The Girl in the Box

Posted byNancy HomlitasPosted inCrime, Family, Mental Illness, Personality Disorders, suspenseTags:, , , , , , , ,

This is my recollection of an event as a child. Names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been omitted to protect the privacy of those depicted. Dialogue has been re-created from memory except excerpts from news articles.

When you’re a ten-year-old, you expect people to be who you think they are. Monsters are cruel with dagger eyes. Nice people are pleasant with twinkling eyes. A friendly volunteer for a nonprofit humanitarian organization, who occasionally drove my mother to visit my father after he’d been institutionalized, had twinkling eyes.

She didn’t look like she’d kick out her niece’s front teeth and stuff her in a saddle box, but she did. This is how I found out.

During the 1960’s, my mother, a hearing-impaired Italian immigrant, had a limited vocabulary-except for swear words. Mom knew all of them and created another language with ones she made up. Angrily flapping the local newspaper in front of my face, she yelled, “Look-uh what that crazy b*tch do!”

A rail thin teenage girl, with her hair wacked off and a jack-o-lantern smile, stared back at me from the newspaper. She resembled a scarecrow whose eyes were hollowed out by crows. It gave me nightmares. Monsters were no longer imaginary.

Mom smacked the newspaper image of the girl’s aunt and cursed her to hell in as many ways as there are ice cream flavors. I recognized her. I likely saw her picking up Mom to see Dad, or at the nonprofit’s office when I helped Mom communicate with staffers, or at church. We attended the same one.

According to news reports, the aunt had her 18-year-old niece committed to a Receiving Hospital, a treatment facility for people in early stages of mental illness. During her two stays of 109 days over a six-month period, they treated her for depression and hyperactivity with twice a week shock treatments and meds.

My father became a patient there during that time. The aunt reported she faithfully visited her niece at the hospital, so I’m assuming when she drove Mom the 20 miles to see Dad, she also visited her niece.

According to news reports, the girl and her dad lived with the aunt, her husband (her dad’s brother), and their four children. The girl’s mother died ten years before and her other siblings chose not to live there. Maybe it’s better to dwell somewhere else rather than “…in a mansion with a quarrelsome woman” (Proverbs 21:9 NAB).

Local and national newspapers detailed the nightmare that unfolded after the girl’s release from the hospital. The aunt said her niece became involved with a 40-some-year-old alcoholic who she met there. The aunt and the girl’s father disapproved and apparently intervened with confinement and torture.

Sheriff deputies released details of the surreal case best described as a disturbing fairy tale. The girl told them her aunt and dad first locked her in the garage attic in August-too hot. Then they tied her spread eagle between two poles in the basement where she cried-too loud. Then they crammed her in a cabinet without a toilet break-too stinky. Finally, they made her climb into a saddle box-she fit in it just right.

Cruel treatment charges were filed against the aunt and father by sheriff’s deputies. They accused them of depriving her of proper food, mistreating her, and keeping her in a locked box in an unheated shed.

The girl noted when she lived in the saddle box, her aunt “told me to call it my apartment because if I said it was a box, no one would believe me.” She said she prayed while in there.

The following February, the girl said her aunt and father removed her from the box but kept her locked in the horse shed. Apparently, some rabbits booted her out of her “apartment.” Officers said she escaped from the shed March 12.

Mom told me the girl “gotta so skinny she stick-uh the bone of the finger in a little hole and open(ed) the lock.” This creeped me out because I imagined a zombified finger snaking out of the keyhole of a worm-infested casket.

In actuality, the responding officers said the girl worked a hole in the shed wall, reached through and pulled a pin out of the hasp on the door to free herself. From there, they said, she made her way to a relative’s house nearby.

News reports stated the girl, almost five feet five inches tall, weighed 78 pounds upon entering the hospital. Her reported normal weight was 136 pounds. During her 36 day stay, doctors treated her malnutrition, amputated part of her right big toe, and removed destroyed tissue from frostbitten toes.

The doctor determined her injuries-which included what looked like rope burns around her wrists, waist, and legs-weren’t self-inflicted. Because of her confinement in a box 34 x 21 x 20 inches, he stressed she’d need physical therapy to straighten her legs beyond 90 degrees.

Whenever Mom ranted about the case to friends, I’d hear. Then I’d share the gruesome details with the neighborhood kids, mostly boys looking for insult fodder. “Yo mama” went from wearing combat boots to competitive trash talk.

