Seattle Fire Department medics found a girl unresponsive with a weak pulse. The girl was revived and told firefighters she was hungry and that “Mommy gives me whoopings,” according to the charges. The first responders then contacted Seattle police and reported the girl appeared malnourished. She was also covered in bruises.
Garlyn Grace was arrested two weeks ago after her boyfriend found the child unresponsive. He called 911. He told the local media that he and the suspect dated. His girlfriend and the child stayed with him from time to time. He said that he had no idea the child was being abused.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Christian Brown wrote in charging papers that the girl’s injuries amounted to torture and the abuse had been ongoing since at least January 2019. According to police, Grace claimed the girl’s injuries were self-inflicted. The doctors documented the girl’s mental state and discovery of puncture marks creating concerns about forced illicit drugging of the child. There was also evidence of starvation during a physical exam.
It’s estimated that at least 1 in 7 children in the US has experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse. Every year, more than 4 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 4.3 million children.
The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations of child abuse and deaths – losing on average 5 children every day to child abuse and neglect. In 2019 alone, state agencies found over 656,000 victims of child maltreatment.
Garlyn Grace has been charged by King County prosecutors with the assault and criminal mistreatment of a 6-year-old child. The woman is accused of beating, starving and possibly injecting her daughter with illicit drugs.
