On March 12, after interviewing the three younger girls, who were not abused, the Millers were arrested, Strompolis said.
It took Juneau County officials two hours to coax the teen out of the home, past the family's 16 dogs.
An examination at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse revealed the teen's multiple scars and bruises.
Dr. Kevin Coulter, medical director of the Child and Adolescent Abuse Resource and Evaluation Center at the University of California-Davis in Sacramento, said his staff treat 1,500 abused children every year. It's not unusual for parents to single out one child for abuse, he said. What is unusual is cases torture and severe emotional abuse.
"The most common thing is an adult who loses control, lashes out and really abuses a child in a fit of anger," he said. "Abuse that is macabre and bizarre and in my mind represents torture that is not common."
There's no proof that abusive parents seek out isolated locations in order to hide their behavior, Coulter said. However, their personalities may prefer isolation.
The road ahead for the teen will likely be difficult. Her recovery will depend on how long the abuse has been going on and what has happened to her, Coulter said.
Kathy Storandt, social worker with Juneau County Department of Human Services, is still shaken by the case.
"She's a beautiful girl," Storandt said. "She's got wonderful spirit."
The past three years, the teen hasn't been in school, although her three younger sisters were. She had, at one time, attended Necedah schools. School officials and Lee Ann Miller told Strompolis she was being home schooled. However, home school forms, required by state law, were never filed with the state Department of Public Instruction, DPI spokesman Joe Donovan said.
Pauline Roll, Necedah Area Schools district administrator, didn't respond to questions about whether papers had been filed with the district.
Mark Roraff, director of Juneau County Human Services, said the girl has been moved to a safe place.
"We've had more than a few tears shed around here," he said. Although she'll turn 18 in less than two months, Roraff said the county won't stop caring for her.
"We will stand by this girl as long as we have to and as long as we can to make things right for her," he said. They are looking into getting her teeth fixed.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2004/03/21/news/z1abuse.txt