AME LYNN DEAL - 10 yo (8/2011) - Phoenix AZ

PHOENIX -- Phoenix police homicide investigators have arrested four
people in connection to the death of a 10-year-old girl whose body was
found inside a box on July 12.
Police originally thought a game of hide-and-seek had turned deadly but now say family members fabricated the story.






During the initial investigation, the family had told police that Ame
Lynn Deal and other children were playing hide-and-seek and they
believed that Ame must have climbed into the storage box to hide and had
accidentally suffocated.
According to Sgt. Trent Crump with the Phoenix Police Department,
investigators determined that Ame was forced into the footlocker-type
box as punishment for stealing a Popsicle from the refrigerator. The box
was padlocked and Ame was left in it overnight at her home near 35th
Avenue and Broadway Road.

She was found dead the following morning.
Crump said Ame was forced to do backbends for several hours prior to
dragging the chest inside the house herself. He described the box as
31.5 inches in length, 14 inches wide and 12.25 inches deep. At the
time of her death, Ame was 4 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 60 pounds.

Ame's family members regularly locked her in the box as discipline for
poor behavior, according to Crump. There were allegations that she was
fed hot sauce, deprived of food and beaten with a board over the past
few months. He said when Ame wouldn't pick up dog feces, it was rubbed
on her and she was forced to eat it.
"This child died at the hands of those who were supposed to love and
care for her... this case has turned the stomachs of some of our most
seasoned detectives," Crump said.




John Allen and his wife, Samantha Allen, both 23, confessed to placing
and padlocking Ame in the box on July 12. They were left in charge of
Ame that night. They were charged with first-degree murder.




Ame's aunt, Cynthia Stoltzmann, 44, and her grandmother, Judith Deal,
62, admitted to previously confining the child in the box as punishment.
They were charged with child abuse and kidnapping.


http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/4-arrested-in-death-of-girl-found-in-container-126343393.html

Details emerge of a life of horror for Phoenix girl who died

by William Hermann - Jul. 29, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Ame Deal, a 10-year-old girl who died while stuffed inside a small footlocker, suffered a miserable life and horrific abuse at the hands of the adults who were entrusted with her care, police and court records say.

The child lived in what police described as a hellish, rubbish-strewn south Phoenix home where she survived at the mercy of four adults whose actions, court records say, bordered on torture.

Phoenix girl dies in footlocker


Phoenix police Wednesday night arrested the four adults, two of whom they accuse of being responsible for Ame's death and two of whom they accuse of abusing her. Acting Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner on Thursday called the case "an unspeakable tragedy, one of the worst we have ever seen."

What originally was reported as the accidental death of a child playing hide-and-seek turned out to be a case of brutal ritual punishment, police said. After stealing a frozen treat on a hot summer day, the child was forced into physical exertion, then padlocked inside a 31- by 14- by 12-inch footlocker and left overnight, court records say.

Police did not comment on the cause of death.

Ame was one of at least a dozen children living with the four adults in a home near Broadway Road and 35th Avenue, where her body was found July 12.

Police that morning were called to the home with a report that Ame had been found dead inside a footlocker. Police were told that she had apparently hidden there while playing hide-and-seek the night before as adults slept.

Yahner said that homicide detectives "worked long and hard" on the case.

When they began to question other adults who at various times had lived in tents in the backyard of the house, troubling details began to emerge.

Sgt. Trent Crump, a police spokesman, said investigators now believe that Ame was forced into the footlocker in the early hours.

Crump said John Allen and his wife, Sammantha Allen, both 23, are expected to face first-degree-murder charges. Also arrested were Cynthia Stoltzmann, 44, and Judith Deal, 72, who face kidnapping and child-abuse charges. All were booked into a Maricopa County jail. Each of the Allens was being held on $1 million bond.

According to court records: Sammantha Allen is Ame's aunt. Stoltzmann is Ame's legal guardian and Sammantha's mother. Deal is Stoltzmann's mother.

Also living at the house was David Deal, 51, who told The Republic that he is Ame's father. He declined to comment further.

Crump said Ame apparently was locked in the footlocker as punishment for taking a frozen treat from the refrigerator. Court records say that John Allen told investigators that he locked Ame in the box while his wife stood by. Then, records say, the Allens fell asleep.

Before Ame was locked in, however, police believe she was forced to spend two hours doing backbends and was forced by John to maintain the torturous position, court records say. She also was forced to run in the yard despite the summer heat, records say. The temperature that day exceeded 103 degrees.

Then, sweating profusely and badly overheated, Ame was forcibly jammed into the footlocker, court records say.

"And then, he put a padlock on it," Crump said, his voice taut with anger during a Thursday briefing.

The footlocker had been used on several previous occasions to punish Ame for various offenses, including wetting the bed, according to accounts given to police by others who had lived at the home, court records say.

"When they'd put her in the footlocker, they would pick it up and spin it around and then roll it across the floor," Crump said.

According to court documents, one backyard resident, Travis Naylor, said that about six months ago, he had returned home and heard screaming from inside the footlocker.

"He said Cynthia Stoltzmann was sitting on the box and playing on a laptop computer," court records say.

On one occasion, adults who lived at the house said, as punishment for failing to pick up a dog's droppings, the feces were rubbed onto Ame's face and she was forced to eat them, court records say.

