Janice R. Andrews
A 12-year-old girl named Malinda Hoagland died after months of suffering, leading to the arrest of two people in relation to her demise. Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe revealed the horrific event in a live news conference on May 7. Rendell Hoagland, 52, reported his daughter was unconscious and unresponsive when he made a worrisome call to 911 on May 4.
Emergency personnel arrived to a heartbreaking scene: a very debilitated and broken Malinda. Weighing just fifty pounds at the time, Malinda’s frail health highlighted the extent of the violence she had suffered. She was covered in bruises, had six broken bones, and failing organs, according to de Barrena-Sarobe.
The results of the investigations showed a terrible truth: Malinda had endured long-term, horrifying abuse at the hands of her father, Rendell Hoagland, and his girlfriend, Cindy Warren. Malinda was taken out of the classroom and placed in an online homeschooling program, where her pain was concealed from the public even though she had to go on camera for academic purposes.
Unsettling information surfaced when authorities found a plethora of recordings on Hoagland and Warren’s cell phone that showed Malinda’s months-long suffering. Among the atrocities inflicted upon the defenseless infant were shaken ankles, verbal abuse, physically demanding workouts as a form of punishment, and intentional hunger. Malinda was sometimes locked in the basement, with only a room to herself to suffer more agony.
Malinda’s profound dejection begs unsettling questions about why she has never experienced love, which brings to light the brutality that exists in the world. Malinda’s limited access to outside resources further cut off her from any assistance, exacerbating the tragedy.
Amid the horror, there is a gleam of relief: the 9-year-old child who lives in the household is safe. But this contrast between kindness and brutality further highlights the tragedy’s unexplainable nature and serves as a sobering reminder that evil does live among us.
Rendell Hoagland and Cindy Warren were arrested on May 7 on attempted murder charges, and they are each required to post a whooping $1 million cash bond. The threat of more charges, including murder, hangs over the offenders as the medical reports are reviewed. The long list of accusations, which includes kidnapping and severe abuse of a child, highlights how serious their purported offenses are.
The quest of justice shines through the darkness as a glimmer of light while the community struggles to deal with the aftermath of this horrific act. However, Malinda’s wounds are a painful reminder of how easily purity can be lost and how important it is to protect the weak from the dangers of evil.
