty sure that would be considered a cruel punishment
echodot@feddit.uk · 9 pts · 267d
They're going to have a bad time in jail. Everyone gets the same portion size which to them will be like being starved because it looks like they used to about 17 meals a day. Plus snacks
They'll be wondering what happened to second breakfast.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 268d
Make sure they are sitting on death row when they do. Fucking monsters.
aarch0x40@lemmy.world · 65 pts · 268d
…..and each one of the charged is a minimum 300lbs
FireRetardant@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 268d
Bet they never have to "lay nice and quiet to get what they want" such as basic needs like food.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 267d
Just lost 40 ish pounds myself so from 300 to 260, but I'm also tall AF. And even in my darkest depression bed ridden days, I could still get out and buy my cats food! This kinda shit really makes me wonder about our future as a species.
mysticpickle@lemmy.ca · 59 pts · 268d
Ah so that's where all her food went
Spacehooks@reddthat.com · 23 pts · 268d
Those are some bits of makeup away from looking like pizza the hut
ThanksObama@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 268d
The difference is Pizza the Hut actually tasted great.
echodot@feddit.uk · 8 pts · 267d
The father looks like a serial killer. So does the mother, but she's less successful as getting away from her would be much easier, you just have to go down a narrow street.
tym@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 267d
GaryGhost@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 266d
I swear I saw this guy on EWU
Spacehooks@reddthat.com · 40 pts · 268d
Im disappointed that the article didnt explain how this went in for so long. She didn't go to school should be red flag here.
Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 41 pts · 268d
There's a case going on now in my home state, a boy fell off the radar (homeschooled) since 11 years old I believe. In his 30s now, he set his house on fire to escape, he weighed something like 65 pounds I think it said
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-s1-5327122/connecticut-captive-stepmom-house-fire
DCF (CPS) was called when he was a child multiple times, but once they moved him to "homeschooling" he became trapped. Utterly horrible.
It's the same questions comming from our community, how could this happen?
TragicNotCute@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 268d
“Home schooling” would be my guess. That’s how most of these cases go.
khepri@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 267d
There's a reason that denying children a decent public education used to be a crime, and a big part of the reason was shit just like this.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 267d
And now they're actively gutting public education. ..
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 267d
Bruh seriously! Like I skipped school one time and got caught by
truincytruancy cops. And I would've gotten away with it if I wasn't wearing tight fitting jeans with my big butt what showed my wallet's outline. How do these fuckers get away with not getting their kids to school for months‽PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 267d
Truancy*
It might been the right thing for them to do, lol
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 267d
Thanks for the correction! Only ever heard the word and never read it.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 267d
I do that all the time, lol
QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 267d
You say that as if there’s a good explanation. People slip through smaller cracks then that all the time
Spacehooks@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 267d
Absolutely terrible reality.
the_q@lemmy.zip · 38 pts · 268d
Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio · 8 pts · 268d
Look at them. They will.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 267d
Massive coronary events? Could be quick
Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio · 2 pts · 267d
Or an embolismnif they're lucky lol.
My money is on festering bed sores and maggots and shit lol.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 266d
I'm with you. Nasty and painful!
khepri@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 267d
For context, that is the average weight of a fucking 4 year old. These gravy boat scooty-puff motherfuckers should be filed away somewhere where they never see another human being for the rest of their cousin-fucking lives.
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 267d
JFC! Why does it seem it's always obese people doing this‽ Like I'm not spring chicken myself, but I can't imagine starving your own kid! My life was slightly better before watching that report and reading the transcripts.
ptu@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 267d
16 kg
Cypher@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 268d
hperrin@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 268d
Not as arse as those people. Man, fuck those people. Monsters.
naeap@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 268d
I can't even access it
Not available in my region ...
echodot@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 267d
Dot know can't access it.
Is this story available from a news website that anybody is actually heard of you could do with some verifying.