Other times, "Ame would be beaten with a board that the adults called 'Butt Buster,' " Crump said.

He said that because of Ame's bed wetting, she was forced to sleep in a shower with no pillow or blanket "because they didn't want her to wet it."

Several neighbors said they considered the family unusual and heard adults yelling expletives at the children but did not see signs of physical violence.

They said children of all ages, toddlers to teens, would play outside until late into the night, sometimes until 2 a.m.

Several neighbors said they considered calling police but did not want to break the family apart.

Children often had little or no clothes on, sometimes no diapers or shoes, they said.

Joe Perez, who lives around the corner, said he saw a girl he presumed was Ame being punished by being told to walk up and down the street barefooted and in the heat. "I was about to go over there myself (and say to the guardians), 'Why don't you take off your shoes and walk 18 times on the street?' " Perez said.

Louis Moreno, who lives across the street, said he saw babies in high chairs eating outside late at night.

"The family was fishy," Moreno said.

The other children in the house have been placed with state Child Protective Services, and an investigation is ongoing.

Police said the adults and children had lived at the south Phoenix address for a year and had come from Utah. Local government records show some members of the family lived in Ogden, Utah, from 2006 until 2010. They also lived previously in Midland, Texas, and Racine, Wis.

"There is a court record of child abuse from Utah, which we have seen," Crump said, though he did not have details. Arizona court records indicate Ame was listed as an "abused, neglected child" in Utah. Abuse records, however, are rarely made public, and officials in both states declined to comment on the case.

Arizona officials, however, noted that Arizona CPS had no prior contact with the family or with Ame. Many of their referrals come from schools. But Ame's family home-schooled its children, court records say.

Michael Deal, Ame's 23-year-old cousin living in Midland, said he never saw any physical abuse when the family lived in Texas and helped raise him. When he was disciplined, he said, he was scolded and told to stand in a corner, as were other children in the family.

"They were all pretty nice to the kids," he said.

Michael said he heard about the events concerning his cousin from his mother, David Deal's sister-in-law.

Among all the children in the house, Ame was most often the one picked on by adults, police and court records say.

One witness told police that Ame was "the only child punished in the home," court records say.

The reason Ame was often in trouble: She so often was hungry. Ame, who was 4 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 59 pounds, was most often in trouble for taking food from the refrigerator, court records say.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/07/29/20110729phoenix-girl-abuse-life.html#ixzz1TWaEu9UH

PHOENIX - A mother is speaking out as her son is accused of
first-degree murder and of being a participant in a long series of
torturous abuse that led to the death of a young Phoenix girl earlier
this month.
Mary Jo Allen issued a statement Friday after her
son, 23-year old John Allen, and his wife Samantha were arrested for the
death of 10-year-old Ame Deal.
Ame was found dead on July 12 in a foot locker-type chest at her home near 37th Avenue and Broadway Road.
John
and his wife, who lived at the house with several other adults and
children, are accused of forcing the girl into the box and padlocking it
shut before going to bed. It was reportedly a punishment for stealing a
popsicle.
The girl's aunt, Cynthia Stoltzmann, and grandmother, 62-year old Judith Deal, are facing charges of child abuse.
Police
say all four participated in extreme acts of abuse over at least a year
that included locking the girl in the box on several occasions, beating
her with a board, and forcing her to eat hot sauce and dog feces.
The
family originally told police that the girl was playing hide and seek
and that she somehow got in the box and accidently suffocated.
Police say the Allens are distant relatives of the girl and they all used to live in Ogden, Utah.
Allen's mother released the following statement Friday.
"First
we want to express our deep sorrow in the death of Ame Deal. She was a
sweet and wonderful young spirit and we will miss her dearly. My husband
and I were shocked along with everyone else at the deplorable
conditions of the home in Arizona where all of these children were
confined to live. That our son, John Michael, would have been a
resident, let alone a contributor to the environment that was created
there is beyond our comprehension. We have always taught our children to
live a life of morals and cleanliness beyond reproach: that conditions
there in Phoenix deteriorated to the point that a child died is deeply
troubling.
While John Michael was living with his
family in Ogden, we saw no evidence of abuse, or that John Michael would
have been capable of contributing to an abusive environment. Since
moving to Arizona, John Michael was becoming increasingly isolated from
us, and although we did have contact, the actual conditions of their
life were well concealed from us.
Since the death of
Ame, we have not been kept informed by the Phoenix Police as to the
nature of their investigations, nor of their conclusions. We have no
knowledge or facts to add to the public statements by the Police.
We
have encouraged our son to cooperate with the authorities: being
truthful in all things is a core value of our family, and we hope and
pray that he will do everything, no matter how difficult, to help reach
the truth of how this tragic event came about.
We want
to thank those that have prayed for our family. We thank our family and
neighbors that are supporting us. We view every child as precious and
hope everyone will be vigilant in watching over all of our children."
There
were 12 children taken into CPS custody following the arrests. Police
say they lived at the home and another relative's home nearby at various
times.
Child psychologist Dr. Lynn Kenney said it is disturbing what they may have witnessed.
"The
guilt is going to be enormous, " she said. "If they witnessed the abuse
and participated in it. They are going to be in trauma recovery."
Court
documents and police accounts indicate the other children were treated
differentlly and they would do things to get Ame in trouble. They even
participated in the adults' lie to police that Ame died during a hide
and seek game.
"When you experience abuse your brain works
differently," Kenney said. Kenney said she is hopeful that they can
recover from the life they lived and gain a new sense of "normal."
Police have not released additional information in the investigation but said additional charges are likely.