“Yo mama’s so mean she’ll bury you in a box till maggots eat your face,” and “Yo mama’s so evil she’ll tie you to a tree for the buzzards,” and “Yo mama’s so crazy she’ll lock you in a freezer till your body parts fall off.”

This is how the case played out in a jury trial in Municipal Court:

Prosecution highlights

  • The state aimed to show the aunt was responsible for keeping her niece in a locked box, beating her, giving her scalding showers, pulling her around the kitchen floor by her hair, and giving her bread soaked in coffee as food.
  • The girl, the state’s star witness, said she spent November into February inside a saddle box, first located in the cellar and then moved to a shed. She said she got out only to do housework, eat coffee bread, and have an exercise/toilet period after dark.
  • The girl testified that when she relieved herself in the field, “I would make snowballs and put them in my pocket and eat them after I was put back in my box.” When the box was opened in the morning, she noted, frost lined the inside.
  • The responding officer described the girl as having short hair, no upper front teeth, sunken facial features, a patch of hair missing, and dark marks and circles on her.
  • The girl stated her aunt once warned her, as she put her in the box, that “they were going to pour lime in my box so I could die a slow death like my mother.”
  • The girl described an incident that happened after she cleaned the cellar floor and missed a corner. As she squatted by the bucket, she said her aunt kicked her in the face while wearing her uncle’s steel-toed shoe. Then she claimed her aunt tried to push out one of her loose teeth from her bleeding mouth.
  • An officer testified that when he told the aunt her niece had frostbite and the doctors might have to cut off her toes, “she said she didn’t care if they cut her up in little pieces with their knives.”
  • A witness called the girl her best worker in the 16 years she managed stores. In October, she said, the girl’s aunt and dad dragged her into the store seeking her help because she respected her. Sobbing, the girl said she couldn’t see her brother-home on military leave. The aunt hit the table and told the witness, “I’ll kill this girl before I’ll let her see her *** brother or that *** of a sister of hers.'”
  • The girl testified her father sometimes took her out of the box to drive her to the unemployment office to get her check. She admitted she never sought help there because “I did what my father said,” and “I was scared.”
  • In closing, the prosecutor stressed that a doctor said the girl’s injuries couldn’t have been self-inflicted. And, he added, “Does the fact that the girl had a mental problem give them the right to treat her this way?” He emphasized there were only two points in the case: “Was the girl abused?” and “Who did it?”

Defense highlights

  • The defense aimed to show the girl was a proverbial liar who brought on whatever happened to her, whose injuries were self-inflicted, whose aunt, the defendant, wasn’t her legal guardian, who was an unwanted person in her aunt’s home, and who could’ve left, but didn’t.
  • Deputies testified the aunt denied they kept her niece in a box. They quoted her as saying, “Whatever she tells you is a lie. My niece is sexually disturbed and mentally unbalanced.” The aunt later told the jury she struck her across the shoulders with a rolling pin when she caught her abusing her four-year-old son.
  • A witness stated she employed the aunt to care for her two children while she worked at a plant. She expressed satisfaction with her and planned to keep her.
  • The aunt’s daughter, 17, said she and her cousin were companions until she returned from the hospital. After that, she said, “I was afraid of her,” adding that once she “…got mad and pulled me down the cellar steps.”
  • The aunt’s son, 14, testified he kept his saddle, bridles, and horse blanket in the box. The defense attorney asked if he saw the girl in the basement. He answered, “No, I wasn’t allowed down there.”
  • The aunt testified they moved her niece to the basement in October where there were two couches to sleep on, adding, “Her father fed her, disciplined her, and tied her in the chair but he never beat her.”
  • The aunt said a horse trampled her niece on the side of her face during an accident and it may have loosened some teeth. She stated, “I never kicked her in the teeth, nor did I use an electric razor to shave her eyebrows.”
  • The aunt told the jury she never helped her brother-in-law tie his daughter to the cellar rafters or lock her in a box or cabinet. But a deputy said she told him they would put a rope around her to hold her under the shower.
  • Multiple witnesses who visited the family, including a vet who treated a horse in their shed, reported seeing nothing unusual. Other witnesses said the girl appeared dirty and thin with sores, but she never asked for help. One witness saw the aunt and her niece arguing and said, “Her niece got her to the corner and popped her one in the face.”
  • In his final arguments, the defense attorney referred to the girl as a “bold and saucy” liar. He said her story of being locked in a box and a metal cabinet and hung from rafters was fantastic. He emphasized her father was responsible for her physical condition, not her aunt, who wasn’t her legal guardian.

