A South Carolina man pleaded guilty to child abuse against his daughter that prosecutors described as “staggering.”
Ian Tatro, 28, admitted to 20 counts of unlawful neglect of a child and one count of obstruction of justice on Monday.
The father also told the child that he ‘wished he could kill her and get away with it.’
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said that Tatro’s daughter spent two days in the hospital and was one of four children who were taken into emergency protective custody.
The torture of the 8-year-old child was uncovered after authorities received an anonymous tip and investigated the residence in 2022. Workers with the Department of Social Services said they had gone to the home several times to investigate but that the girl had been hidden by four adults who lived there.
When they were finally able to find the girl, they determined that she had temporary tattoos in an attempt to hide bruises on her legs, and she had a noticeable limp.
Court documents detailed incredible torture that the girl went through. She was made to eat cat food as well as cat feces and was force-fed laxatives. She was beaten with cords, a frying pan, and boards. She was also made to kneel in a crate, which left her with scars on her knees.
The father also told the child that he “wished he could kill her and get away with it.”
Three other adults in the home were arrested and charged with various counts that ranged from cruelty to children to assault and battery.
A forensic doctor examined the girl and concluded that she met the medical diagnosis of child torture.
Tatro was sentenced to 50 years in prison by Circuit Court Judge R. Keith Kelly.
“The amount of abuse this child suffered at the hands of adults who should have loved and cared for her is staggering,” Solicitor Barry J. Barnette said. “The abuse was not just physical abuse but repeated psychological abuse.”
A spokesperson for the solicitor’s office reported what the victim said when she was rescued: “This is the best day of my life.”
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Child torture, Laxative child abuse, Ian tatro, South carolina child abuse, Crime
