Police arrested a Madison man and his wife Tuesday for allegedly torturing and starving the man's 15-year-old daughter.
A witness found the girl wandering several blocks from her home on Madison's southeast side Feb. 6 and notified McFarland Police, according to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain. The girl was taken to a Madison hospital.
Although a MPD patrol officer recognized the 70-pound girl was severely underweight, the victim's father gave medical explanations for her emaciated condition, according to police.
On Feb. 10, a doctor specializing in child abuse diagnosed the child's condition as "serial child torture with prolonged exposure to definite starvation," DeSpain said.
DeSpain said the family forced the victim to live in the basement, and an alarm would go off if she left. Police noted the victim is currently not enrolled in school.
Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center partnered with MPD and after additional interviews, police arrested the child's father and stepmother for alleged child neglect. The victim's 18-year-old stepbrother is being held on probation and parole.
Police searched the family's home Monday.
In 2007, Madison Police investigated claims of the victim being allegedly molested by a family member, although they were not proven.
DeSpain said limited information is available to the public because the investigation is still underway.