The jury’s verdict

  • After a jury found the aunt guilty of torturing her niece, the Municipal Judge sentenced her to a 6-month jail term with a $200 fine-the maximum penalties provided by law for the misdemeanor offense.
  • The girl’s father pleaded guilty to the same charge to avoid trial. He also received a 6-month jail term with a $200 fine.
  • In passing sentence on the girl’s father, the judge said he showed no love for his daughter and “the facts of the case are nauseating to the court and to the public.”

A year later

According to a news article a year after the girl’s ordeal, she gained 61 pounds and a normal life. She lived with her older sister, returned to high school, and graduated in the middle third of her class. The principal called her a “good and reliable student” and a “pleasant individual.”

I may have only been ten years old when this case happened, but I’ve never forgotten its horrors. Neither have I forgotten the kindness the aunt showed my mother before her twinkling eyes turned to daggers.

She didn’t “overcome evil with good,” as advised in Romans 12:21, but instead, she let evil overcome her.

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Published by Nancy Homlitas

The stories and photographs I share are meant to brighten moods and spawn smiles. There's nothing more hilarious than a true experience, especially in hindsight! And there's nothing more uplifting than a pleasing picture, particularly if it enhances a story. As a feel good bonus, blog posts will include relevant bible verses.

79 thoughts on “The Girl in the Box”

    1. I certainly did! But kids back then destressed by making fun of frightening things, e.g., the “Yo mama” jokes. We also made up our own creepy stories about that poor girl and scared one other half to death. 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Maggie, for your thoughtful compliment. The girl was quite resilient, especially considering she had all those shock treatments before she got stuffed in a box. What’s funny is I heard a more gruesome version of the girl’s story from my mother. When I researched the information, it clarified the story for me. 🙂

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    1. Yes, it is surprising the girl overcame the extreme physical and mental abuse by her aunt and her father. She received an overwhelming amount of support from her sister, her school, and the community. That certainly was beneficial in kick-starting her healing process. Thanks for sharing your opinion, Carol. I apologize for not responding sooner. Your comment ended up in my spam folder. 🙂

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  6. Occassionally I check in on your blog just in case I miss a new entry. Oh my, this was worth the wait.
    You are a very good writer. When I read your blog, it is as if I’m hearing you telling me a story.
    My dad was a police detective & would occassionally take me to the scenes of crime & tell me all about them. So even today I have a passion about crime stories. I have been to the sites of Texas School Board Depository 6th Floor, Louisiana Bonnie & Clyde ambush site, OJ Simpson Bundy site of murder, Robert Blake’s wife murder site & restaurant, Ford Theater, Lincoln assasdination & many more.
    I was especially glad you included the house picture that still remains. THANK YOU!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jack, for supporting my blog. I’m flattered by your positive feedback and your kind comments. I appreciate being kept well informed by your blog https://cleverjourneys.com/. You’re a journalist with the utmost integrity who’s not timid about sharing “the rest of the story.” We both know where our inspiration comes from. Those are great memories and experiences you shared with your dad! So, when are you planning on writing that long delayed crime novel? 🙂

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  7. Wow, Nancy! That is a horrific story well told. Stories like this never fail to freak me out. I cannot fathom how people do such things – I mean, I know it is straight-up evil, inspired by our basest natures and by the enemy of our souls. Thank you for sharing this story. The photo of the ‘institute’ looks just like one my family used to drive by on our way from Champaign, IL, to visit our grandparents in Philadelphia, IL, (down the road from Ashland). Always seemed creepy to me at the time. ~Ed.

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    1. Thank you, Boromax! The aunt’s behavior was baffling to me because she had been so kind to my mother. You perfectly described what likely happened in your comment. Evil lurks everywhere just waiting for a chink in the armor. I appreciate your compliment, and I’m pleased you enjoyed the post. 🙂

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    1. Oh, yes-this seemed like a case of long, drawn out rage in their effort to control the girl after all those questionably ineffective/detrimental shock treatments. Thanks for commenting and visiting my blog, I thoroughly enjoy your reflections on other posts. 🙂

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    1. At that time in history, this heinous crime was considered a misdemeanor. Now, it would probably be a felony. The public shame the aunt and father likely suffered was probably horrendous. Thanks for your comment, Christa!

