"Jane" Chritton - 15 yo (2/12) - / Convicted: Father, Chad G. Chritton, stepmother Melinda J. Drabek-Chritton and step brother Joshua Drabek - Madison, WI

MADISON- The Madison police department is investigating a significant
child abuse and neglect case involving a 15-year-old girl.  A doctor
diagnosed the teen's condition as "serial child torture with prolonged
exposure to definite starvation," according to an incident report from
Madison police.

The 70-pound girl was found in outside on Monday, Feb 6 by a passerby.  
The girl was a couple of blocks from her house-- walking outside without
shoes or socks and in her pajamas.

The girl told investigators her stepmother let her out of the
basement to clean some papers.  When she wasn't working fast enough, the
woman threatened to throw her down the stairs -- then the girl  finally
ran away, fearing her life.

Inside a suburban home in southeast Madison, investigators say for the
past six years, the parents kept their 15-year-old daughter in the
basement.

Detectives learned she lived with her father, a stepmother, an adult
stepbrother, and two younger stepchildren.  While the rest of the
family  resided upstairs, she was forced to spend most of her time in
the  basement, without a bathroom, and being given very little to eat.  
There  was an alarm that would sound if she went upstairs, according to
the  police report.

According to court documents, the girl's father and stepmother even made her drink her own urine.

Father Chad G. Chritton and stepmother Melinda J. Drabek-Chritton
were arrested and were in court Monday for a bail hearing.  They have
not yet been charged.

In addition, the girl's 18-year-old stepbrother was arrested on a probation and parole hold.

The child is currently not enrolled in a public or private school.

An unnamed party alleged the girl may have been molested by a family
member. The girl did not corroborate the allegation during the
investigation by the MPD, according to that incident report.
http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/139316413.html

OMG, throw these rotters in prison. No telling what all they did to her. She will tell more when she is sure they can't punish her for talking.

People like this are a waste off our natural resources. They don't deserve to live.

MILWAUKEE - When the malnourished 15-year-old awoke each morning, she
could hear her family eating and getting ready for the day. If she felt
especially brave or desperate she would call to her stepmother and beg
for food, but usually she just went back to bed and hoped her hunger
pangs went away.The girl was 70 pounds
when she was rescued. She told investigators during lengthy interviews
at the hospital that most of the food she ate was scraps she found on
the floor or in the garbage. She had spent most of five years in the
basement of her family’s Madison home, where she was beaten and sexually
assaulted.
The
girl’s statements, contained in court documents, paint a troubling
picture of physical, mental and sexual abuse. The girl describes running
away, only to be found, brought home and threatened. Confined to the
basement, she had no one to ask for help. She wasn’t allowed to go to
school or church, have visitors or talk on the phone.
Dane
County officials say the girl is getting help now. She gained 17 pounds
after about a week under doctors’ care, a criminal complaint said. She
has been placed in foster care, and child welfare officials say there’s
been an outpouring of support from people across the nation, who sent
cards and letters.
Her
father and stepmother have been charged with child abuse, child neglect
and reckless endangerment. The charges carry a maximum combined prison
sentence of 11 years, 3 months. The girl’s 18-year-old stepbrother is
charged with child abuse and child sexual assault and faces 68 years
behind bars if convicted.
The
three have preliminary hearings set for Thursday morning, and
prosecutors say more charges are likely. The Associated Press isn’t
naming them to avoid identifying the girl. The AP does not usually name
victims of sexual assault.
The
defendants and their relatives have declined to comment on the charges.
The stepbrother’s attorney did not immediately return a phone message
Monday, and the father and stepmother are still applying for public
defenders.

