Springers Guilty Of Torture, Abuse (Child tied to bed, dies in fire)

WOODTV.COM ^ | Feb. 23, 2010 | Henry Erb

[MaryFromMichigan]

CENTREVILLE, Michigan- The Springer's 16-year-old daughter, Calista, died chained to her bed when the house caught fire. The parents contend they chained her to keep her safe at night because she was a troubled child.
Big news around here.

[MaryFromMichigan]

The firefighters found Calista Springer with a dog collar around her waist.
The prosecutor argued the Springers chained their daughter to the bed as a form of abuse, and a way to remove her from the community.
The defense said the Springers tried everything they could to keep the girl from eating razor blades or wandering around at night. They said that the chain around her was a short term fix.
Prosecutors said it had been going on for years.

Background story with some interesting comments here.

[MaryFromMichigan]

Mitten ping.

[RadioCirca1970]

Bastards.

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

[MsLady]

On the surface this sounds horrible. But, I have a special needs child and although I doubt I would have ever done something like this. I can tell you, some of them are so out of control, no matter what you do. They become a danger to themselves and others. You get to the point where it's, what do I do??? How do I deal with this?

When my daughter was little, she couldn't communicate and her understanding of what you said to her was almost nil. In fact she was probably about 11-12 years old before communicating with her became a reality. Before that, it was like she didn't have a clue what you were trying to tell her. I can't tell you how many times she ran out into the street and or other dangerous things. She would grab dogs and try to hug them. At 12 she was strong enough to pull away from me. She is tacitly defensive, she would either bite herself, try to bang her head or bite me if I tried to hold onto her. One day she broke away from me and darted right out in front of a car. Luckily the guy saw what was happening and stopped.

[presently no screen name]

One day she broke away from me and darted right out in front of a car

My friends' son does the same - recently w/no shoes, no coat right out in the snow and she found him in the middle of the street. He's 24.

[MaryFromMichigan]

(((MsLady)))
This story seems very different from yours.
In this video, the Dad's own mother was disappointed that her son would not go to to jail for the murder of her granddaughter.
She says Calista was "a good girl, a happy girl. She wasn't a freak. She wasn't anything like that. She was just a little girl who wasn't loved..."

Comments from others seem to back this up.

[MsLady]

God bless your friend. I certainly sympathize, I sure know what your friend is going through. It’s difficult all the way around for the child and parent/s.

[MsLady]

Well, in that case it’s terrible. It’s hard to believe a parent/s could do such a thing. I love my daughter more than my own life. I can’t even imagine doing anything that would harm her.