A Florida children’s book author and her husband are going to prison for severely abusing and neglecting their three adopted children.
The abuse included causing serious sores, beating the children with a “whacker,” and feeding them only a mixture of cereal and vegetable puree... Continue reading here ▶
Jennifer Wolfthal, 45, and her husband, Joseph Wolfthal, 43, pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse and neglect.
As part of a deal, Jennifer was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while Joseph will spend 10 years behind bars.
The abuse was discovered on New Year’s Day 2021 when Joseph took one of the children to a hospital in Altamonte Springs, near Orlando.
Doctors quickly realized the child’s condition was critical and transferred her to a hospital with more specialized care. She had a severe infection, organ failure, open wounds, pneumonia, and was very underweight, weighing just 40 pounds.
The child also had black eyes and a chipped tooth. Joseph claimed her injuries were from falls or brushing her teeth too hard, but investigators determined she couldn’t have caused these injuries herself.
When authorities investigated the home, they found two other children living in poor conditions and removed them from the home. The children described frequent beatings with a “whacker,” a fabric-covered object used to punish them.
They also said they were sometimes not allowed to eat until late in the day, and their meals consisted of a mix of cereal flakes, water, and vegetable puree. They were punished almost every night, with exercises and writing sentences.
During a search of the home, police found over 1,100 sentences written by the children, including phrases like “I was never given permission to move or say anything else.” They also found other repeated phrases in their writing.
The children are now living with a new family. The State Attorney’s Office praised the plea deal, which ensures the Wolfthals will spend significant time in prison and protects the children from having to testify in court.
Jennifer Wolfthal had written a children’s book titled A Real Friend, which is still available for sale on Amazon. Her publisher, Clavis Publishing, condemned her actions after her arrest and has taken steps to stop further sales of the book.
