WESTON, Wis. —
An 11-year-old girl died after her parents used incantations for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday.
Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday.
"She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said.
Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.
The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death to "choosing the wrong spell," the police chief said.
They believed the key to healing "was it was better to expand the Coven's circle . Call more people to help produce the proper magic," he said.
The mother believes the girl could still be resurrected, the police chief said.
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The girl has three siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 16, the police chief said.
The siblings are being immediately removed from the home due to abuse.
Okay that's not really the story. The above story is true but the religion in question is Christianity. Here's the real story.
WESTON, Wis. —
An 11-year-old girl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday.
Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday.
"She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said.
Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.
The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death to "apparently they didn't have enough faith," the police chief said.
They believed the key to healing "was it was better to keep praying. Call more people to help pray," he said.
The mother believes the girl could still be resurrected, the police chief said.
Telephone messages left at the Neumann home by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.
The family does not attend an organized church or participate in an organized religion, Vergin said. "They have a little Bible study of a few people."
The parents told investigators their daughter last saw a doctor when she was 3 to get some shots, Vergin said. The girl had attended public school during the first semester but didn't return for the second semester.
Officers went to the home after one of the girl's relatives in California called police to check on her, Vergin said. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The relative was fearful the girl was "extremely ill, dire," Vergin said.
The girl has three siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 16, the police chief said.
"They are still in the home," he said. "There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see."
The girl's death remains under investigation and the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney to review for possible charges, the chief said.
The family operates a coffee shop in Weston, which is a suburb of Wausau, Vergin said.
I apologize to any Wiccans I may have offended. I also think that if the girl were muslim we'd have seen an outcry to remove the other children from the home, or to at least get social services involved.
10 comments:
A friend of mine and I were discussing this very issue--and sharing your viewpoint--this morning. It's "christians" like these people who make me crazy, who value their twisted faith and their god more than their own flesh-and-blood children.
You're exactly right, that if it were any religion other than christianity, those kids would be out of that house and the parents would be in jail.
Great post! How many more must die for this false Jesus juju? All witch doctors are indeed created equal, I fear.
I'm not a christian, but I must say that I'm sure those people don't represent the majority of christians. They sound like the wackos that give everyone else a bad name. I think you're right, though, about what would have happened if they were members of any other religion.
Nice bait and switch!
You show how headlines promote emotional reactions that judgment must inevitably follow.
I felt it myself. You are exactly right in that if this were a Muslim or Wiccan or any other religion it would have been handled differently.
Nice mind f*&k
What the Chief failed to recognize was that gross negligence is child abuse; whether it's the result of malevolence or stupidity. Not seeking medical attention when it's available for a serious condition is gross negligence.
There should be a public outcry to remove the remaining children, regardless of how their parent's religion is characterized. While Bible study doesn't automatically make you a Christian, it should be clear that most stripes of Christianity do not teach faith healing through prayer independent of the medical profession. And Chief Vergin may find his ass unemployed when this all shakes out.
Where to start?
The girl's mother called herself Leilani. It's likely she was given a different name by her parents. First sign of her insanity.
Relatives in California called police in Wisconsin to report a case of child abuse. But by the time the police arrived the girl was already dead. These parents were so crazy that relatives 1,500 miles away knew enough to call the cops.
The article conveniently omits an estimate of how long she'd been dead. Were the parents praying over the rotting corpse by the time police arrived?
According to the police chief, the parents claimed that praying was the key to recovery. But since that didn't work, they've shifted to recalling the kid from the afterlife. Any bets on whether that will work? How much more proof is needed to declare these people crazy as loons.
Timely story, however, coming right around Easter.
The police chief said there's no reason to remove the other kids from the home. He can probably say anything he likes because it's probably not his call. If there were criminal activity or a lot of guns in the house, he could yank the kids out.
On the other hand, it's likely the Child Welfare Agency serving the area will get a call to evaluate these nutty parents. After that, it's conceivable the other three will begin an extended stay with those relatives in California.
Meanwhile, business might drop off at the family's coffee shop.
If they'd been given the time and access to a reporter, I'm sure the parents would have said the child was possessed by the devil and that it took a lot of prayer to beat the devil. After all, what else would they have been praying for? They wanted their god to cast out the devil.
But given that the child was possessed, they may well feel that death was the appropriate outcome.
Anyway, there's a technical term for people like these two: nuts.
But leave it to the dopes in the press to suggest that religion is at the bottom of this story.
Religion had no connection to the behavior of these mentally ill people. No connection. It's as though the press does not believe in mental illness.
On the other hand, if the parents were muslim and lived in a muslim country, many outcomes are possible. Anything is possible in muslim countries where women have no rights, are forced to wear a body-covering chador and can be stoned to death for riding in a car with men to whom she is not married.
This is so horrible - beyond horrible. It shouldn't matter who or what they are- being Christian should not change anything.
It is sick that it does.
I have to agree with Fran. Being christian does not change anything. Yet, I was with my commenter maqbool right up until the end. The point is not how despicable islam is toward its adherents. The point is how much despicable acts are accepted according to whether you have an affinity to that religion or whether you don't.
Religion is a red herring in any situation in which it is presented as the prime force moving people to commit terrible acts against helpless others.
Elizabeth Smart of Salt Lake City ran off with a schizophrenic nut who claimed he was a religious leader. His rantings have no relevance. His actions were driven by his schizophrenia.
David Koresh headed the Branch Davidians until the Waco sect died in a gun battle with federal agents in 1992.
Was religion the factor that made his followers into virtual slaves? No.
The crazy Wisconsin couple were not Christians, nor were they followers of any other religion. They might have been listening to the voices in their heads, however.
On the other hand, islam does advocate violence and brutality toward muslims and non-muslims. Islamic courts frequently allow men to kill women who have caused them embarrassment. Islamic courts frequently sentence people to be flogged, have their tongues cut out and have their hands cut off for activities that are considered minor violations here. That's a demonstration of barbarism.
Worst of all, in many islamic countries, women are subjected to clitorectomies. I don't know how anyone in the world can accept a religion that sanctions such a sick practice.
I am a Wiccan and I go to a doctor, to be honest, even many Wiccans do go. For serious stuff like what this little girl had, I would go to a doctor, but for something like a cold or flu, I wouldn't do that for my child simply because the medications given for such things do more damage than good. I would rather my child get her shots and things, but when it comes to such little things, I wouldn't trust a doctor, a mother knows better than some doctors.
As for the parents of the little girl, they need to learn that some forms of medical attention are not bad. For what their daughter had was treatable and also could be livable.
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