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  10. My goodness, Nancy! What a horror story! Where did this occur and in what year? I’m sure today DNA and other forensics would have helped to solve this. I don’t know how anyone tortured and held captive gets past all of that, and we’ve heard way too many such stories.

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    1. This case occurred in the rust belt of northeast Ohio. The trial was in May 1963. At the time, they took hair samples from the saddle box to analyze, but it wasn’t discussed during the trial. The prosecutor had no difficulty providing enough evidence to prove the aunt’s guilt. There were many other details in the case I didn’t include for the sake of brevity.

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    1. Thank you, Priti! I appreciate your visit to my blog and your kind words. Yes, it was a horrendous way to treat someone. Fortunately, the girl received a lot of support from the community and her siblings as she recovered. 🙂

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  12. Another WOW from my corner! What a story, and well-told too. It’s hard to imagine that decent folks could resort to such heinous torture of a teenage girl. I also find it amazing that she went on to live a normal life. Perhaps she accepted Jesus into her life and he made her life new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

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    1. Thank you, Nancy. I appreciate your super kind compliment. The girl attended a Baptist church after she married, so maybe she did accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Hopefully, her aunt and father sought forgiveness. 🙂

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  13. My goodness Nancy, what a terrible thing for a young person to have to go through.

    I have encountered less than a handful of people whose exposed true nature felt like a betrayal to me. I do not talk to those people any longer but despite that, I still feel the sting of betrayal.

    I can only imagine the effort it must have taken for this young girl to grow from this part of her life. Monsters are very adept at maintaining their good appearances to the outside world. It is a failing of most people to see them precisely because we all want to believe in good. Thankfully, justice prevailed here.

    I did not receive a notification for your new post, my apologies. I have set up an email alert but either way, I will be checking on your page again. I hope you had a great Friday. Take care!

    Mike

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    1. Thank you, Michael. I’m sorry you didn’t receive notification. Word Press can be quirky on occasion. I don’t post often, but I do appreciate you checking out my site from time to time. The girl received an overwhelming amount of support during her recovery, which likely helped her immensely. Let’s hope the monsters we encounter during this spooky month of October are fake. 🙂

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      1. I’m wondering why it seems to not pick up notifications from your site specifically. It’s really strange, isn’t it?

        As for the young girl, I’m glad to hear of the support she received. There really is good in this world.

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  14. At least these 2 monsters were identified, even if their “punishment” was inadequate. Though we are asked to forgive our enemies, I truly believe God will render justice in the next life for abuse like this. Unfortunately, there is very little justice in this world.

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    1. I agree with you, Anna. On the other hand, sometimes justice is ridiculously severe for much lesser crimes depending on the courtroom staff, the law, corruption, etc. Ultimately, the Lord is Judge. Thank you for checking out my blog and sharing your opinion. 🙂

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    2. I was surprised by the inadequate punishment too. However, as convicted felons, the lives of the aunt and the father would have been completely uprooted. Can you imagine the publicity? I cannot imagine that anyone who knew them would trust them anymore.

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      1. According to her obituary, the Girl in the Box did not make contact with her aunt or her father for the remainder of her life. She died at 60 years old. Yet, you have the mother who had hired the aunt to babysit her two children say that she would continue to employ her because she was very satisfied. It was not reported that the aunt’s underage children were removed from her house either. Things were different back in the day. Thanks for your comment, Tom. 🙂

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    1. The girl was actually around 5’5″, but still very malnourished. I had to chuckle at your curiosity to see what the fine would amount to today. My husband looked it up, too. Hopefully, the law has been revised since then. Thank you, Darryl, for checking out my blog and commenting. I also appreciate your interest in receiving future posts. 🙂

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  16. Real life is much scarier than what we see in movies. I’m glad that the girl was able to live a normal life after enduring so much torture. However, I believe she will carry the scars of her experiences in her soul forever.

