ISABELLA SKINNER (MASER) - 17 months - / Arrested: Mother, Alyssia Skinner - Hernando, FL

Citrus County woman charged with severely abusing toddler



Skinner, 22, was arrested Thursday morning after her daughter was taken to All Children's Hospital
to be treated for injuries deputies said were the result of severe abuse and neglect.


By Josh Rojas, Reporter

Last Updated: Friday, February 15, 2013


HERNANDO -- A Hernando woman is behind bars after deputies said she abused her 17-month-old daughter so badly the girl was hospitalized.

Alyssia Skinner, 22, was arrested Thursday morning after her daughter was taken Monday to All Children's Hospital to be treated for injuries deputies said were the result of severe abuse and neglect.

The child only weighed 14 pounds at 17 months old.

"This baby was on the floor of a very small closet-like room that had no crib, no toys, complete clutter,” said Heather Yates, with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. "There were bottle laying in the room with maggots in them. There were soiled diapers everywhere. There was an air conditioning unit dedicated to this room and it was on full blast. And there was a radio playing very loud music in the room with the child."

According to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, deputies were sent to the home on Monday to check on the toddler. When they arrived, they spoke to Skinner, who told them she had never given birth to the girl and that the girl was in the custody of a family member, the report said.

“If she did have head trauma, there’s going to be significant problems in the future, even from simple things like ADHD or anger anxiety, so there’s a lot that could happen to this kid, and unfortunately I’m not sure she’s going to recover to her full potential,” said Dr. Randy Shuck.

Skinner then ran into the home and locked the door to keep the deputies out, the report said.

Deputies said they saw Skinner go into the back room of the mobile home and taking the girl out of a room. She was then seen trying to clean and feed the girl before opening the door and talking to deputies again, the report said.

The girl had visible injuries on her head and face, deputies said, so they called emergency medical services to the scene.

The report indicated that the paramedics said the girl was cold to the touch and appeared to be malnourished. They also saw bright red rashes on the girl's legs and pubic area, the report said.

The girl was taken to Citrus Memorial Hospital, where she was diagnosed with hypothermia. A CT scan found subdural hemorrhaging, and so the girl was flown to All Children's Hospital for further treatment, the report said.

Investigators said that when they were let inside the home, they noticed that the room where the toddler had been confined was much colder than the rest of the home, and that it was extremely cluttered with only a small area
of bare carpet where the girl may have been laying down.

The carpet smelled of urine, was wet to the touch and was discolored, investigators said. The room was also littered with several soiled diapers.

Neighbors told investigators that they were unaware there was a baby in the home, the report said. Family members and friends said they had not seen the girl since the end of 2012.

The report also said that a male friend told them that he visited the home a few times a week, and that Skinner almost never took the girl out of the back room. He also told them that he occasionally saw Skinner take bottles of milk to the girl, and that when he did see her, she was lethargic and would not play, interact or laugh, the report said.

The friend also told investigators that a radio was always playing in the room where the girl was confined, and that the air conditioner was always turned on, the report said. He told them the only time Skinner went to the room was when the girl would not stop crying, and that she would stay in the room for several minutes until the crying stopped,
investigators said.

On Thursday, medical staff at All Children's Hospital told investigators that the girl was suffering from chronic
hypothermia, which they attributed to ongoing exposure to low temperatures. Investigators said they were told the girl's legs cannot be straightened from a curled, fetal position because they had been contracted for an extended periods of time in an attempt to conserve heat.

They also said the girl was so severely malnourished that she suffers from what they call "refeeding syndrome," where the body has been starved for such long periods of time that the body reacts negatively when reintroduced to food, the report said.

Investigators said the medical staff also told them the girl's brain had atrophied and that she suffered injuries that were consistent with shaken baby cases.

"Every child abuse case is awful,” Yates said. “But this one in particular with eight felony counts of what she did to the child. The neglect and abuse this child endured I know that it had an impact on the detectives."

Deputies returned to Skinner's house later that day and arrested her. She has been charged with child neglect, aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm, and torturing and caging a child. She was taken to Citrus County Detention Center where she remains without bond.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/2/15/citrus_county_woman_.html

Citrus County toddler severely abused and neglected, mother arrested

Posted: 02/15/2013
By: Jacqueline Ingles
By: Matthew Borek



CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. - The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is investigating an extreme case of child abuse.

According to reports, a 17-month-old toddler is hospitalized at All Children's Hospital with traumatic injuries that investigators say were caused by her own mother.

Alyssia Skinner, 22, from Hernando faces eight charges ranging from abuse to torture to caging a child.

The report states that Skinner repeatedly and violently shook the child, confined the child to a small, cold room for long periods of times that the child suffered hypothermia. The report indicated that Skinner confined the child in a dimly lit room with an air conditioner running, a loud radio playing, and no toys for long periods of time. Investigators also said Skinner withheld food from the toddler for long periods of time which caused muscle and brain atrophy and long term developmental damage.

