A Florida child welfare worker allegedly "severely abused" her teen daughter and held her captive in their garage before she died, according to authorities.
Thirty-four-year-old adoptive mother Diane Natasha Mack has been charged with first-degree murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse, aggravated child abuse, kidnapping, and destroying evidence, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. She is being held without bail.
Deputies responding to Mack's Sebring, Florida home Friday found the 13-year-old's adopted daughter dead on the floor next to the front door.
Mack alleged she discovered the girl unresponsive Thursday and decided to call 911 several hours later.
"As bad as that is, it only gets worse," Sheriff Paul Blackman said in a statement. "The girl, who was nude except for a diaper, had clearly been severely abused. She was extremely emaciated and obviously malnourished. Her body was covered in wounds in all stages of healing, including open lacerations that were clearly recently suffered."
There was purported evidence the victim was restrained in the garage, said authorities. It's unclear how long the girl was held captive "but it appears she was secured to the garage door and monitored from inside the home by a security camera."
Mack allegedly used pool chlorine in an attempt to get rid of evidence in the garage before she called for help. Authorities did elaborate on the type of evidence Mack is suspected of trying to destroy.
"This is one of the most disturbing crime scenes I have encountered in more than 30 years of law enforcement," admitted Blackman. "There are no words I can say that can truly convey the nightmare that this child's life must have been."
"Parents have a duty to love our children and make sure no harm comes their way. To see a child treated this way is not only heartbreaking, it is infuriating," Blackman said. "What makes it even more appalling is that the suspect is a former employee of not only the Department of Children and Families, but also worked as a guardian ad-litem. That someone whose job it was to look after the welfare of children could treat their own child in this manner is simply beyond belief."
It's unclear if Mack entered pleas to the charges.
