Rendell Hoagland, left, and his girlfriend Cindy Warren, right, are facing charges of attempted murder in the death of his daughter, Malinda Hoagland, in West Caln Township, Pennsylvania. (Chester County District Attorney)
A father and his girlfriend are in custody after his 12-year-old daughter died weighing only 50 pounds with several broken bones and enduring “evil and torment” for months, a Pennsylvania prosecutor said.
Rendell Hoagland, 52, and Cindy Warren, 45, of West Caln Township, about 46 miles west of Philadelphia, are accused of attempted murder in the death of Malinda Hoagland. Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe announced at a press conference Hoagland contacted West Caln police on Saturday upon discovering his daughter unconscious. The police went to the home.
“Shockingly they found a 12-year-old girl who was broken and barely alive,” said de Barrena-Sarobe.
Paramedics hurried Malinda to the hospital, but doctors declared her deceased due to organ failure, the prosecutor said.
“Our investigation revealed that Rendell Hoagland and Cindy Warren subjected Malinda to evil and torment that no child should ever have to endure, and they did it for months,” he stated.
The DA stated that the girl weighed 50 pounds, had at least six broken bones, and was covered in bruises. Authorities obtained home surveillance videos showing Hoagland and Warren fastening Malinda’s ankles to furniture and verbally attacking her for perceived offenses. As punishment, they reportedly withheld food from Malinda for days and made her perform rigorous exercises while restrained. Meanwhile, Warren’s 9-year-old biological child resided in the house and was unharmed and well-treated.
“I think we’ve all asked herself over the last few days when was the last time Malinda was loved?” de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Prosecutors are waiting for additional reports before considering murder charges. According to de Barrena-Sarobe, Hoagland and Warren withdrew Malinda from public school in the fall and enrolled her in a virtual charter school.
“In the coming days and weeks, people are going to ask how could this happen to a 12-year-old in America?” de Barrena-Sarobe said. “I don’t have the answers right now. But what I can say immediately is that Melinda seemingly had incredibly limited access to the outside world from the moment she was pulled from school.”
The Coatesville Area School District released a statement to Law&Crime regarding the school's concerns about Malinda and their report to Children and Youth Services. Shortly after this, her father and his girlfriend withdrew Malinda from the school.
“This news shakes our entire school community, and we are deeply saddened and upset by the horrific details of the abuse this child suffered,” Superintendent Catherine Van Vooren said.
Prosecutors also found that Warren erased text messages between her and Hoagland from her phone. The police arrested Hoagland and Warren on Monday and took them to jail on a $1 million bond.
Records indicate that Warren was found guilty in 2009 of endangering a child. Local NBC affiliate WCAU reported that the case involving Warren was connected to the passing of her stepdaughter and mistreatment of her son. She allegedly made false statements about her then-husband’s involvement in the mistreatment.