Children’s Author and Husband Admit to Abusing Their Adopted Kids
A Florida couple faces prison time after pleading guilty to severe child abuse and neglect of their adopted children
Florida, Child Abuse, Adopted Children, Jennifer Wolfthal, Joseph Wolfthal
Florida: A couple, including a children’s author, has admitted to some pretty awful stuff. They abused their adopted kids, and it’s just heartbreaking.
Jennifer and Joseph Wolfthal pleaded guilty to serious charges like aggravated child abuse. They were supposed to go to trial, but they struck a deal with prosecutors instead.
As part of the plea, they avoided some kidnapping charges. Jennifer is looking at 12 years in prison, while her husband faces 10. They could have been locked up for over a century if they had been found guilty of everything.
The State Attorney’s office said this deal helps protect the kids from the stress of testifying. It’s a tough situation, but at least they’ll be safe now.
The couple got arrested on New Year’s Day 2021 after their eight-year-old daughter was taken to the hospital. She was in really bad shape, diagnosed with pneumonia and other serious issues.
When she arrived, she was malnourished and weighed only 40 pounds. Joseph claimed her injuries were just from falls, but the police weren’t buying it.
After talking to the kids, it became clear that the Wolfthals were really abusive. They would hit the kids until they bled and even made them sleep on wet beds.
The kids said they weren’t allowed to bathe for months and often went hungry. They described punishments that included writing sentences and doing exercises, which sounds just cruel.
When police searched their home, they found over 1,100 notes written by the kids, detailing their harsh treatment. It’s just so sad to think about what they went through.
The Wolfthals adopted these children back in 2014, but thankfully, they’re now with a new family who can care for them properly.