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  18. Nancy—I think I’m going to have nightmares tonight, if I think about this story. You have a gift for exposing evil, with your words. On another note—I want you to know that I so appreciate all your faithful comments on my blog. I have noticed just this week, that many of your comments on my blog have gone unanswered. I have not seen or been notified of your comments, until just this week. In fact, I am still not being notified of any of your comments—within WP. A few months ago– I saw an email saying you had commented, and warning me not to read the comment, as my email deemed your comment unsafe. But I knew your blogs, so I accepted your comment on my email–and it let me respond to your comment. Since then, I have gone to my actual blog, and I have seen your comments, and I respond to them. Now, I’ve noticed you have been making comments for a long time on my blog—but until this week, I have not seen them. I will try to go back and respond to each and every one of those precious comments. I don’t know what is happening technically. I’ve tried to have my son, who is an IT guy figure it out, but he can’t figure it out either. If anyone who has a blog on WP reads this comment, and knows what is happening–I’d appreciate your input. Thank you so much!!

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    1. Askimet anti-spam, which is included with Jetpack, likely has something to do with the screening process of comments. I found a couple innocent comments in my spam folder yesterday that were perfectly fine. Thank you, Katie, for your concerns. I used to blog via my email, but I have had better success going directly to my feed in Word Press. I’m sorry my latest post gave you the heebie-jeebies, but life can be quite scary when evil prevails. Thank you so much for your support and, hopefully, we’ll be able to see, or unearth, one another’s comments for future posts. God bless you, Katie! 🙂

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    1. I agree with you, Manu. The evil inhumanity done to this girl was horrendous. She did mention she prayed while in the box, so perhaps that helped her get through the ordeal. Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. 🙂

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    1. You’re right, the sentences the girl’s father and aunt got were shockingly lenient, It’s hard to believe they received the maximum penalty for that offense at the time. Hopefully, the law has changed since then. Thanks for checking out my blog and commenting, Darryl . I appreciate your interest. 🙂

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    1. I agree. There should be more treatment options for those with mental challenges. The emotional issues the girl in the box had seemed to escalate after having been in the institution. Thanks for your comment, Kathleen! 🙂

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  22. Nancy, what a story. Your memory of the woman and her evil has stayed with you for a lifetime. You are a talented writer and reporter and I look forward to more from you. There is always evil lurking around the corner waiting to pounce.

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    1. Phil, you’re the king of storytelling, so I value your opinion. What happened to this girl was so horrendous, even my husband remembered it. He said that, at the time, his family would discuss the case at the dinner table. The kids in my neighborhood (on the other side of town), used it as cannon fodder to scare one another out of our wits. Thanks for your comment, Phil 🙂

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    1. I must say-I did have quite an interesting childhood! Empathy was something I began to feel very early in life. There are many more stories I want to share, but not before I post some that aren’t so intense. Hopefully, my next one will cause a chuckle or two. Thanks for commenting, Jim. I appreciate your support. 🙂

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  24. What a horrid story. Your descriptive phrases are amazing–“many ways as there are ice cream flavors” “A rail thin teenage girl, with her hair wacked off and a jack-o-lantern smile” I’ll hang on to those instead of the horror.

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    1. Hi, Jacqui! “The Girl in the Box” certainly was a nightmare story and the reason I’ve not forgotten it. I appreciate your kind compliments in regards to my characterizations. Good luck with your new trilogy about Neanderthals, “Endangered Species,” 🙂

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    1. This nightmare incident occurred when I was ten-years-old and it still invades my thoughts from time to time. Some people are more vicious than the wild beasts that lived during the time of the Neanderthals. Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting, Jacqui. 🙂

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  26. Nancy this story is horrifying. I’ve listened to many stories of abuse but this sort is up there with serial killer psychopathy. That Aunt is as bad as Gacy, Dahmer, and Bundy in my opinion because they all share one simple trait: treating people like worthless garbage for their own sick pleasure.
    One day this “stuff” will end, when the Lord returns and sets the record straight on Earth, the wicked will be no more.

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    1. The girl’s aunt and father seemed to focus all their wrath on her and not their other children. It defies logic. For some crazy reason, they confused torture for punishment. Fortunately, God blessed the girl with a caring sister who helped her after her nightmare ordeal. Thanks for checking out my blog and commenting, Eric.

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  27. That’s just horrifying. And it’s amazing to me that the penalty of doing that to a person was so low, a misdemeanor. Women and children didn’t count for much back then. I’m glad the laws have improved. Very creepy.

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    1. Yes, it was a shocking crime. I felt compelled to tell her story after having discovered some of the old newspaper articles about the case. Thank you, Diana, for checking out my blog and sharing your thoughts.