http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/south_phoenix/suspect-in-girl%27s-murder-shocks-his-own-family

A Kansas woman who found out about the death of her 10-year-old daughter
in Phoenix by reading about it online said she hasn't stopped
crying since.Shirley Deal fled from what she described as an abusive household several years
ago. The child she left behind perished in the same household.
Four people were arrested Thursday in the July 12 death of Ame Deal. Phoenix
police say the girl had been placed inside a padlocked, plastic
footlocker for punishment after months of other abuse by adults she was living with.
Shirley Deal, 38, now lives in Iola, Kan. She said she didn't learn about Ame's
death until Friday when a friend notified her and directed her to The
Arizona Republic's web page.
"I read the newspaper, and it made me so upset," she told the Republic.
"For what they did to my daughter, they need to be treated the same way."
Deal said she knows three of the four suspects who lived in a rental house
with her ex-husband David Deal, who hasn't been charged in the case.
Court records list David Deal on Ame's birth certificate as her biological father,
but Shirley Deal said she's unsure if he actually is.
She said she and David Deal married in 1996. They lived in Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin and Texas, where they shared a home with David Deal's mother and sister.
Shirley Deal claimed she was abused by her relatives and fled alone to Kansas, where she now lives with another man.
She said David Deal and his family lived for a short time in Utah before relocating to Phoenix about a year ago.
Ame Deal was found dead in the plastic container in the living room of the
rental house, authorities said. Police said family members told them Ame
Deal and other children in her extended family had been playing hide
and seek, and they believed Ame must have climbed into the box to hide
and accidentally suffocated.
However, detectives said they're now treating the death as a homicide after
determining the child had been placed in the box as punishment for
taking a frozen treat from a refrigerator.
Investigators said the girl apparently had been put in the box at least five times in
recent months for misbehaving. She also had been beaten with a wooden
paddle and been forced to swallow hot sauce and eat dog feces, authorities said.
Police said the girl slept on the floor of a stall shower in the home with no
blanket or pillow as a disciplinary measure for bed wetting.
In custody are Judith Deal, 72, Cynthia Stoltzmann, 44, and John and Sammantha Allen,
both 23. Police said the Allens are facing first-degree murder charges,
while Stoltzmann and Deal face charges of child abuse and kidnapping.
Stoltzmann is the girl's paternal aunt and legal guardian, and Deal is her
grandmother who was homeschooling Ame and the other children who lived in the house.
The Allens are married, and Sammantha Allen is the girl's aunt. Police said
the couple acknowledged putting Ame in the box and padlocking it on July 12.
"They just need to go to jail for life or get lethal injection," Shirley Deal
said. "That's what they need because of what they did to my 10-year-old baby. My baby!"
At their initial court appearances Thursday, the Allens were ordered held
on $1 million cash bond apiece. Bail for Stoltzmann and Judith Deal was set at $500,000 each.
A judge set all their preliminary hearings for Aug. 8. It was unclear
Saturday whether any of the four suspects had attorneys yet.

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Mother-learns-of-Phoenix-daughter-s-death-online-1661792.php#ixzz1Thz7grs3

Ame Deal's Father Trying to Bail Monsters Who Murdered His Daughter Out of Jail
By James King Fri., Jul. 29 2011 at 1:46 PM

The father of a 10-year-old Phoenix girl who was tortured and murdered by members of her own family earlier this month is trying to raise money to bail his daughter's killers out of jail, a source who knows the family tells New Times.

The source asked not to be identified out of fear of what Ame's father, David Deal, might do if the source's identity is revealed. Our source says Deal's a "violent man."

According to our source, David Deal has called friends and family members asking for money so he can bail his mother and sister, both charged with kidnapping and child abuse for repeatedly torturing the young girl, and his niece and her husband, who admitted to killing Ame, out of jail.

Ame's cousin and her husband, Samantha and John Allen, each 23, admitted to locking the girl in a tiny footlocker after torturing her because she "stole" a Popsicle in the early morning of July 12. They left her there overnight and when they found her body the next morning she had suffocated.

Putting Ame in the footlocker as punishment, sadly, was standard procedure for the abusive family, according to police.

Our source says David Deal was living in a tent in the backyard of the home with his two other children when Ame was murdered. According to court records obtained by New Times, he was not one of the three people who reported the abuse of the girl to police.

In fact, David Deal denies that he's even Ame's father, as does the rest of the family, according to court records.

Our source says Ame's mother dropped the girl off at the home of David Deal's mother (Ame's grandmother, who's charged with abusing the girl), 62-year-old Judith Deal, when she was living in Texas.

The family moved around a lot -- to places like Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas, and Tucson -- before setting in Phoenix.


John and Samantha Allen (left) have each been charged with first-degree murder for the death of Samantha Allen's cousin, 10-year-old Ame Deal. Judith Deal and Cynthia Stolzmann (right), Deal's grandmother and aunt, have been charged with kidnapping and child abuse.

