Women Sought in Videotaped Beating

Yahoo ^

[Texaggie79]

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (AP) - A woman who was angry after leaving a department store was caught on a surveillance tape looking around as she helped her young daughter into a vehicle and then brutally beating the child for about half a minute, authorities said.

Police were searching for the woman and 4-year-old child Friday. The woman's sister, who had been with her in the store, was arrested, said community prosecutor Maggie Jones.

"As far as we know, she tried to exchange some merchandise, was denied that, became angry in the store at the service clerk and left. But I don't know how that could provoke an attack like this on a child," Mishawaka Police Chief Anthony Hazen said Friday on NBC's "Today" show.

The woman could be seen on the tape punching the child and shaking her, and authorities believe the little girl might have serious injuries. A doctor who saw the tape said she could have suffered head, neck and brain injuries, said Mike Samp, a police investigator.

Authorities identified the 25-year-old woman as Madelyne Gorman or Madelyne Toogood and the child as her daughter Martha Toogood.

Hazen said the woman is believed to be from the Dallas area and has a history of misdemeanor charges. He did not elaborate.

"We've spoke with several members of the family; they are not being cooperative right now. They said they disagree with the actions but they don't know where she's at," he said.

Hazen said the sister faces charges of failing to report child abuse, and the child's mother could face felony battery charges in the Sept. 13 beating.

"You can see the woman grab one of the girl's pony tails and forcefully shake her. That right there, not even counting all the blows that we saw the woman make, that right there constitutes battery," Jones told CNN.

The videotape shows the woman and girl walking to a sport utility vehicle along with a boy and the woman's sister.

The two women had tried to return merchandise at a Kohl's department store in Mishawaka, just east of South Bend near the Michigan border, but were refused, police said.

The tape shows the woman placing the girl in the vehicle's back seat and then striking her about the head. The woman also appears to shake, slap and punch the child before getting in the front seat and driving off.

The vehicle shown in the video had Texas license plates, and police eventually found it at a Mishawaka apartment complex. Police said it was not registered to either of the women shown on the tape.

[Double Tap]

I've been following this thread this afternoon, and I was in agreement with you that the video was not conclusive. FNC just showed the video up close and slowed down a little. The woman beat the hell out of that child.

The first slaps (open hand) and looked to be to the childs back and butt. After the slaps, she grab the kids hair and shook the kids head hard. The child then gets in the car seat and that is when the mother begins to punch the kid on or about the head. The kicks that you mentioned earlier looked to me to be from pain or the kid had been knocked senseless.

Very sad.

[alnick]

Her attorney just said, "She's remorseful, she resents it."

[Conservababe]

Well now, Rocket the attorney says that the mother is making her way to turn herself in to authorities.

[mutejesseJ]

Sadly - when it comes to a 30ish/late 20's? woman vs a 4 yr old innocent, the only proof i need is to find them, investigate and find out if there's something to this -wth is the family covering for!?

What do we do, wait until the child is dead? What was the woman checking over her shoulder for?

People can be sick and use children in horrific ways, maybe she (witch) thought having a sweet four yo with her would get her money from Kohl's.

i DO jump to conclusions when a child is at a seemingly high risk of sever injury and death.

/vent

[Conservababe]

Rocket just admitted her guilt during the interview.

[alnick]

I meant, "She regrets it." She did beat the child.

[Ramius]

Hmm... OK. If she's essentially admitting it now (through her attorney), then that changes everything.

She's way sicker than most child abusers, if she can be that cold, cool, and calculating.

[alnick]

So she will turn herself and the child (or a child) in tomorrow. What bothers me is since she is a "traveler" and they travel in packs, she may try to pass another, healthy, child off as the daughter. These people work together and are very accomplished con artists.

[KDD]

Your right! I'm green

A newbie?

Welcome to Free Republic.

[mutejesseJ]

Ugh- i agree you VaBthang4
TXAGGIE- you should change your name, i am ashamed to be associated with a txag that thinks this way! Bad as a gypsy that would do such things to an innocent!

[md2576]

Here is a link to a longer video showing more abuse after putting the bag in the car.

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

[mutejesseJ]

and i would like proof you have a heart, a brain and any compassion.

hoping you have no kids!

[HairOfTheDog]

Her attorney said more damning things than any of us have said. He made no claim of innocence at all... Is volunteering his client for psychiatric evaluation and treatment to help with a plea bargain, and admitting she beat the kid without justifying or minimizing it.

[KDD]

Can anyone find a link to this video? They showed it on FNC a few times and just at the end when the mom is leaning back out of the back seat, you can see the kids legs kicking happily like nothing happened. I'm confused.

I agree.

You are confused.

[mutejesseJ]

While i don't agree with TXAGGIE on the statements made wrt this thread- this is a really callous statement on your part

wth is wrong with people!?

[HairOfTheDog]

That was a very gracious retraction of a flame! Not many are willing to back up and do that - You will be welcome here! We need more like you!

[Conservababe]

I do not think we will ever see this woman again.

[mutejesseJ]

i am very assertive with regard to this or any type of blatant abuse, i would have been shaking like hell, and maybe even puked, but i would have hauled ass over (securing my own kids) and done what i had to, even risking getting hit myself. i believe that this is violent abuse, not discipline, not corporal punishment.

i saw a man in lubbock (fresco exhibit) who seemed to be a hell of an uptight father, impatient, and possibly verbally abusive - but could not hear well enough, and if i had seen him lay a finger, abusively, on one of his four children - i would have thrown all my weight on him.
He seemed to be a mr. andrea yates type - scary, and i pray for his temper/enlightenment toward becoming a Godly man and father - not a tyrant-which he seemed to be.

[mutejesseJ]

Well President George W. Bush lived in Austin - whadthatmakehimhuh!?

former austinite-non-liberal

[Ramius]

It is not heartless to have not interpreted the video the way everybody else did.