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  28. Such darkness. I struggled to make it to the end of your narrative, but my heart continued to embrace this girl’s horrible journey. It’s too bad that the charges and consequences couldn’t have been more severe.

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    1. I agree-the account of this poor girl who was mistreated by her father and aunt was horrific. It has been with me for decades and I felt compelled to tell her story. Because of my research, I learned she went on to lead a normal life and that was gratifying.

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  29. Oh, WOW! That is a horrifying story! I am so glad the verdict came out in her favor. That prayer helped her is quite a testimony of the power of endurance through hope and faith. What a harsh story for a child to hear and carry with them – I don’t do well with horror stories:( It would have haunted me, too.

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    1. By writing a post about the girl in the box, I hoped to put her story to rest. Through research, I discovered what happened to her and how she successfully adjusted to life. Thank you, Maryleigh, for visiting my blog and sharing your thoughts about this sad story. 🙂

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  30. This is truly a sad story, but many live through this. Not only is it part of my history, but trying to understand what makes parents or guardians behave in such a way is what drove me into the arms first of secularism, then to Christ. If you have not been a victim of abuse, it is hard to understand the dynamics of it and the evil behind it.

    First the reason the girl did not ask for help is because of several reasons, she may not have understood how to. That may seem odd but when isolated, marginalized, dominated, intimidated, it retards emotional, social, mental maturity. It is a perversion that dulls critical thinking. It literally kills self preservation.

    Believe it or not God is in the midst of this, but when not taught to recognize Him, His voice or His Word, you do not know where these thoughts or ideas come from. The Holy Spirit is at work in children before the age of accountability, but when you are not taught what it means, it is lost. But often when the Lord is made known in salvation, all those visits from Him gets revealed in the heart and soul of the once abused child.

    It is why we pray, and keep praying for children around the world for God to make visitations through people, His Word, His Spirit, His angels, etc.

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    1. You have offered a wealth of pertinent information in your response to “The Girl in the Box.” I’m sorry you also have suffered abuse, but I’m pleased to learn you ended up in the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I agree-prayer is powerful and praying for children is vital. Thank you for sharing your understanding and your insight in regards to the tragedy of child abuse.

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    1. Yes, it is a horrific account of a dysfunctional family, and I apologize for your discomfort. I have been carrying “The Girl in the Box” around in my head since I was a child. I found it cathartic to write about it. When researching her story, I learned that she married, had three daughters, and actually did live happily ever after. That was very gratifying. Thank you for visiting my blog, Geoff. 🙂

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    1. Yes, it’s a tragic story. It never made sense to me. The aunt was so accommodating and helpful to my mother. Her anger and irrational actions appeared to be focused only on her niece. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this heartbreaking story.

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  33. Had to think about this story for a while. It was particularly hard, as I had suffered abuse for 14 years and could tell you things as well. As far as the statements of how surprised people are that she had a normal life afterwords, it may seem like that from a viewer looking in.

    From my own story and working in a crisis center off and on for years, I can assure you normal for these folks is a lot of pretend, unless the redemptive work of God happened in their lives. Even with that and among the church gatherings I have never felt normal. I learned to keep my past a secret for the most part because, far too many even in church gatherings have a hard time believing evil of this kind exist. My father was a church deacon, so of course he was an upstanding righteous man, right.

    They accuse you of exaggeration, or right out lying.

    The abuse in my life also ended up with learning disabilities, which lead to a lot of misunderstanding from teachers, friends and family, alike. Even in church settings you would not believe the issue I have had to deal with. It seems when people realize you are slow to learn they equate that with being stupid or deaf. Actually, I submitted to an IQ test and was amazed by the results, but you cannot wear that on you blouse as a button, though I have thought of it.

    One thing hard to explain in a short message, is the redemptive work of God does not take away the connection of emotions tied to evil. Time removes the sting of emotions connected with memories, but evil will always be evil and it ought to move us emotionally to repulsion, for it does God.

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    1. My heart breaks for you, Old Granny. This tragic story was difficult for me to write even though it was not my tragedy. It was, however, very therapeutic. I had never forgotten “The Girl in the Box,” so, after I researched her case, I felt I needed to tell her story. Old Granny, you express yourself very well. Your last sentence was powerful. I am so sorry for the suffering and injuries that you endured. Thank you for sharing your experience so that I, and others, might better understand. God bless you, Old Granny.

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