You think that woman in Salt Lake City is a sicko?

[Archae]

Check this woman out.

Ill. Mom Charged With Killing 23-Pound Teen Son
Six Siblings Taken Into Protective Custody

UPDATED: 11:11 a.m. EST March 12, 2004

CHICAGO -- A 44-year-old mother, Cathy Leonard (pictured, right), was charged Thursday with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 15-year-old child.

The teen was found dead in the family's Crystal Lake home. Six other children were taken from the home that police say was filthy and uninhabitable.

A Chicago television station reported that police responded to a call to the home in the in the 800 block of Grandview Drive, Crystal Lake, at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of the teen on the livingroom floor.

Mitchell said the boy had a history of cerebral palsy and was, according to witness accounts, non-ambulatory. Police said in an afternoon news conference, that the teen was malnurished and weighed only 23 pounds.

Preliminary autopsy results show that he also had pneumonia.

http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/2917897/detail.html

[terisel]

1. Overwhelmed

Guessing: Overwhelmed, possible depression or mental issues, lack of treatment, lack of community of concern.

The boy with cerebral palsy should have been enrolled in school. Raises question about community oversight.

I am thinking that 87 1/2 billion could have funded a lot of services for families on the edge of such situations.

[baffie]

3. I agree. I think she was mentally disabled

and who was there to help her?

I'm reminded of a case a few years ago where a woman was charged with manslaughter in her pre-teen daughter's death due to neglect. The report described the mother's actions in the months prior -- a single mom with severe financial problems, she laid in bed for weeks, and showed other signs that clearly indicate severe, disabling depression. She didn't give proper care to her daughter because she simply couldn't. Someone should have helped the mom, not punish her for her disability after it was too late to save the daughter. The whole situation was handled ass ackwards, IMO.

[IronLionZion]

2. 23 pounds?

that's insane. Yes that woman is a sicko.

There is so much that could be done with just a small fraction of the bloated Pentagon budget. I'd rather use that money to fund social services and programs rather than give it to Dick Cheney's retirement fund.

[baffie]

4. I respectfully request respect for the mentally ill.

Would you call someone with a physical illness a "sicko"?

[IronLionZion]

9. I didn't know she was mentally ill

some people are evil enough to abuse their children

[John BigBootay]

6. A trillion dollars to any program would not stop this--

Some people just have screwed up wiring.

Personally, I don't want, as Burroughs puts it, "a nation of finks," whose job it is to snoop into homes and ferret out people who are doing bad jobs as parents.

Certainly, you might some kids, but the freedom we lose as parents may not be worth it.

[hedda_foil]

5. Look at the picture of the motherr. She's clearly mentally ill.

There is no doubt in my mind that she's very sick indeed.

[camero]

7. It takes quite awhile to get down to 23 lbs

Where were the authorities in all this? Or her neighbors? Say what you want about mental illness, it's no excuse for abuse.

[Archae]

8. According to one neighbor...

She didn't give a damn about the boy who died, considered him a "mistake of nature." :mad:

Don't forget, all her other kids are healthy, even though their house is filthy.

[democratdemagogue]

10. definitely

how could you do such a thing and not have something wrong with you?