​Of seven children living in the Deal home, and eight other young relatives living just down the street -- both homes near 35th Avenue and Broadway Road in Phoenix -- Ame was the only one who was abused. The other children would even intentionally do things to get Ame in trouble, according to police.

When asked why the family would single out Ame, our source says "she was mentally a little slow, but that's it."

Our source never witnessed any abuse, but says Judith Deal is a "slob" and her house was always disgusting. At one point, while living in Wisconsin, Child Protective Services was called because of the disgusting conditions of the home. CPS was also called on the family when they lived Utah, court records show.

Judith Deal has always lived with her daughter -- Ame's aunt, Cynthia Stolzmann, who's also charged with child abuse and kidnapping for torturing her niece -- and is likely in jail "laying on her cot, or whatever, refusing to eat," our source says.

If Ame's father succeeds in bonding her out, she'll probably try to kill herself, as she's attempted suicide in the past.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/07/ame_deals_father_trying_to_bai.php

School officials in Utah reported abuse of Ame Deal

by Stacey Delikat

Posted on July 30, 2011 at 5:21 PM
Updated Saturday, Jul 30 at 5:37 PM

PHOENIX--Before Ame Deal and her relatives moved to Phoenix they lived in Ogden, Utah. School officials there say they repeatedly reported signs of neglect and abuse to authorities, but soon after the family disappeared.

Jileen Boydstun, Ame's second grade teacher at James Madison Elementary School in Ogden, described the little girl as bright and inquisitive, and said she craved the attention of adults. But she also said it was very clear there was something wrong in the girl's home life.

"Ame was just treated differently," Boydstun said. "There just wasn't the affection I could feel coming from the aunt towards Ame and they would tell me they didn't really think Ame belonged to them."

The girl's aunt, Cynthia Stoltzmann, was her legal guardian. Her brother David Deal is listed as Ame's father on the girl's birth certificate, but court records show that David Deal does not believe he is Ame's biological father.

Stoltzmann, along with her mother Judith Deal, daughter Samantha Allen and son-in-law John Allen, have since been arrested in connection with Ame's heinous murder.

Boydstun said Ame and her siblings constantly came to school filthy.

"She was constantly coming to school dirty, she often had head lice. One time she came to school with cat urine in her shoes and it smelled so badly that the counselor came and cleaned her and got some shoes for her," Boydstun says.

That counselor, Jody Hansen, said the school frequently contacted the local Division of Child and Family Services in regards to Ame and the other children.

"We could tell she was kind of a scapegoat in the family. She was the one that got the brunt of everything, that was pretty obvious," Hansen said.

Boydstun says DCFS did work with the family and tried to help them clean up the home, but neither Ame nor any of the other children living there were removed.

"I know there was an open case with that family there and I know they had people in that home trying to teach them parenting skills," said Boydstun, who added, "it didn't save her."

Soon after those contacts with DCFS Stoltzmann pulled the children out of James Madison Elementary.

According to court records Phoenix Police investigators have obtained records where Ame is listed as an abused, neglected child in Utah.

DCFS in Utah told 3TV they could comment on whether the department had investigated the family.

Ame was found dead on July 12th in a 32-inch long footlocker. Relatives initially said she died accidentally during a game of hide and seek but police now say the relatives lied and two of them murdered the ten year old girl.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/School-officials-in-Utah-reported-abuse-of-Ame-Deal-126459473.html

PITTSBURGH - A western Pennsylvania man is telling a
Pittsburgh TV station that he is the father of a 10-year-old girl found
dead in a foot locker in Phoenix.

Kenneth Griest, of Belle Vernon, tells KDKA
that he's the father of little Ame Deal, even though another man is
listed as the father on her birth certificate. Griest says he and
Shirley Deal, a Kansas woman who says she's the girl's mother, raised
her in western Pennsylvania when she was younger before Deal left with
the girl several years ago.

The little girl's grandmother and a woman identified as Ame Deal's
paternal aunt are charged by Phoenix authorities with child abuse and
kidnapping in the girl's July 12 death. Another aunt and her husband who
also lived at the home are facing first-degree murder charges.



http://ktar.com/category/local-news-articles/20110803/W.-Pa.-man-claims-to-be-dad-of-slain-Phoenix-girl/

According
to the news, Ame Deal was a very abused child. In the arrest report of
the family members, the abuse of Ame includes frequently getting locked
in the footlocker, being forced to eat dog feces, getting beaten with a
wooden paddle her family referred to as a “butt buster,” being forced
to sleep in a shower stall with no pillow or blankets, getting forced to
do “back bends” for hours, and having hot sauce shoved in her mouth.
These punishments were for lying and stealing food. I would assume that
she was starving also. With 12 other children living in the house, Ame
was the only one abused. I guess all the other children were perfect.
Their court hearings will be 8 August 2011.

OMG...I keep reading one story after another on this forum of absolutely horrible things being done to children of all ages.

I found this forum when I googled Alexus Smothers, a local child whose mother called 911 to report her child missing while all along she knew her child was dead in a crawlspace under her house. I was horrified at what happened to that child.

