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- A West Valley couple was charged with child torture for starving a 5-year-old.
- The girl ate nonfood items due to hunger and was severely underweight.
- She was isolated, not in school, and slept on the floor, prosecutors say.
WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley couple accused of starving a 5-year-old girl to the point that she would eat nonfood items has been charged.
Daniel James Fivas, 32, and Jessica Marie Harmes, 44, were each charged Friday in 3rd District Court with child torture, a first-degree felony.
"The defendants in this matter purposefully withheld food from the victim. Over the course of at least two years, the victim has been plummeting in health and growth," prosecutors wrote in charging documents.
Investigators say the young girl was so hungry that she ate "frozen foods, Play-Doh, moldy bread that had already been placed in the trash, and various other items," including her own feces, the charges state.
When the girl was admitted to Primary Children's Hospital in August, "she weighed the same as an approximate 16-month-old child despite being 5 years old." While in the hospital, she gained 8 pounds in 16 days, doctors noted.
When police were called to investigate, they learned that the girl was forced to sleep on the floor of her apartment while Fivas, Harmes and the other two children had beds or mattresses; that she was not attending school; and child locks were put on the cabinets, the refrigerator and freezer, as well as the garbage can and the couple's bedroom so that the girl wouldn't steal food, according to the charges.
"Despite their story that they fed the victim monstrous amounts, the victim's medical status shows otherwise," prosecutors noted.
"Fivas admitted he tried to give up custody of (the girl) because she 'rubbed him the wrong way' and he got an 'odd vibe or odd feeling from her' that was 'not in any way, shape, or form kosher for (him).' Fivas also reported that he 'resented' (the girl)," the charges state.
Prosecutors say child torture includes unusual disciplinary practices, starvation and severe psychological abuse.
"And that is precisely how this victim was treated. She wasn't allowed food despite smelling and watching her family members eat. She ate her own feces. She didn't have a bed. She wasn't enrolled in school. She couldn't even talk. She was isolated from everything," charging documents state.
Fivas and Harmes were arrested on Monday. The girl has been placed with a foster family.
Child abuse resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).
- The Utah Division of Child and Family Services offers counseling, teaches parenting skills and conflict resolution and can connect families with community resources. Its goal is to keep children with their family when it is "possible and safe." Visit dcfs.utah.gov/contact-us/ or call 801-538-4100.
- The Christmas Box House acts as a temporary shelter for children and can provide them with new clothing and shoes, among other services. Call the Salt Lake office at 801-747-2201 or the Ogden office at 801-866-0350.
