Another Victim

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16-year-old Calista Springer, of Centreville, Michigan, died of smoke inhalation Wednesday when a fire broke out in her house. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, March 1, 2008, the girl was found dead, tightly chained around her waist with a dog chain to her bed. The parents said they started using the chain to keep her from escaping at night. because she was a "special needs" child with emotional problems. They claimed they had an alarm system in place that would alert them to her movements but it stopped working days before the fire. However, when police tested it, it worked just fine. Moreover, one of the officers present at the scene said that he firmly believed she had been tethered in such a manner for several days.

Now prosecutors are going to have to make the "painful decision of whether this rises to the level of abuse."! Huh? According to the Gazette, "There is no rule in Michigan that expressly prohibits confining a child by chaining him or her." Furthermore, the Gazette quoted investigator Stacie Bladen as saying "If you're using physical restraints, such as locks on a child's bedroom door, or certainly any kind of wrapping of a child, or confining of a child, or bolting down a child, that does need to be only on the advice of the child's doctor, pediatrician, therapist, somebody that is saying that is an appropriate response." Had Springer been under foster care, the law would have provided more protection because "foster care licensing does not allow any type of restraint." Regular parents, however, are given much more leeway because they "have rights to bring their children up."

Isn't this incredible? That they even have to decide whether this is abuse? How many people think the Springers will be let off the hook in this case "because they were trying to do the best for their daughter?"

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This is just sick. People like this shouldn't even be allowed to have children.

Totally agree. it saddens me to feel people are treated in this way - why do some adults feel they have the right to control others, people need to realise everyone is different and noones has the right to impose there way on others...

I am angry and sad at the same time......

This is one reason why some people should be castrated or sterilized.

If I have children, I will keep them in cages.

That child had more brains than both of her parents, put together.

Oh, it gets even better. Apparently this happened during the day, while her father was at work and her two sisters were at school. Calista was chained upstairs in her bedroom while her stepmother was vaccuuming downstairs. They think the fire was accidentally started by the vaccuum cleaner! Now, how is it that the stepmother was able to get out of the house but not able to run upstairs and free her stepdaughter? That is the question the papers are not asking. And how does a fire start in a vaccuum cleaner anyway?

The more I hear about this it just makes me sick . . .

Chain of agony topic

We will be watching this story, just as we watched the Tracy Latimer situation, little Scarlett and other persons living with disabiliites who live and die at the unmercy of their caregivers.

Oh, but they are all in a better place now. That's what the Springers' pastor said about Calista's death, she is in a better place now. As if that justifies everything.

Here is a description of how she was chained, from the Gazette: "The choke collar style chain . . . was about one-half inch wide and 2 feet long, was wrapped around the girl's waist and secured with a plastic tie, The chain was attached to the bed using a larger plastic tie. The distance between her waist and the bed was about 9 to 10 inches and Calista couldn't get up until someone cut the ties."

If I were police, I'd be taking a good hard look at the stepmother. I'm not saying she set the fire deliberately but it sure seems like she took advantage of it to get rid of a troublesome child.

Thank you all for watching this case with me. I will keep you updated.

Further proof that this crime is treated differently based on what child is autistic and what child is not. If this child were not autistic, would it be quickly labelled as abuse?

"unmercy" is not a word, "ruthlessness" is.

This is tragic.

In our society I find it so hard to even think that this could happen. This is barbaric and so middle ages,and to have to decide if this is abuse. This is not abuse this is murder and needs to be investigated as such. Many of the movies I saw when I was younger seem like prophecy as things like happened in many of them. I wonder how long that pastor took to learn "She's in a better place now"? He should be telling those parents to get on thier knees and ask G-D to forgive them. He should stay with them all the way to the gas chamber, where they will be restrained while the gas chokes thier life away.

Jesus Christ, what is wrong with some people?

I'm no lawyer, but this seems like Negligent Homicide to me. I hope both parents land in jail for a very long time!! ! Sick bastards! If there is a hell, these people deserve to be there!

bitcesh

that is most definitely abuse to me and there is no way one can argue otherwise. sick bastards.

that poor kid.