Jeanette Marie Maples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Sacramento in 1995 Angela McAnulty lost custody of Jeanette, who was then 1 year old, and the girl's two older brothers because of suspected abuse and neglect. The children's father, Anthony Maples, was in prison for drug offenses and had little contact with his children. Jeanette spent 5 1/2 years in foster care in Sacramento before she was returned to her mother in 2001.

 

For three years, people in Jeanette's life tried to get child welfare involved. Her step-grandmother, a concerned parent of a friend and educators all called the state Department of Human Services because she was bruised, constantly hungry and said she had been beaten at home. Jeanette, was a quiet girl who sought refuge in books at her school's library, tried unsuccessfully to hide her injuries during her middle school years. But many days when she got into her gym clothes friends saw bruises on her abdomen and legs, which she said came from falling. Amber Davis, wouldn't accept Jeanette's explanations about her injuries and pressed her for the truth. "She told me her mom was abusing her when we were in seventh grade," said Davis/ Davis told her parents and school officials about Jeanette's bruises in 2007, and they contacted the state's child welfare office. Cascade Middle School officials say they contacted the DHS at least twice while Jeanette was a student. Jeanette's step grandmother, Lynn McAnulty saw her grandchildren only occasionally, says she twice called child welfare authorities anonymously in six months to report abuse.

There were signs of serious trouble. Jeanette was constantly hungry, and each day when it was time to go home, her demeanor changed. She became sad, withdrawn and anxious. Her mother was strict, they and wouldn't allow friends to call her or let Jeanette visit their homes or invite them over. In October Lynn she was briefly allowed into the family's home. Jeanette was inside, facing a wall because she was being punished by her mother. Jeanette was emaciated, and she had a split lip. Angela McAnulty told her mother-in-law that Jeanette had fallen. Lynn McAnulty left the house and again called the DHS anonymously to report suspected abuse. That was the last time she saw Jeanette.

 

On the night of December 9, Lynn McAnulty got a frantic call from her son and daughter-in-law that Jeanette was cold and had stopped breathing. Lynn McAnulty screamed at them to call 911, which they did. Firefighters found Jeanette Maples on her back in the dimly lit living room with wet hair, with bruises on her face, cuts above her eye and without her shirt on. Jeanette’s body was skinny, small and frail, so emaciated, you could see her bones. Jeanette had no pulse, paramedics tried CPR and put a tube into her lungs in an effort to make her breathe. When she arrived to the emergency room doctors could find no signs of life and Jeanette was pronounced dead. Jeanette weighed 50 pounds her front teeth were broken, and there were severe wounds on her legs and back. Angela and Richard McAnulty were arrested.

 

Jeanette was starved and dehydrated. Her lips were maimed from being beat over a long period of time. Her face was disfigured and her head in bandages. On her hip she had a large area of skin that had been torn away and you could see the bone. Jeanette was forced to sleep on a small piece of cardboard like a wild animal so she wouldn’t leave blood all over the carpet. Leather belts and torture devices were found in the home. Angela would beat and torture Jeanette in the “torture” room specifically created for Jeanette. Angela would turn on a vacuum cleaner so the other kids wouldn’t hear the abuse going on in the room.

 

Often times in this “torture room” Angela would bound the teen after she forced Jeanette to collect dog feces and Angela would rub it in her face and mouth. She was also made to stand facing the wall with her arms up in the air for hours at a time. If she dropped her arms she would get another beating. Richard turned on Angela and said she would deny Jeanette food and water. He said Angela would count items in the refrigerator and keep locks on the cupboards. He said she forced the girl to wear long sleeve shirts and pants to hide injuries. As Jeanette’s stepfather he should have got her the hell out of there and took Jeanette somewhere safe. Angela McAnulty plead guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to death. Richard had plead guilty to murder by abuse, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/cries_for_help_for_jeanette_ma.html

Aug. 9, 1993 - Dec.9, 2009