Policeman Mark Holste from Florida, USA will never forgot the call he received on July 13th, 2005. A man reported seeing a mysterious, pale little girl in the window of his neighbor’s house.
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The dilapidated house had been lived in for the past three years, but there was no sign of children living there – not in the yard or anywhere else.
The neighbor was worried that it may be a case of child abuse, so the officer immediately set out to investigate.
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Officer Holste knocked on the door, but nothing could’ve prepared him for what he found inside the house: animal waste all over the floor, old chewed-up food, trash, spiderwebs, and reportedly thousands of cockroaches.
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But worst of all, said Holste, was the child he found inside: A 6-year-old little girl, half starved and naked except for a dirty diaper, was sitting surrounded by trash.
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“When I entered the room, her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and then crawled sideways, like a crab, to the corner, pulled her knees to her chin, and wrapped her arms around them. Then she started making grunting noises,” reported the shaken policeman.
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The little girl is named Danielle. She was immediately taken to the hospital in a miserable state. Her speech and mannerisms were similar to those of a 6-month-old. She had received no love and no compassion from her mother.
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Danielle’s mother was sent to jail for 26 hours, was given 2 years of house arrest, and 3 years probation. Danielle was immediately taken away from her.