Oregon: An Oregon judge has sentenced 47-year-old Larissa Danielle Ducan to ten years in prison for the prolonged torture of a 5-year-old girl in her care. Ducan pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal mistreatment and one count of assault, culminating in a punishment that reflects the severity of her crimes. Her boyfriend, Javon Markquez Ingram, who was also involved in the abuse, had already been sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this year. The horrors inflicted upon the young girl have shocked the community and highlighted significant failures in protecting vulnerable children.
A Terrifying Discovery
The investigation into Ducan and Ingram began in November 2021 when the 5-year-old girl was brought to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland. Upon arrival, the child was severely malnourished, weighing just under 30 pounds, and bore injuries that painted a harrowing picture of sustained abuse. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt described the child’s condition as “severely malnourished with injuries all over her body,” including open sores, thumb and pelvic fractures, brain bleeds, and evidence of physical restraint, blindfolding, and gagging.
A child abuse pediatrician who examined the girl concluded that she had been subjected to torture. The details were gruesome: the child reported being chained to a door in a loft, forced to wear a dog shock collar, and fed pureed food through a blender due to her inability to eat solid foods. The Portland Police Bureau’s search of the homes where she had been living revealed zip ties, duct tape, and the dog shock collar, as well as nearly 30 videos on Ingram’s phone showing the girl being restrained and forced to exercise.
A Passive Role or Active Cruelty?
During the court proceedings, Ducan’s attorney argued that his client was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the abuse and played a more passive role in the mistreatment. Despite this defense, the court held Ducan accountable for her actions, sentencing her to a decade in prison. Ducan declined to address the court, offering no explanation or apology for her role in the child’s suffering.
Javon Ingram, who had earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of assault and two counts of criminal mistreatment, will be in prison until at least 2036, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections. His sentences reflect the calculated cruelty he inflicted on the young girl, as evidenced by his own chilling words captured on video, where he admitted to tying her up and using a dog collar, saying, “I don’t know what else to do.”
System Failures and a Call for Accountability
The case has also raised serious concerns about the failures of Oregon’s Department of Human Services (DHS). The girl, now 8 years old, has been placed with another guardian, but her family has filed a lawsuit against DHS, alleging that the agency ignored reports of abuse. While a DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, the agency has emphasized its commitment to investigating all cases that meet legal criteria and has a 24-hour crisis hotline available for reporting emergencies.
This tragic case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges in protecting vulnerable children from abuse and the critical need for vigilance and accountability within the systems designed to safeguard them.
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