3/17/12 – A pediatrician who specializes in child abuse says a 15 year girl who allegedly had been locked in her family’s basement would have died. Dr. Barbara Knox is the medical director for the University of Wisconsin Child Protection Program. She says the emaciated girl was the victim of child torture and was exposed to chronic starvation. Knox told the court the victim weighed 68 pounds when she was examined last month. She had weighed 82 pounds five years ago. The testimony from Knox came in a preliminary hearing for the girl’s parents who face charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, intentional child abuse and child neglect. Based on evidence submitted yesterday, the judge ordered the couple to stand trial. The girl was found near her home last February in her pajamas and not wearing shoes. Her stepbrother also faces charges of raping her. He returns to court next week.