The girl told investigators the abuse started the month she turned
10. Her stepmother beat her, and her stepbrother repeatedly forced her
to perform oral sex on him. That’s also when the family began keeping
her in the basement.Because it had no
bathroom, she said she often bathed in a basement sink that had no hot
water and relieved herself in boxes or containers. If she made a mess
while doing so, “they will make me eat it. Or drink it or rub it on my
face,” she said.
She
said she was forced to do chores naked and had to call upstairs for
permission to eat. She was often told her stepmother was too busy to
feed her.
“I know it’s a lie,” the teen told police. “She’s playing with my brother upstairs. I can hear her upstairs watching TV.”
She wasted away to 70 pounds. In contrast, police records say her father weighs 240 pounds and her stepmother 370 pounds.
The
girl implied she could unlock the basement door but said there were
motion sensors and an alarm that would draw her stepmother’s wrath.
Still, she said she fled a couple times, but her parents always found
her and threatened to report her to police as a runaway.
Neighbors
expressed concern. One called authorities after watching the parents
scream at the girl as she was forced to push cement blocks from one side
of the yard to the other for no apparent reason. However, the parents
blocked county workers from speaking with the girl.
While
there might have been more chances to seek help, the girl said she
didn’t until Feb. 6, when her stepmother threatened to throw her down
the stairs. Terrified, barefoot and lightly dressed, the girl bolted
through the door and into the cold, wandering aimlessly until a motorist
stopped to check on her and eventually contacted police.
“The
human brain can only tolerate so much trauma, so much fear,” said Ernie
Allen, the president of the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children. “What children in captivity tend to do is figure out whatever
they have to do to survive. So we should never be surprised when
children don’t do heroic things, when they don’t try to escape. It’s
pretty clear that this girl was in a situation in which she had no
power, in which every aspect of her life was controlled.”

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/J7/20120220/NEWS12/302200048/Starved-70-pounds-Wisconsin-girl-s-statements-detail-her-life?odyssey=nav|head

Snipped from above article:

"Her father and stepmother have been charged with child abuse, child neglect and reckless endangerment. The charges carry a maximum combined prison sentence of 11 years, 3 months."

What? The maximum sentence possible is only 11 years? These monsters will probably only end up serving a few years when they spent over 5 years torturing this poor child and starving her to death while they sat their fat asshats upstairs feasting on snacks. This is just unbelievable. I just read in the case of the crazy hiker grandfather who abused his grandsons one summer by forcing them to hike in treacherous conditions may face life in prison. Why such a descrepancy in laws between states? This just plain isn't fair. These fat monsters should be thrown in jail for life and starved to death. And that nasty 370 lb. stepmother who allowed her son to rape this child since she was 10...well I can't even say what I think should be done to her. She is a sub human and not worth wasting a thought on. Ugh!

Babyj, I am also appalled at the leniency of the possible sentences. Plus, that's the max, who knows what the judge will do.

These POSs should be in prison for life. The first year (or five) they should only be given bread and water.

copied from above article:

"The three have preliminary hearings set for Thursday morning, and
prosecutors say more charges are likely."

Let's hope so!!!

So_Cal wrote:copied from above article:

"The three have preliminary hearings set for Thursday morning, and
prosecutors say more charges are likely."

Let's hope so!!!

A big hello to you.

It wasn't just the step brother that raped her. I hope those are among the "more charges".

This poor little girl has endured so much. I hope she is in a loving foster home and is receiving extensive therapy.

This is the type of abuse that makes my blood boil. Evil people doing evil deeds over years and years unfettered.

twinkletoes wrote:

So_Cal wrote:copied from above article:

"The three have preliminary hearings set for Thursday morning, and
prosecutors say more charges are likely."

Let's hope so!!!

A big hello to you.

It wasn't just the step brother that raped her. I hope those are among the "more charges".

This poor little girl has endured so much. I hope she is in a loving foster home and is receiving extensive therapy.

This is the type of abuse that makes my blood boil. Evil people doing evil deeds over years and years unfettered.

hello to you too Twink!

I followed the link above, the 620wtmj link and watched the news clip. They said "re-introducing the girl to food puts her at risk for death" I hope and pray she recovers That "woman" is so morbidly obese she's in a wheelchair

twinkletoes wrote:Babyj, I am also appalled at the leniency of the possible sentences. Plus, that's the max, who knows what the judge will do.

These POSs should be in prison for life. The first year (or five) they should only be given bread and water.

I know I can't believe that's the max. That's why they will probably end up with only a few years. It's just awful. And I think they should get urine and feces to eat and that's it since that's what that witch of a stepmother did to that poor child. She is just an evil monster and I hope she rots in h@ll.

So_Cal wrote:

twinkletoes wrote:

So_Cal wrote:copied from above article:

"The three have preliminary hearings set for Thursday morning, and
prosecutors say more charges are likely."

