AZ - Ame Deal, 10, suffocated in footlocker, Phoenix, 12 July 2011

[BeanE]

Ame Lynn Deal



'Hide-and-seek' death ruled a homicide; 4 arrested
Posted on July 28, 2011 at 12:15 PM
Updated today at 5:37 PM

Phoenix police homicide investigators have arrested four people in connection to the death of a 10-year-old girl whose body was found inside a box on July 12.

Police originally thought a game of hide-and-seek had turned deadly but now say family members fabricated the story.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/4...126343393.html

They killed her for taking a popsicle from the refrigerator. My God.

This poor little sweetheart was tortured to death mercilessly.

Rest in peace, Ame.

[BeanE]

This is horrifying.

According to Sgt. Trent Crump with the Phoenix Police Department, investigators determined that Ame was forced into the footlocker-type box as punishment for stealing a Popsicle from the refrigerator. The box was padlocked and Ame was left in it overnight at her home near 35th Avenue and Broadway Road.

snip

Crump said Ame was forced to do backbends for several hours prior to dragging the chest inside the house herself.

snip

Ame's family members regularly locked her in the box as discipline for poor behavior, according to Crump. There were allegations that she was fed hot sauce, deprived of food and beaten with a board over the past few months. He said when Ame wouldn't pick up dog feces, it was rubbed on her and she was forced to eat it.

[tlcya]

sweet merciful God, when will it end?

This one has me crying.

[katydid23]

OMG. Some things just deserve the Death Penalty. Honestly, I could vote for the DP for anyone who would lock a child in a trunk overnight for 'stealing' a popsicle from her own darn freezer. Or maybe LWOP. There is no reason for them to be walking free if they could be so brutally vicious. imoo

[Jaxson]

Where were this child's parents?

[elfie]

Where were this child's parents?

No idea, but her caretakers appear to have a collective IQ of 30.

Just heartbreaking. RIP sweet Ame.

[BuzzieCat]

No words. So angry. If you look back at the previous article when the police thought it was probably accidental, you get quotes from the girl's aunt, who is one of the arrestees and apparently now admits to locking her in that chest at other times. They were trying to get away with it and make it sound like they were all so torn up about the death and stating that the child's mother abused her (which may very well be true), with of course no mention that the four of them were also abusing her.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...76S04R20110729

Ame's older cousin and older cousin's husband are the ones who were "watching" her and are charged with murder. Aunt was legal guardian and is the mother of the older cousin. Aunt and grandmother are accused of also putting Ame in the chest in the past. Detectives are checking on why Ame had to live with her aunt, and there were more than 12 other children living in the home with various relatives!

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region...girl%27s-death

"Police say the girl's biological mother is not in the picture. They are still trying to contact and confirm the whereabouts of the girl's biological father.

'Police records indicate that some adults who were living at the home in tents in the backyard provided information to help them unravel the story."

So witnesses to ongoing abuse who didn't bother to tell anyone what was going on until the girl died. I wonder why they are not also charged?

[RoseRed]

OMG, everyday there is another child abused and murdered. This is just so overwhelming. Will this ever end?

[Melanie]

OMG. Some things just deserve the Death Penalty. Honestly, I could vote for the DP for anyone who would lock a child in a trunk overnight for 'stealing' a popsicle from her own darn freezer. Or maybe LWOP. There is no reason for them to be walking free if they could be so brutally vicious. imoo

My heart is broken. Why do these evil people walk the earth, while precious children are killed. I really hope someone takes them out. I don't wish death on people, but these things are not human -- they can't be.

Killing a child for having a popsicle out of their own freezer? My Gawd.

Bless you Ame Lynn...

Mel

[STEADFAST]

What???!!! I thought her death was tragic before, but this is a million times worse. I'm glad they caught onto her torturers and their lies.

[SunnieRN]

Please sentence them to be locked into four matching chests, that will be padlocked, after hitting them with boards and pouring their mouths full of hot sauce, and making them drag the chests into a prison cell. Let them then serve their LWOP sentences.

[MsFacetious]

Wait.... what?!

Also living at the house was David Deal, 51, who told The Republic that he is Ame's father. He declined to comment further.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...#ixzz1TUDszfgK


The news has not been easy for Michael Allen, John Allen's father, who still lives in Ogden.

John Allen was born in Provo but was raised in Ogden. His father describes him as a good son who worked at the Standard-Examiner's press room, where he was known as "Little Bud," and wanted to go into a profession dealing with computers.

In 2009, his son married Samantha, who lived across the street. "He was doing great," Michael Allen said.

But Thursday night, his son called him from jail.

"My son John is very, very repentant.
(He said) it was an accident.
He meant to get her out, but he fell asleep. His wife too," he said.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2011...er-charge-ariz


Funny how that works... if you don't put the kid IN the box, you don't have to remember to take them OUT.

I knew I recognized her these two. I left Ogden before them.
I wasn't sad to leave. Hmm... I can't call her names....
Suffice it to say... I wouldn't expect her to be sorry or "repentant" at all. I had never called CPS until her.

I'm not going to be able to prevent getting banned if I follow this one closely.
Too much effort was made in Utah to save this child. She never should have been allowed to move with them.
There was already a clear history (or there should have been with the evidence and statements they had) of neglect and abuse.

[oh_gal]

This story reminded me that I knew a girl once (we were in sixth grade) -- she invited me to her house for dinner...and there was a padlock on her fridge. I remember that.

What kind of people put a padlock on their fridge? Is that how things were when THEY
were growing up? I mean, you have to get this from somewhere, right?

Although I know more of the details of what happened to Ame, I can't think about it.

[BrownRice]

What angers and disgusts me about this story (besides the obvious of course) is all of the neighbors' comments. WTH. WTF. Why did NOBODY call CPS (the azcentral article states a neighbor didn't want to break the family up???). How could people see these clothless, hungry, dirty children playing outside at 2:00 a.m. and do nothing? Shame on them. Shame on all of them.

And what kind of relative comes over to a house and sees another relative sitting on a box (while using her computer) with a kid screaming inside AND does nothing?

Heavy sigh..............................

[PalmettoGirl]

With some diseases/conditions, the person has an absolutely insatiable appetite and padlocks are necessary on refrigerators and freezers. This is not one of those cases. That poor little girl.