Father and girlfriend arrested in death of 12-year-old in Chester Co. – NBC10 Philadelphia

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic information that may be disturbing to some readers.

A 12-year-old girl is dead after months of torment by her father and his girlfriend, according to officials in Chester County.

Authorities accused the couple of murdering the girl.

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Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe said when officers and first responders found the girl Saturday, she had numerous broken bones and was barely alive.

Investigators said they found deleted cellphone videos that showed the abuse and torture were “ongoing” and “systematic.”

“Doctors found an emaciated child. She weighed 50 pounds. She was covered in bruises. She had at least half a dozen broken bones. “Her organs failed and she eventually died while being treated at the hospital,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.

There are currently no answers as to why Malinda Hoagland was treated this way by her father Rendell Hoagland and his girlfriend Cindy Warren.

However, the Chester County District Attorney says there were enough answers to charge the two people in the girl’s death.

The two subjected the girl to “evil and torment that no child should ever have to endure, for months on end,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.

Hoagland and Warren are each charged with attempted murder, assault, kidnapping and other related charges.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS Send 22522.

This all stemmed from a call to 911 on Saturday.

West Caln police said Hoagland called and said his daughter was unconscious and unresponsive. While she was taken to the trauma center at a nearby hospital, authorities began an investigation.

“Police gradually learned that Malinda had been withdrawn from middle school in late November and early December and transferred to an online cyber school,” de Barrena-Sarobe explained. “She was seen virtually on camera based on some of the videos we created,” but she was handcuffed down to where the camera was.

The criminal complaint states that Malinda was often tied up in the basement of the house.

Investigators searched the couple’s cellphones and say Warren deleted several text messages with Hoagland. Meanwhile, police found dozens of deleted videos from the couple’s home camera system, which had speakers attached, on both phones.

“These videos showed Malinda being ankle-cuffed to furniture and being verbally abused by the defendants over the on-camera speaker system. “The video showed that they would punish her with strenuous exercises such as squats and running in place while she was still tied up, and that she would be punished for insults by denying her food,” said de Barrena-Sarobe.

The couple was arrested Monday evening and failed to post their $1 million bail.

The district attorney’s office will decide whether to charge her with murder after reviewing all evidence while waiting for medical reports to arrive.

He said Warren’s 9-year-old son was in the house but appeared to have been treated well and was uninjured.

“If you have concerns about the safety of a child, even a child you barely know, you should say something. Call 911. Call the children’s hotline at 800-932-0313,” de Barrena-Sarobe said.

If you have information that could help investigators in the Malinda Hoagland case, please call Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866.