When I found this place, I became more horrified of all the children being abused, raped & murdered. I have been reading one story after another. I didn't realize there was so much of it. In my world children are loved and cherished and sometimes spoiled a little too much. Apparently not for every child. It got me thinking about our country. I have always been against big government, enough of our rights have been taken from us as it is. But these women who keep having babies and who either leaves them with others to care for knowing abuse is likely. Or who abuses their own children should not be allowed to have children. The government should make them get their tubes tied. Some kind of regulation needs to be done to stop all this madness.

The mother in this particular story. She left the child in her x-husbands care. How could she not know? Why wasn't she at least making daily or weekly phone calls to her child, checking on her, asking her how she was liking it there? My god, this girl was 10 years old, her mother should have known. This girls mother is as much to blame.

The USA is said to be such a great country, what kind of country stands back and allows such horrible things to be done to children? Changes need to be made. Anyone with ideas?

I heartily agree with you lovinyourgrandkids. But it is not an American problem as it's happening in New Zealand, Great Britain and every western country in the world too. Our governments have policies that reward irresponsibility and IMO do not put the welfare of babies before catering to the choices made by people who are not fit to raise a child. The only thing we can do is to collectively let our governments know that we strongly object to our tax money being used to prop up these life styles, and we will vote for the party who is willing to take a stand on that. You(and everyone who cares about this issue) could write to your local government representatives and tell them you are concerned about the welfare of children and ask them what they plan to do about it should they be voted in.
The USA is a great country and so is New Zealand and Britain, but the road we have gone down with trying to help people out of the messes they create has failed the children, and it's time for tough love and those people can live with the consequences of their actions but the children should not have to, and we will take those children and give them loving homes rather than throw money at the irresponsible parents.

kiwimom wrote:I heartily agree with you lovinyourgrandkids. But it is not an American problem as it's happening in New Zealand, Great Britain and every western country in the world too. Our governments have policies that reward irresponsibility and IMO do not put the welfare of babies before catering to the choices made by people who are not fit to raise a child. The only thing we can do is to collectively let our governments know that we strongly object to our tax money being used to prop up these life styles, and we will vote for the party who is willing to take a stand on that. You(and everyone who cares about this issue) could write to your local government representatives and tell them you are concerned about the welfare of children and ask them what they plan to do about it should they be voted in.
The USA is a great country and so is New Zealand and Britain, but the road we have gone down with trying to help people out of the messes they create has failed the children, and it's time for tough love and those people can live with the consequences of their actions but the children should not have to, and we will take those children and give them loving homes rather than throw money at the irresponsible parents.

Thank you kiwimom for the advice, I plan to contact my local government representatives. With the Alexus Smothers case happening locally now is a good time to bring the issue up and ask questions. I did talk to a dcfs worker. She informed me they have to carry out the judges orders. They report the family conditions, the judge makes the final decision. And the majority of the judges believe in "return the child to the home whenever possible." That attitude needs to change. When a childs life is in the balance there should be no second chances. The state needs to find good, safe, loving ADOPTIVE homes, not foster care. Get the kids out of the system. Give them a chance at life!!

lovinourgrandkids wrote:

kiwimom wrote:I heartily agree with you lovinyourgrandkids. But it is not an American problem as it's happening in New Zealand, Great Britain and every western country in the world too. Our governments have policies that reward irresponsibility and IMO do not put the welfare of babies before catering to the choices made by people who are not fit to raise a child. The only thing we can do is to collectively let our governments know that we strongly object to our tax money being used to prop up these life styles, and we will vote for the party who is willing to take a stand on that. You(and everyone who cares about this issue) could write to your local government representatives and tell them you are concerned about the welfare of children and ask them what they plan to do about it should they be voted in.
The USA is a great country and so is New Zealand and Britain, but the road we have gone down with trying to help people out of the messes they create has failed the children, and it's time for tough love and those people can live with the consequences of their actions but the children should not have to, and we will take those children and give them loving homes rather than throw money at the irresponsible parents.

Thank you kiwimom for the advice, I plan to contact my local government representatives. With the Alexus Smothers case happening locally now is a good time to bring the issue up and ask questions. I did talk to a dcfs worker. She informed me they have to carry out the judges orders. They report the family conditions, the judge makes the final decision. And the majority of the judges believe in "return the child to the home whenever possible." That attitude needs to change. When a childs life is in the balance there should be no second chances. The state needs to find good, safe, loving ADOPTIVE homes, not foster care. Get the kids out of the system. Give them a chance at life!!

Good on you for trying to do something about it. It's been the same problem here and our government has finally just realised that too much emphasis has been placed on keeping families together. A lot of that stems from their idea that culture is paramount and a Maori child should be raised in a Maori home for instance, so even if they are removed from the parents, they are placed with extended family even if they are just as dysfunctional. I tried to adopt years ago and what they called cross-culture adoptions were a no no. I used to protest that being safe, loved and fed was more important than culture. My government is finally making all sorts of changes that will improve things here somewhat, but as long as we keep paying teenagers to have children, we're going to keep seeing an escalation of abuse cases, as those children are exposed to all manner of nasty boyfriends and bare the brunt of their mothers mistakes that they make while growing up.

It is a world wide problem. Some countries don't think too much of it because they place no value on a child's life.

If the criminals that commit these crimes were not walking the street a few years later, we would have FAR fewer victims.

Mothers on food stamps with a live in boyfriend should be required to attend classes before getting their food stamps and other government welfare.

