Alissa Beth Guernsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In November of 2008, Alissa's father, Michael Guernsey, was tragically killed in a car accident. Kelli Sprunger, Alissa's mother was devastated and racked with grief and severe depression she was unable to care for her children. Kelli’s cousin Christy Shaffer offered to take Alissa and her two siblings in until Kelli got back on her feet. During that time Kelli failed to keep in contact with caseworkers, and was cited for Neglect. Alissa and her siblings were made wards of the state in Steuben County, Indiana and were officially placed in the home of Matt and Christy Shaffer, who were not trained foster parents, but relatives of the family. At this time, Kelli admittedly returned to drug use. 

 

Alissa was a normal, happy, healthy baby when she left her mother’s home. It was in January of 2009 that Alissa began losing her hair and random bruises were appearing all over her body. Shaffer had taken Alissa to doctors to try and find some type diagnoses stating that Alissa "bruised easily" and that her hair was "falling out".  Alissa had been to specialists in Elkhart and Riley's Children Hospital. None of which could ever find anything medically wrong with her after multiple rounds of blood testing. During this time Christy Shaffer kept Alissa's mother from visiting with her, but not with her other two children who were also in Christy's care. Shaffer tortured and beat Alissa for 110 days, until March 28, 2009, when Alissa left this world after her body could take no more abuse.

 

The justice system did not value Alissa’s short life enough to properly punish Shaffer. Shaffer spent 77 days in prison and three years’ probation. 77 days in exchange for Alissa’s 110 days of torture and finally her murder. It has been reported that Shaffer’s father, Kerry Sprunger, just happened to be friends with the judge, J.Scott VanDerbeck, which presided over Shaffer’s trial.  It turns out that that is not the only personal relationship that seems to have clouded over justice for Alissa.  Not only were the judge and Shaffer’s father friends, but they were also friends with the prosecutor, Jeff Wible, and the doctor, John Egli, who essentially watched Alissa die a slow painful death, never once doing anything to save her. Christy Shaffer found herself back in jail for two methamphetamine-related felonies. She was sentenced to six years in prison for violating the terms of her probation.