LaRhonda Marie McCall, 37, first made news this year because her 14 year old son had escaped from his home and informed police that he had been abused. McCall had basically kept her son a prisoner for 4 1/2 years. He was kept mostly in his bedroom closet and was not sent to school. Neighbors were not aware of his existence. The malnourished, bruised and covered with scars boy, escaped and managed to go to the police last week.
New information from yesterday came in that the child abuser, LaRhonda McCall, was previously convicted in her connection with the death of her 2 year old daughter. In 1995, when this occurred, LaRhonda went by a different name; LaRhonda Pressley. She has 6 other children and lived with her boyfriend Steve Hamilton, 38. Both LaRhonda and Steve were arrested on 20 complaints, each of child neglect and abuse and were jailed last Wednesday on $400,000 bond. Police information showed that both adults confessed to abuse by beating the boy multiple times and even using a tire jack while hitting the boy over the head.
How the neighbors of these child abusers never heard any disturbance or called the authorities is beyond us. Child abuse seems to be getting worse or we are just getting more informed. Either way, this is unacceptable and the perpetrators of crimes as extreme as these, should be locked up for life. LaRhonda was sent to jail and put on probation for her daughter's death. It is not clear how long she served. This would not have happened if she would have been given life in jail.