"There baby bottles with maggots actually in the baby bottles, soiled diapers, it was just a horrible situation," said Heather Yates with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

When detectives arrived to check on the welfare of the child, Skinner tried to conceal her identity and claimed she had never given birth.

Skinner then ran to the back of the home and tried to remove the child, according to reports.

When EMS arrived, the child was cold to the touch and appeared malnourished. They also witnessed bright red rashes on the victim's legs.

The child was rushed to Citrus Memorial Hospital for treatment. A scan, of the child's head, detected subdural hemorrhaging. She was flown to All Children's Hospital due her condition.

The report indicates the child's legs cannot be straightened from a curled, fetal position, due to the child's attempt to conserve body heat. Her muscles and tendons are so severely damaged that doctors could not straighten them, even under sedation.

In addition, the child was so severely malnourished; she has suffered from re-feeding syndrome, which occurs after being starved for long periods of time. The body negatively reacts when reintroduced to food.

Doctors also found that the child's brain tissue had blood on the surface of her brain. The report indicates this is consistent with abusive head trauma and commonly seen in "Shaken Baby" cases.

Gary and Rhonda Maser have identified the child as their granddaughter Isabella. A paternity test recently proved their son Alex is Isabella's father.

Once paternity was established, Alex Maser went to court along with his family, to get joint custody.

"He wants to be a part of this baby's life and this whole situation has left him numb," said Rhonda.

Alex told ABC Action News he started court proceedings in December and immediately began paying child support. Alex's parents also began pushing to see the child while the case slowly moved through the courts.

According to the Masers, they scheduled multiple visits only to have Skinner cancel last minute. They were expecting to see Isabella on Christmas. Just hours before they were to meet face-to-face for the first time, Skinner allegedly made an excuse why the couldn't come visit with her.

"She just put the brakes on," Rhonda recalled.

Not wanting Skinner to feel threatened by their frequent request to see Isabella, the Maser family backed off. In that time, Skinner moved.

"I only knew her address from court documents," Rhonda said.

It was not until Wednesday, two days after deputies found Isabella, that the Maser family was made aware Isabella is clinging to life at the hospital.

"She said [the caseworker], the only thing that could be worse is if I were to tell you we were burying her," Rhonda recalled.

The caseworker brought photographs of Isabella for the family to see.

"Isabella has no skin on her bottom or her thighs from laying in her own human waste. She has a hole in her face. We are not even sure what that is from. Her brain has shifted to one side of her head," Rhonda explained.

"It was a rough night," said Gary.

Isabella's father was so overcome with emotion he was unable to talk on camera. All he could say is that the situation has left him numb,

"You think, what could I have done differently? What should I have done?" Rhonda said.

Skinner allegedly told deputies she abused her daughter because her physical appearance reminded her of the Maser family.

"She had my strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. That she looked like me and looked like my son and that is why she did this," Rhonda explained while choking up.

Rhonda will meet her granddaughter for the first time Saturday afternoon at the hospital.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_citrus_hernando/citrus-county-toddler-severely-abused-and-neglected-mother-arrested?fb_action_ids=440130349408268&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366

https://www.google.com/search?q=isabella+skinner&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#client=firefox-a&hs=ERl&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=isabella+skinner+toddler&oq=isabella+skinner+toddler&gs_l=serp.3...42209.44730.0.45588.8.8.0.0.0.0.252.1489.0j7j1.8.0...0.0...1c.1.12.psy-ab.UWbuwmBP1Xg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45960087,d.dmQ&fp=6feadeb347e0d6d0&biw=982&bih=425

Now that we have a name I was trying to find out this dear baby is doing. I can't find any updates but am hoping her father and grandparents' love will help her to recover. The way Isabella was treated is simply inhuman.

Grandmother hopes for custody of severely abused Citrus baby


Isabella Marie is lucky to be alive after the abuse she's suffered since birth. This weekend, Isabella's
grandmother met her at the hospital for the first time.

Sunday, February 17, 2013
       

HERNANDO -- Isabella Marie is lucky to be alive.

Deputies discovered her extremely malnourished Thursday morning and sent her to All Children's Hospital to be treated for injuries deputies said, were the result of severe abuse and neglect.

Rhonda Merrifield-Maser is her grandmother. This weekend at the hospital she saw her granddaughter for the first time.

“When you hold her against you she draws up like a little frog,” Merrifield-Maser said.

Isabella Marie’s mother is in the Citrus County jail charged with child abuse. Investigators say she kept the girl in a small, dark, filthy, cold room that smelled of urine and feces. When Isabella Marie got to the hospital she was suffering from starvation and hypothermia. Her tiny body was stuck in the fetal position.

“She is 17 months old," Merrifield-Maser said. "When they brought her in she weighed 14 pounds.”

Maser’s son is the girl’s father and Maser says he is too young to take on full-time parenting so she's hoping for custody. Before any of that can happen, Isabella Marie needs to get better.

