Paramedics said 15-year-old Jeanette Maples resembled a ‘concentration camp victim.’ Her horrifying injuries -hip wounds to the bone, broken teeth, and apparent starvation- were inflicted by her mother.
Angela McAnulty, the mother of three children, a girl and two boys, lost custody of them to the Califonia Department of Children’s Services in 1995 due to suspicions of “abu*se and neglect.” The children were all under age 2 at the time. The children’s father, Anthony Maples, was in prison on drug charges and was not active in the kids’ lives.
Five and one-half years later, Angela proved herself worthy of a second chance, earning reunification and custody of her children in 2001.
That is when the trouble began.
Angela met Richard McAnulty, married, and the family relocated to Oregon.
The two boys were well cared for, healthy, happy, and well-loved. They attended public school and had lots of friends.
Angela Hated Jeanette
The oldest member of the family, Janette, was looked down upon by her mother for some reason that not even Angela can explain. She hated Jeanette so much that she raped, tortured, starved, and forced her to work for her until she died.
Richard helped Angela hurt and ignore Jeanette, and he never stepped in when things got too bad.
Family, friends, and school staff all told the Department of Children’s Services about Jeanette’s ab*use, and many of them did it more than once. There were all the signs: Jeanette looked and felt hungry and undernourished. She was shy and tense, and her body was always covered in bruises.
Jeanette hid her cuts and bruises by going to school in long-sleeved shirts and pants. She couldn’t keep it from everyone, though. Jeanette told a friend that her mom ab*used her, and in 2007, DHS agents went to the McNulty home. It’s too bad that the agents believed Angela’s story instead of Jeanette’s.
Even though Jeanette’s family, friends, and teachers kept calling DCFS to try to protect her, she kept hurting.
When paramedics got a call from 911 on December 9, 2009, they found Jeanette cold and not breathing. She was on her back in the living room with her hair wet. She didn’t have a shirt on and had cuts and bruises on her face. There were times when you could see her bones through her thin body.
When Jeanette got to a nearby hospital, she was already dead. She was 50 pounds, had broken front teeth, and had terrible wounds on her neck and legs. She was thirsty and had cuts and scrapes on her lips from being a*bused for years. Her face was scarred, and there were bandages on her head to cover the wounds. She had a huge piece of skin torn off her hip, which showed the bone.
Jeanette’s ‘Torture Room’
Even though Angela denied abusing Jeanette, she said she didn’t know how she got all those bruises on her body. When detectives talked to Richard and the couple’s two boys, they got very different stories. There was also a lot of evidence in the home that suggested ab*use.
A special “torture room” was made just for Jeanette and held different leather belts and other torture tools, many of which had pieces of her skin or hair on them. Her blood was all over the walls and carpet in this room. Jeanette couldn’t have any food or water, but she did drink water from the toilet. Angela and Richard locked the cabinets and put a count on how many things were in the fridge.
Arrests & Sentencing
Police arrested Angela and Richard McAnulty, charging the former with aggravated m*urder and the latter with mu*rder by ab*use.
Angela was given the death penalty at first, but it was later changed to life in prison. Richard said he was guilty and was given a life sentence with the chance of parole after 25 years.
Sweet Jeanette, please rest in peace. I hope everything is okay with the other kids.