Middle income women do this also but I don't know how to reach them. It is far more prevalent in the lower income class, sadly.

Absentee fathers should be more involved in their children's lives and know who is living with them. And care.

4 Adult Relatives Indicted in Death of 10-Year-Old Ame Deal
Updated: Wednesday, 10 Aug 2011, 12:20 PM MST

PHOENIX - Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery announced the indictment of four relatives of 10-year-old Ame Deal on Wednesday.

Deal died after being locked inside a plastic storage box.

Ame's cousins, John Allen and Samantha Allen, both 23-years-old, are charged with first degree murder, conspiracy to commit child abuse and multiple counts of child abuse.

Ame's grandmother, 72-year-old Judith Deal and Ame's aunt, 44-year-old Cynthia Stoltzmann, are each charged with multiple counts of child abuse.

“This horrific case has deeply disturbed not only the citizens of Maricopa County, but people throughout the country as it offends the essence of what it means to be a parent or guardian of a young child,” said Montgomery. “Instead of caring for Ame Deal, we are alleging that these family members utterly failed her. My office will spare no effort in seeking justice for Ame and ensuring the public has confidence in the result,” he added.

According to court documents, John Allen locked Ame in a storage box as punishment on July 11. His wife stood by and watched.

Allen and the other adults in the home went to sleep and the child died inside the box.

Ame's death was originally reported as a tragic accident from playing hide-and-seek.

According to police, investigators later found that the incident was the latest is a long history of abuse.

John and Samantha remain in custody on a $1 million cash bond. Judith and Cynthia are being held on a $500,000 cash bond.

The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on August 17.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/justice/4-adult-relatives-indicted-in-death-of-10-year-old-ame-deal-08102011

Four family members of a 10-year-old Phoenix girl found dead in a
padlocked, plastic footlocker have pleaded not guilty to charges
stemming from the July 12 death.
In addition to various child abuse charges, two cousins face first-degree murder counts. Ame Deal's
grandmother and her aunt face multiple child abuse charges.
Authorities say the girl was put in the box as punishment for taking a Popsicle
from a refrigerator, and that she suffered months of other abuse.
Family members had told police that the girl likely climbed into
the box and accidentally suffocated while playing hide-and-seek.
Cousins John and Samantha Allen, grandmother Judith Deal, and 44-year-old
Cynthia Stoltzmann pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Wednesday.
Maricopa County sheriff's officials say the group is declining to speak with the media.

Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/08/17/3427890/phoenix-family-plead-not-guilty.html#ixzz1VLZeT1ve

Family abused 10-year-old Ame Deal before locking her in footlocker, where she died: prosecutors

Thursday, August 18th 2011, 10:04 AM

Ame Deal, 10, suffocated after being locked inside a trunk by her cousins, authorities say.



A 10-year-old girl suffocated after she was padlocked in a
footlocker for stealing a Popsicle, authorities said, and now her
cousins are on trial for killing her.

John and Samantha Allen, both 23, face first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in the death of Ame Deal as well as several counts of child abuse, prosecutors said.

The pair appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"This child died at the hands of those who were supposed to love and care for her," Sgt. Trent Crump, a spokesman for the Phoenix police, told KTLA 5 News in Los Angles. "This case has turned the stomachs of some of most seasoned detectives."

The Allens claim that the young girl died after a game of hide-and-seek went horribly wrong.

From left to right: John Allen, 23; Cynthia Stoltzmann, 44; Judith Deal, 72; and Samantha Allen, 23.
Investigators, however, said the Allens abused Ame, then locked her in the box.

The 4-foot-2 girl was made to do jumping jacks, run in circles and other
exercise for over an hour before she was locked in the footlocker, which
meaured 3 feet by 14 inches by 1 foot, KTLA 5 News reported.
The girl was found dead the next morning.

Crump told KTLA 5 News the girl routinely slept in the shower with no pillow or cover after having wet her bed.

Ame's 72-year-old grandmother, Judith Deal, and aunt and legal guardian, Cynthia Stolzman, 44, also face charges of felony child abuse. They, too, pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday.

The Allens are in custody on a $1 million cash bond, The Associated Press reported. Stoltzmann and Judith Deal are being held on a $500,000 cash bond.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/08/18/2011-08-18_family_abused_10yearold_ame_deal_before_locking_her_in_footlocker_where_she_died.html#ixzz1VRKXbcNe

Arizona prosecutors said on Monday they will seek the death penalty
against a couple accused of killing their 10-year-old cousin by locking
the girl in a storage bin as punishment for taking a popsicle without
permission.

John and Samantha Allen, both 23, have
pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit child
abuse and multiple counts of felony child abuse stemming from the July
12 suffocation death of 10-year-old Ame Deal at her Phoenix home.







The Allens, who are married,
remain in custody on $1 million bond each. The wife's attorney declined
comment on Monday. The husband's lawyer could not immediately be
reached.

Ame's body was found inside a hinged
plastic container at the home in what family members initially said was a
hide-and-seek game gone terribly wrong. But authorities said that story
quickly unraveled as police investigators discovered that her relatives
had lied to cover up their actions.

Police said
the Allens, who had been left in charge of the girl, forced her to
perform intense physical exercise as discipline for stealing the frozen
treat from the freezer, then ordered her to retrieve the storage bin and
climb into it. They said Samantha Allen watched as her husband locked
the girl in the box, and the couple then fell asleep.

