At one time, Bessie and Mechelle Saffold were so admired for the care they provided to their foster children, they were named Foster Parents of The Year. However, recent headlines leave one wondering if perhaps they were actually just better at pretending to be good parents than actually being good parents.
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi filed charges of felony neglect and battery against the two, after discovering the horrific abuse of their five adopted children.
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi filed charges of felony neglect and battery against the two, after discovering the horrific abuse of their five adopted children.
"One of the girls says she was hit on the forehead with a metal rod, which caused a scar. Another boy said he'd been pushed down the stairs, punched in the face and had been whipped with extension cords," said Helen Marchal, Marion County Prosecutor's office.
But the worst case, prosecutors say, involved the youngest boy, so badly burned on his feet and legs, he could barely walk.
According to the probable cause, while Bessie Saffold's children were getting ready for school, she noticed her seven-year-old boy had wet the bed. Prosecutors say to punish him, she put him in a bathtub of scalding hot water.
"We believe that the temperature of the water could have been as high as 135 degrees," said Marchal.
"The child was placed in there at least by his ankles and then was told to sit in the water," said Det. Gehring.