“She is going to need occupational therapy," Merrifield-Maser said.

"She will need speech therapy. She has a lot of tests to still endure.

She’s progressing much better than anyone expected. She’s like a little miracle girl.”

Maser says she just found out in December that Isabella Marie is her granddaughter through a test.

Medical staff at All Children's Hospital said Isabella was so severely malnourished that she suffers from what they call "refeeding syndrome," where the body has been starved for such long periods of time that the body reacts negatively when reintroduced to food.

Investigators said the medical staff also told them the girl's brain had atrophied and that she suffered injuries that were consistent with shaken baby cases.


http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/2/17/grandmother_fights_f.html

What an endearing baby! That smile says a lot doesn't it?
She is being held in the arms of love!

The Grandmother does get to keep her; I believe she will be loved and treasured. Sad that "Dad" says he is too young for the responsibility....he should have thought of the possibility before getting involved like that with the mother in the first place.

Twinkletoes, I'm so happy you found this!

Thanks Ladibug.

We won't have anymore updates on Isabella's health unless the grandmother makes an announcement, due to privacy laws for juveniles and HIPPA laws.

I'm very concerned because of her brain atrophy.

I'm thinking we will get an update from the prosecutor when this bitch goes to trial.

I hope they don't let her plea to lesser charges. She needs to be in prison.

Oh thank goodness there was an update! I've been wondering how this little girl was doing. Such a wonderful smile! It makes me happy to see she's in much better condition than I was imagining.

I'm glad she's doing better.  I shed tears for her again in reading her story over.  I'd give everything I own to have and love a little girl and she treats her own baby like trash or an animal.  People like that should be sterlized and locked up forever.  William

BSlaws18 wrote:
This child was never wanted by the paternal family-despite random comments. the news jumped at the 'father's' parents who never wanted their rich friends to know their son knocked up the girl who he was living off of while cheating on her and she kicked him out. That week she found out she was pregnant and told them all. They denied it and refused to take the paternity test. After a year and court dates, finally he was forced to take it, but still they never aided in any care for that girl.

They wanted to avoid the responsibility and then any punishment for their negligence by law or public embarrassment. The girl had families offering to adopt her before and after the tragedy. Finally non family adopted the girl-it took so long for these lovely people to get custody because of the facade the paternal family put up pretending even with the adoption agency that they really wanted to adopt her but refused to sign the paperwork. Let's stop glorifying these deadbeats please.

Thank you for the update.  Many of us have been worrying about and praying for her.

This doesn't surprise me at all.  Please let us know if you have any additional information.

How is the precious little girl doing health wise?

Now it all makes sense! Thank you so very much and so glad Isabella finally has a loving family.    

Mom Headed To Prison After Being Convicted In Extreme Child Abuse Case

By Jonathan Wolfe
Mon, March 03, 2014

Alyssia Skinner, 23, will spend the next 17 years in prison after being convicted of child abuse. Skinner subjected her 17-month-old daughter, Isabella, to horrendous treatment prior to her arrest.

Authorities discovered Skinner’s abuse after coming to check on the health of her daughter. When Citrus County, Fla. deputies arrived at Skinner’s home, she tried to hide her identity and claimed she didn't have a child. Authorities found Isabella anyway, and were shocked at the infant’s condition.

According to investigators, Skinner left her daughter in a cold room for long periods at a time and denied her food and nutrition. Isabella now has brain damage resembling shaken baby syndrome. She also has re-feeding syndrome, which occurs when the body has been starved for long periods of time and reacts negatively when re-introduced to food.

Isabella's muscles and tendons fused in the fetal position as she tried to conserve body heat for days at a time in the cold. The room Isabella was locked in was covered in urine and feces. Baby bottles were found on the floor with maggots crawling inside.

The child’s grandmother went into detail about Isabella’s heartbreaking condition.

"Isabella has no skin on her bottom or her thighs from laying in her own human waste,” Rhonda Maser said. “She has a hole in her face. We are not even sure what that is from. Her brain has shifted to one side of her head.”

Isabella is currently being treated at All Children’s Hospital for her injuries. Doctors say that although her condition is improving, she will likely suffer from permanent physical and mental disabilities.

Judge Richard Howard had stern words for Skinner at her sentencing hearing last week.

"You've been sliding through life just like you're sliding through this hearing, just keeping your eyes down, not wanting any interaction just waiting for it to be over," Howard said. "Feed me, house me, keep me from being hurt, and that's where you are going to be for the next long time in the state prison system."

Deputy Nick Hesse first found Isabella in Skinner’s home. He testified in court prior to Skinner’s sentencing.

"This was not, you know, ‘I am having a hard time taking care of my child,’” he said. “This was, I don't want to be a mother. I'm just going to put this problem out of sight, out of mind and carry on living my life."

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/mom-headed-prison-after-being-convicted-extreme-child-abuse-case

Broke my heart when I read that she might have permanent problems. :(
William

I will never understand evil people.  Why do they breed?  This poor baby.