Ame's lifeless body was found in the box the following morning.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said in a court
filing that the alleged crimes warrant the death penalty considering the
young age of the victim and that the murder was committed in an
"especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner."

Montgomery declined further comment through a spokesman because the case is ongoing.

The girl's aunt and legal guardian, Cynthia Stoltzmann,
who is Samantha Allen's mother, also has been charged with multiple
counts of child abuse in the case, along with the child's grandmother,
Judith Deal, 73. Both women have pleaded not guilty and remain held on
$500,000 bond each.

Police have said that neither Deal nor Stoltzmann was present at the time Ame was locked in the box.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-crime-child-arizonatre80n00x-20120123,0,3039948.story

A fifth person has been arrested on allegations of child abuse in connection with the death of a young Phoenix girl last summer.
Phoenix police say 24-year-old Ammandea Joann Stoltzmann was taken into custody Thursday on suspicion of abusing 10-year-old Ame Deal.

Deal was found dead in July after being padlocked in a footlocker at a South Phoenix home.

Police say Stoltzmann's arrest was not directly related to Deal's death but for a variety of other alleged instances of child abuse that involved the girl.

investigators believe Stoltzmann used a wire brush to scrape the girl's face, deliberately tortured the child with hot sauce and kicked her in the face.

Police previously arrested four members of Deal's family on suspicion of child abuse and murder.

http://www.kvoa.com/news/5th-person-arrested-in-death-of-young-phoenix-girl/

Good grief. Is this crazy family related to the one that just killed their granddaughter cause she ate a candy bar without permission--the poor little girl they made run for hours until she died from exhaustion? What a bunch of lunatics. I hope they all get life in prison. The torture this poor little girl must have gone through is unimaginable.

Such an innocent little thing, sneaking a popcycle or candy bar. I sure did my fair share of that.

These nut cases must have really enjoyed the torture inflicted on both of those little girls Babyj. I can't understand why these people, if they can't love their children don't just give them up for adoption.

If they don't want to lose their food stamps they could at least not torture and murder these children. Now they have lost their food stamps and I hope and pray, their freedom for life.

Evil.

A sixth suspect in the harrowing abuse and
death last year of 10-year-old Ame Deal was arrested Friday night,
Phoenix police say.

David Deal, the girl's father, was taken into custody in connection
with abusing Ame, who was found dead last July, locked in a footlocker
that measured 311/2 inches long, 14 inches wide and 121/4 inches deep in
a south Phoenix home, said Sgt. Trent Crump, a Phoenix police
spokesman.

Deal, 52, was arrested on suspicion of four counts of child abuse,
three counts of kidnapping and dangerous crimes against children, Crump
said.

A court ordered Deal's release from jail Saturday at 3:45 p.m., according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

Officials believe Deal to be the final suspect in the case, and that
he was the first to use confinement as punishment for Ame. The girl's
cousins, aunts and grandmother have also been charged in the case.

Officials allege that, on several occasions between December 2010 and July 2011, David locked Ame in a trunk as punishment.

"On one occasion, (he) was said to have thrown the trunk, containing
Ame, into the backyard swimming pool because she kept crying and yelling
that she couldn't breathe during the confinement," Crump said. "The
trunk was removed before it could sink."

After his arrest, Deal denied that Ame was his daughter and that he abused her.

Despite the development in the case, family members accused of
tormenting and killing Ame last summer are months, if not years, from
standing trial because of the complexity of the case and the severity of
the charges.

Authorities allege that John Allen, 23, and Sammantha Allen, 24, her
cousins, had stuffed Ame in the footlocker at her home in the 3700
block of West Romley Road in Phoenix the night of July 11 as punishment
for taking a Popsicle from the freezer.

Police allege she had been forced into the footlocker several times
before. She also faced other abuse that spanned much of her short life.

John Allen and Sammantha Allen are charged with first-degree murder,
child abuse and conspiracy to commit child abuse. Police allege that
John padlocked Ame inside the footlocker while Sammantha made sure she
didn't escape.

The state is seeking the death penalty against John Allen and
Sammantha Allen, who were arrested last summer along with Ame's
grandmother Judith Deal, 73, and aunt Cynthia Stoltzmann, 45. Judith
Deal and Stoltzmann are charged with multiple child-abuse counts.

The death-penalty case won't come to trial until Dec. 16, 2013, court
records indicate. That's not unusual for that kind of case, said John
Curry, Sammantha Allen's lawyer from Maricopa County's Office of the
Legal Defender.

"These are the time limits and the rules. The rules reflect an
understanding by all concerned that these cases take a long time," Curry
said.

The four original defendants are named in a 15-part indictment that recounts repeated instances of abuse before Ame's death.

Those four original defendants remain in jail, said Jerry Cobb, spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

In February, a new defendant was added to the case: 25-year-old
Ammandea Stoltzmann, another of Ame's aunts who's accused of abusing
her. Ammandea was released from custody the day after her arrest on the
condition she show proof that she lives at her current address, Cobb
said.

Ammandea's arrest came as new details emerged during the case investigation, which has crossed state lines, Cobb said.