Let's hope so!!!

A big hello to you.

It wasn't just the step brother that raped her. I hope those are among the "more charges".

This poor little girl has endured so much. I hope she is in a loving foster home and is receiving extensive therapy.

This is the type of abuse that makes my blood boil. Evil people doing evil deeds over years and years unfettered.

hello to you too Twink!

I followed the link above, the 620wtmj link and watched the news clip. They said "re-introducing the girl to food puts her at risk for death" I hope and pray she recovers That "woman" is so morbidly obese she's in a wheelchair

I didn't watch it, just reading about it upset me. Why are the monsters who do this always the ones who never miss a meal?

On top of the physical and mental abuse, the poor girl hasn't gone to school. I hope those new charges are many and they end up getting life with either my food choices or Babyj's.

twinkletoes wrote:On top of the physical and mental abuse, the poor girl hasn't gone to school. I hope those new charges are many and they end up getting life with either my food choices or Babyj's.

I know Twink this poor girl is scarred for life and may never catch up. I couldn't watch the link cause my pc is too slow but it sounds upsetting. I hope to see lots of more charges too. And especially some against the adult stepson rapist. They are all pigs.

Starved, sexually abused, kept in basement: Teen's horror revealed



It's a case that has the nation asking: How could this happen?

Police say a 15-year-old girl was kept for years in a Madison, Wis., basement, beaten and starved by a father and stepmother who often forced her to eat her own feces and drink her own urine. And, they say, her stepbrother had been sexually abusing her in the cellar since she was just 10 years old.

Moreover, it appears that child protective services had repeatedly been called to the home or otherwise alerted to something amiss.

On Thursday, the girl's father, Chad C. Chritton, 40, and stepmother, Melinda J. Drabek-Chritton, 42, were charged with reckless endangerment, child abuse and child neglect, according to the Madison State Journal. The girl's stepbrother, Joshua P. Drabek, 18, was charged with sexual assault and child abuse, the newspaper reported.

The girl, whose name is not being released, is in protective custody.

Two other children have been removed from the home, although there were no immediate reports on their condition.

The girl, who escaped this month, told law enforcement authorities that she had been virtually trapped in the unfinished basement. Video equipment was trained on the cellar door, and it was rigged with an alarm that would go off if it opened, according to a police affidavit obtained by the Associated Press. The girl said that if she was caught eating without permission, she would have to throw out -- or throw up --
the food as punishment.

On Feb. 6, the day she escaped, she had been let out of the basement by her stepmother so she could clean up some papers. When the girl did not do so quickly enough, the stepmother threatened to cut her throat and throw her back in the basement. Fearful of what would happen next, the girl said, she escaped out a window, according to Madison.com

The 15-year-old was wandering the streets of Madison, barefoot and in her pajamas, when she was spotted by motorist Mike Vega, above. He stopped the car. Instinctively, he knew something was terribly, terribly wrong. She was so slight -- authorities later said she weighed about 70 pounds -- that he initially took her for an 8-year-old. The girl was bleeding from a gash on her face.

Vega called police.

"It was the most shocking thing I have ever seen," he told Madison.com. "I've never seen anybody look like that."

But the horror of what had happened to the girl was only just beginning to reveal itself.

A neighbor next door and another across the street each said they had called child protective services after catching a glimpse of the rarely seen girl -- and suspecting something was wrong. One of the neighbors, Mark Stuntebeck, said he made the call after watching the girl take out the garbage and then scavenge through it for food.

"She seemed to be hiding and munching on crumbs or remnants of something," he told the Wisconsin State Journal.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/02/wisconsin-parents-charged-with-starving-teen-daughter-in-basement.html

The more details we learn, the more sickening this is.

Was she kept in the basement so she could not report the rapes that started when she was 10?

If she had not run away we would have been reading about bones being discovered sometime in the future.

I'm curious about where the mother is and why the father has custody. Stupid judge? Lots of them abound.

MADISON – The family of the 15-year-old Dane County girl allegedly held captive, starved, and beaten will be back in court. Investigators say the 15 year old endured on-going torture and starvation at the hands of her father, stepmother, and stepbrother.

