Caught On Tape: Woman Assaults Child

channeloklahoma.com ^ | September 19, 2002

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Police say they're looking for a Texas woman who was videotaped striking her young daughter in the parking lot of a department store in northern Indiana.

Police said a surveillance video captured Madelyne Gorman beating her daughter, Martha Toogood, as she put her in a white sport utility vehicle Wednesday. The SUV had a Texas license plate, South Bend television station WNDU reported. Police said Gorman and another woman -- identified as Gorman's sister -- had earlier caught the attention of security personnel.

"They had some items that they took into Kohls that they tried to received money for, and, for whatever reason, they were refused the exchange, and they were asked to leave the store," Mishawaka Police Chief Mike Samp said.

The tape shows the girl, who police believe is 4 years old, getting into the SUV. Gorman looked around, and then started striking the child. The girl was hit at least five times and shaken. At one point, she was grabbed by her hair and punched in the face more than 12 times, WNDU reported.

The entire assault lasted around 25 seconds.

A doctor who viewed the tape said the girl needs treatment.

"Punching her in the head -- there's obviously blunt head trauma," Dr. Arnold Del Pilar said. "This child needs to be medically examined."

Police are looking for the child because they, too, believe she may be injured, WNDU reported.

Gorman, her daughter, her sister and her sister's son left the parking lot before police could stop them, authorities said.

Police used the SUV's license plate information to locate family members, but they characterized the individuals as less than helpful, WNDU reported.

Gorman has family members in northern Indiana, police said.

"We spoke with family members, and they indicated that the mother and child have left the state," Samp said.

But police believe the woman and her daughter may still be in the area.

"It makes me sick, to think that child is still with that mother, and quite frankly, if the mother is willing to do that in the parking lot, what is she doing at home?" Samp said.

Gorman is described as having blond hair, is about 5 feet 6 inches tall, 135 pounds and in her mid-20s.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Sick Freak o'the Day candidate...

[chance33_98]

My wife was telling me about this tonight. I was deeply saddened today when I was in the Kroger parking lot and some whacked out looking jerk reach into the back seat and slap his kid and yell at him. He was sitting there with a bottle crying. I came home and hugged my daughter and I prayed on the way home thanking Jesus she was my daughter and the daughter of some jerk like that guy.

[chance33_98]

the daughter of some jerk like that guy.

should be NOT the daughter of some jerk like that

Iw as so ticked off typing it I made no sense. It really pained me on a very deep level to see that.

[chance33_98]

I spend my days playing with my daughter - we play elmo games online, I lay on the floor and toss the ball into the air and she laughs and tries to throw it too (she is getting pretty good at it). We spend a lot of time just playing, learning, laughing. Why in God's name do people treat kids so poorly? I live to see her smile. I work midnight to noon and when I get home I am dragging (work is 32 miles away, so I put in about 14 hours a day devoted to work) - but I still play with her for about an hour or more even if I am just laying in bed. We laugh, color, watch blues clues and so on.

It tears my heart apart to see a little kid mistreated by others. All they want is love and fun.

[gr8eman]

Interesting...so now some woman slapping her kid around is news. When I pissed off my Mom in public she would drag me by the ear! It hurt real bad...it was such a shame...maybe she should have played games with me and cuddled me instead! Maybe she was a "Sick Freak"? I know, I will report it to the police and file suit and go on Jerry Springer so others can feel my pain!

Yeah! That's it! Problem solved!

[chance33_98]

At one point, she was grabbed by her hair and punched in the face more than 12 times

Hardly grabbing someone by the ear...

[flying Elvis]

Maybe you should watch the video. She punched the kid in the face, repeatedly. She would then stop for a few seconds and resume beating on the kid.

[Calico Cat]

You obviously haven't seen the video, gr8eman.

[johnny7]

Yea... the sguaws at The Little Big Horn used “blunt-force-trauma to the max.

They sang when they did it. Hoka-hey!

[PoisedWoman]

I saw the videotape on tv and I can assure you this child was not "SLAPPED around." She was punched repeatedly and quite viciously. Punched. As in a boxing match. No cuddle could fix it, believe me. She must have suffered serious trauma, as doctor in article notes.

[dwills]

had i not seen the video, i'd have agreed with you

the child in question is no older than 4 and was perfectly behaved the entire time the tape rolled, dutifully climbed into the car and then, after looking around to make sure noone saw, the mother started wailing on this little girl for over 30 seconds--all you could see of the girl was her legs jerking as she took the beating

it is likely that the beating was entirely a result of the mother's frustration at failing to scam the store into accepting some bogus merchandise returns

[xm177e2]

she was my daughter and the daughter of some jerk like that guy.

You really shouldn't badmouth your wife like that... </kidding>

[Brytani]

Take a look at the video then come back and make these comments. This was not a spanking, this was not a slap on the butt or a swat to a childs hands. This was a woman beating the crap out of a 4 year old in the head, for close to 30 seconds. If you have seen the video and still stand by your comments, I'd say you're about as sick as this woman is.

[chance33_98]

You really shouldn't badmouth your wife like that...

Better me then someone else ;)

[chance33_98]

If anyone ever hit my daughter like that I would bring out the gimp with the quickness.

[The KG9 Kid]

*Sigh*... I don't know why I click on these damned links and then watch the video.

I know that not looking to see what the latest inhuman insult is won't make it go away, but I'm going to have to learn to include myself out.

I don't get enough sleep as it is.

[chance33_98]

I know that not looking to see what the latest inhuman insult is won't make it go away,

Understand that. I post a lot of articles on here, some quite upsetting at times to me. My wife and I often wonder what the hell is wrong with people, and we never find the answer. Most obvious answer is they're totally selfish.

The wife and daughter fly to california several times a year for about a month at a time to visit her family, and I miss my little girl terribly when they are gone - yet I so often hear people exclaim how happy they are when their kids are gone and out of their hair. Why so many seem not to enjoy their children is beyond me.

[ru4liberty]

http://origin.cbsnews.com/htdocs/videoplayer/newVid/video_display_new.html?clip=/media/2002/09/19/video522637.rm

[DB]

It is often wise to know what you're talking about (at least a clue) before preceding to make a fool of yourself.