Witnesses alleged to investigators that while living with Ame in
Texas, Ammandea beat the child, restrained her outdoors overnight with a
dog collar and chain, and confined her in a dog kennel. They also
alleged that in Arizona, in the months before Ame's death, Ammandea
scrubbed her face with a wire brush, kicked her in the face, and put
extremely potent hot sauce in her mouth as punishment for lying, police
records show.

In a police statement, Ammandea said Ame was never schooled, allowed to play or taken anywhere with the rest of the family.

The trial of Cynthia Stoltzmann,Ammandea Stoltzmann and Judith Deal
was separated from that of John Allen and Sammantha Allen because their
charges are related to abuse before her death, records show. The three
facing lesser charges are scheduled to meet for a case-management
conference on Aug. 10, but their trial date has not been set.

While neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys would comment
publicly on details of the cases, court records show there is a complex
discovery process in place to lay out evidence showing how Ame was
abused and how she died. A long list of witnesses is expected to be
called.

There already has been controversy between Sammantha Allen's defense
team and the prosecution over what may be admitted into evidence.

Records show that the defense moved to have a private jailhouse
conversation between John and Sammantha stricken from available
evidence, arguing that the recording violated state law. The defense
became aware of the conversation in discovery.

The judge has not yet ruled on a motion to suppress that evidence.

Police, meanwhile, said the investigation continues.


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2012/07/01/20120701ame-deal-death-sixth-arrest.html#ixzz2026Oj7Rf

babyjustice wrote:Good grief. Is this crazy family related to the one that just killed their granddaughter cause she ate a candy bar without permission--the poor little girl they made run for hours until she died from exhaustion? What a bunch of lunatics. I hope they all get life in prison. The torture this poor little girl must have gone through is unimaginable.

Life is not what they deserve. Death for a death. If they intentionally cause a childs death they should forfeit their own life. None of this plea bargining, lessor sentences, life or other crap.

Death for a Death.

My heart cries each time I read of a child killed. RIP little angel.
William

Dad pleads guilty in abuse of Ariz. girl who died
Source: Arizona News Originally published: Apr 24, 2013
PHOENIX (AP) - The father of a 10-year-old Arizona girl who died after authorities say another relative padlocked her in a footlocker has pleaded guilty to an attempted child abuse charge.

Fifty-three-year-old David Martin Deal isn't charged in the July 2011 death of his daughter Ame Deal. But he admitted Wednesday to putting her into the plastic box and throwing the box into a pool on another occasion.

He faces up to 16 years in prison for guilty pleas to attempted child abuse and marijuana possession charges.

Authorities say Ame Deal died after a man who's married to the girl's cousin padlocked her in the footlocker as discipline for having stolen popsicles.

The child's aunt has already pleaded guilty to abuse charges.

Two others are charged with first-degree murder.

http://ktar.com/22/1628446/Dad-pleads-guilty-in-abuse-of-Phoenix-girl-

Up to 16 years. Should be life. POS.

Let's get on with the trials of the others.

Dad Sentenced for Abuse After Ariz. Child's Death

By BRIAN SKOLOFF Associated Press

PHOENIX June 6, 2013 (AP)


The father of a 10-year-old Arizona girl who authorities say died when another relative locked her in a small plastic trunk for hours was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted child abuse.

David Deal wasn't charged in the July 2011 death of his daughter Ame Deal in Phoenix. Instead, the 53-year-old admitted abusing her on several occasions between March 2010 and July 2011, including at least once stuffing her into the trunk and tossing it into a pool as punishment.

Authorities say Ame Deal died after a man who is married to the girl's cousin padlocked her in the same trunk as discipline for having stolen Popsicles. She was left in the box overnight and found dead the next morning.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Susanna Pineda told David Martin Deal he failed as a parent, saying he allowed his daughter "to be tortured and emotionally drained."

"This case angers me," Pineda said. "I cannot fathom anybody doing this to a child."

David Deal also was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation for possession of marijuana.

Investigators say family members in the home abused the girl from 2005 until her death by locking her in the trunk, described as a footlocker that was less than 3 feet long, less than a foot wide and a foot deep.

Family members also beat the girl with a wooden paddle, kicked her in the face, forced her to crush aluminum cans with bare feet, and put powerful hot sauce in her mouth, authorities said.

Several other children lived in the home at the time of the killing and also suffered abuse.

Tami Sweeney, who adopted one of them, a young boy, read a statement from the child Thursday directed at David Deal.

"We did not ask to be abused. We did nothing wrong," Sweeney read as the man stood emotionless off to the side of the courtroom, handcuffed and shackled, wearing striped jail clothes.

"I hope you burn in hell for everything you did to us kids," she read.

Asked if he had anything to say on his behalf, David Deal quietly replied, "No."

In all, five Deal relatives are charged in the case.

Sentencing for Ame Deal's legal guardian and aunt also was set for Thursday but was delayed until July.

Cynthia Stoltzmann, 45, has pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse and one count of attempted child abuse.

The child's grandmother, Judith Deal, 74, has pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted child abuse. She has not yet been sentenced.

David Deal's cousin Sammantha Lucille Rebecca Allen and her husband, John Michael Allen, both 24, are charged with first-degree murder in the girl's death. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Both have pleaded not guilty.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dad-sentenced-abuse-ariz-childs-death-19340180#.UbNWqZxFPdc