She wrote a children’s book on friendship – then allegedly abused and neglected her 8-year-old adopted daughter so much that she was hospitalized for weeks, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
And this is just the beginning of the accusations against Florida author Jennifer Wolfthal.
Wolfthal, author of “A Real Friend”, aimed at children aged 4 and over, was arrested on several child abuse charges along with her husband Joseph Wolfthal, 39, an engineer at Lockheed Martin.
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Jennifer Wolfthal, 41, was first arrested on January 1 for aggravated child abuse, child neglect with major bodily harm and domestic violence charges. The police then charged her again this week on additional charges of false imprisonment.
(Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
On New Year’s Day, Joseph Wolfthal brought a girl to the hospital with injuries that he said she suffered during some accidents at home, according to police documents. But the investigators did not believe his story.
“Due to the height and weight of [the girl], the swollen hematoma on the nape, the laceration on the lip and the broken tooth are not likely to be caused by unbalanced falls, “says the police report.
Wolfthal also claimed that the girl hurt her mouth by brushing her teeth too hard and may have suffered from vertigo. According to the police report, the girl was suffering from a long list of illnesses, including staph infection, kidney and liver failure, malnutrition, open wounds and bruises and more. She told investigators that she had been isolated from her brothers and other adults for months or years.
While the girl was in the hospital, investigators visited the family home and said they found two other children with “symptoms of malnutrition, bruising and lack of care”.
Police said the children’s rooms had their handles installed upside down, with the locks on the outside.
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After Jennifer Wolfthal’s arrest in early January, the couple filed for divorce, according to WFTV. Joseph Wolfthal is seeking exclusive custody of all three adopted children.
He accused Jennifer Wolfthal of abusing him and locking him in the laundry room earlier this month. But now he is facing charges too.
Two of her three adopted children, a 9-year-old boy and a 11-year-old girl, were placed in foster care. The 8-year-old remains hospitalized, police records show.
Foster parents are accused of locking their children in their rooms for weeks, and they allegedly splashed cold water on them in bed and did not eat.
The investigators said they found more than 1,100 paragraphs written reading: “My body is lying on the bed all the time. I was never allowed to move or say anything. Now I can write about it along with everything else. I’m a fool.”
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Jennifer Wolfthal’s website was not accessible on Wednesday night. She is due to return to court on March 9.
Its editor, Clavis, said in a statement to local media that he would “stop marketing his book” and indicated that they had split up.
The book is still on sale on Amazon, but reviewers have filled the comments with links to news about the charges against the author.