Police say the girl’s 40-year-old father, Chad Chritton, and 42-year-old stepmother, Melinda Drabek-Chritton, were arrested on tentative charges of child neglect. The girl’s 18-year-old stepbrother, Joshua Drabek, was charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting the girl, beginning around her 10th birthday.

Right now all three family members are being held on bond. They are scheduled to appear in a Dane County courtroom for their preliminary hearing at 8:30 this morning.

http://fox6now.com/2012/02/23/father-stepmother-stepbrother-charged-with-abuse-due-in-court/

He wasn't raping a 10 year old girl without the father's and mother's knowledge and permission. This poor little girl, what a miserable existence she lived for at least 5 years.

Where is her mother?

MADISON — A Dane County judge postponed preliminary hearings Thursday for the father and stepmother of severely malnourished Madison girl and canceled one for the girl’s stepbrother, who waived his right to the preliminary hearing.

Investigators say the girl’s stepmother, Melinda Drabek-Chritton and father, Chad Chritton forced the girl to live in their basement and denied her food.

The father and stepmother have been charged with child abuse, reckless endangerment and child neglect. The 18-year-old stepbrother, Joshua Drabek, has been charged with sexually assaulting the girl.

Preliminary hearings were set for Thursday for all three, but Judge Amy Smith postponed the proceedings for the father and stepmother because neither has hired an attorney yet.

In court Thursday, Chritton said he’d like to help investigators. “I’ve been wanting to sit with police to help their investigation, but because of my learning disability and comprehension disabilities, I wanted to have an attorney present,” Chritton said.

The judge granted Chritton and Drabek-Chritton another week to find attorneys. Drabek-Chritton wiped away tears as she was wheeled into the courtroom.

The stepbrother waived his right to his hearing. His attorney declined to comment.

A fund has been created for the victim in this case — set up by her biological family. CLICK HERE to learn how you can help.

http://fox6now.com/2012/02/23/father-stepmother-stepbrother-charged-with-abuse-due-in-court/

this makes my heart hurt for this child

clicked on the link to the fund, still no word of her biological mother - only mentions a cousin. and says she is in "state custody" and doing fine. somehow, I doubt she is doing "fine", certainly in a better place. I pray she recovers and gets the help she will need

So_Cal wrote:clicked on the link to the fund, still no word of her biological mother - only mentions a cousin. and says she is in "state custody" and doing fine. somehow, I doubt she is doing "fine", certainly in a better place. I pray she recovers and gets the help she will need

The only thing fine about her is that she is no longer being starved, tortured and raped. I pray her foster home is a good one. She certainly deserves at least that.

She need extensive therapy and I hope she is receiving it.

MADISON, Wis. -- The attorneys for a
Madison couple accused of torturing and starving the man's 15-year-old
daughter have asked a judge to lower their clients' bail.The
father also asked to be tried in absentia. His request filed this week
doesn't explain why, and his attorney didn't immediately return a
message Thursday.Cash bond has been set at $22,500 for the father
and $30,000 for the stepmother. In court filings, their attorneys say
neither defendant is a flight risk and neither has a criminal record.The
girl's father and stepmother are accused of denying the girl sufficient
food and forcing her to live in the basement. Chad Chritton and his
wife, Melinda Drabek-Chritton, ave been charged with child abuse,
reckless endangerment and child neglect. Her stepbrother, Joshua
Chritton, is accused of sexually assaulting her.The parents are due in court Friday.

http://www.channel3000.com/news/30580397/detail.html

Lower it? WTH is it so low to begin with?

twinkletoes wrote:Lower it? WTH is it so low to begin with?

Yeah I agree. With what they did to this poor girl, it should 10 million...or NONE. They need to fry these monsters. Ugh!

babyjustice wrote:

twinkletoes wrote:Lower it? WTH is it so low to begin with?

Yeah I agree. With what they did to this poor girl, it should 10 million...or NONE. They need to fry these monsters. Ugh!

I'll never understand the laws when it comes to child abuse. I agree these three should be held without bond and on bread and water, yet there is the Grandfather who made the 3 boys hike 19 miles and they refused to eat their broccoli (etc.....blisters.....) and they're going for life imprisonment/death for him? These three people literally, deliberately with malice, tortured this child and allowed her to be raped/raped her for years and years .