Seattle woman charged with prolonged torture of 6-year-old daughter

SEATTLE — A Seattle woman has been charged for the assault and mistreatment of her 6-year-old daughter, with the pattern of abuse dating back several years.

Garlyn Elizabeth Tyana Grace, of Seattle, was charged with assault of a child in the first degree and criminal mistreatment in the first degree, in charging papers filed on March 2.

Warning: the following may be disturbing to read.

On March 1, Seattle police responded to a report of domestic violence in the 6200 block of Airport Way South.

When officers arrived, the Seattle Fire Department was already on the scene.

Firefighters told officers they discovered a nonresponsive 6-year-old girl that had a weak pulse but was still breathing.

When the child was revived, she told officers that her mother hits her, saying, “Mommy gives me hits,” “Mommy gives me owies,” and “Mommy gives me whoopings.”

Medics noted the child was hungry and had not eaten in several days.

The child also told officers that she had been sleeping in the shower.

She told officers she urinates and defecates in the shower because she passes out when she stands up.

She said the last time she ate was two weeks ago, when she had some Fritos.

The child was seen by Seattle Children’s Hospital staff, who noted physical abuse such as extensive bruising and skin injuries to her face, trunk and extremities.

They noted a build-up of fluid in her brain, a back injury, a bruise on her left ear and damage to her respiratory system.

The child was also severely malnourished and emaciated.

The child also presented with several puncture marks near her veins.

Grace, the child’s mother, told officers that the child had not been seen by doctors in two or three years and she was recently taken out of school because she was drawing too much attention to herself.

Grace told officers that she would spank her child on her bottom and slap her on the palms of the hands, but all of the child’s injuries were self-inflicted.

When officers asked Grace why the child said her bruises were from Grace hitting her, Grace claimed the child was sneaky and held a grudge against her for not letting her see her father.

When asked about her child sleeping in the shower, Grace told officers the child had slept in the bathtub on several occasions since about a year ago.

Officers interviewed Grace’s boyfriend, Jemell Chatman, who told officers that he had called 911 because it was the right thing to do.

Chatman told police he would watch Grace “whooping” the child.

He went on to describe the whooping as Grace held the child down while hitting her with a spatula or a belt.

Chatman said Grace usually hits her child on the bottom, but her child would get hit everywhere if she squirmed.

Chatman also said he would sometimes see Grace shaking the child while disciplining her.

Chatman continued, saying Grace would withhold food from the child as a form of discipline and there were a few days that the child would not get any food except crackers and water.

Chatman said the child had been sleeping in the shower for the last seven and a half months.

Chatman said he thinks she slept in the shower because she “poops and pees” everywhere.

Court documents noted the “constellation of diagnostic findings are highly suggestive of child torture, which involves both physical abuse and psychological maltreatment, often through forms of isolation and starvation.”

If convicted, Grace faces life in prison.

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