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La Mera Mera
http://www.wbal.com/article/104256/2/apg-soldier-charged-with-child-abuseHarford County sheriff's deputies said they are investigating a case of child abuse in which a solider on Aberdeen Proving Ground hit, burned and severely neglected her stepdaughter.
.........one of four siblings living at a home .... withstood horrible abuse at the hands of a woman identified as 27-year-old Monique Latrise Beneke.
"Clearly, there are indications this may have been going on for a period of time,"
Harford County deputies started investigating after a social worker at Edgewood Elementary School had concerns about Beneke's 4-year-old stepdaughter.
Court documents said two of the victim's siblings told police that Beneke picked her up and dropped her on the ground and was burned with a long, blue lighter on a number of occasions.
The victim also told the same story to police and said she had gotten in trouble for stealing food in the house and was punched in the stomach by Beneke.
Pediatricians who checked the 4-year-old out said she was malnourished, weighing only 28.6 pounds with a body mass index of less than 5 percent.
"The deputy observed what is believed to be grab marks on child and also reported that child may have been burned. (It) appeared child did have some burn injuries, minor to fingers and hands,"
Beneke told police a different story, that her stepdaughter's injuries were caused by other kids in the house and that she never burned her and didn't keep lighters in the house.
......a search warrant on Beneke's home revealed some startling revelations. First, authorities found a long, blue lighter like the kids had described, several laundry baskets like the ones the victim described being hit with, and detectives noticed the other children's rooms were clean and decorated nicely, while the victim's room consisted of a urine-soaked bed with containers filled with urine-soaked clothing and nothing else in the room.
Police arrested Beneke and consider her a flight risk.
"The detective most likely saw information suggesting that she could leave the area and made that notation to the court," Hopkins said.
WBAL has learned the victim's father is still stationed in Hawaii and had no knowledge of the alleged abuse. He is headed back to the area.
When Monique Beneke moved into the house on Bayberry Road in Edgewood a few months ago, the neighbors welcomed her and her four children.
"Cause my husband is retired Army,” said resident Mary Carle. “I [gave them] the welcome mat as much as I could."
But one of those children, a 4-year old girl, was a step-child and Beneke is now charged with abusing, neglecting and assaulting her in the weeks that followed.
According to charging documents, in addition to hitting the young victim, the mother also allegedly burned her hand with a lighter after she was caught trying to steal yogurt and marshmallows from the house.
She also locked the bathrooms after the child was caught drinking from a toilet.
A search of the house revealed Beneke's biological children had nice rooms and clothes to match, while the step-child had a urine-soaked bed with older, worn clothing and no other possessions.
"We were all talking about what was going on up there,” said Dominick Butindaro who lives a few doors down, “We see DEA and FBI taking stuff in and out and we didn't know what was going on."
It appears Beneke had married in April of this year before moving to Harford County from Hawaii, while her husband, who is also in the service, remained behind.
"Kids are nicely dressed... hair is all done up really nice,” said Carle, “No. I never would have imagined."
Along with her injuries, the 4-year-old's ribs were showing and she only weighed 28 pounds.
The stepmother is being held with no bond at the Harford County Detention
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/cr...step-daughter-allegedly-burned-with-a-lighter