Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help

[Mister_E]

WESTON, Wis. —  An 11-year-old girl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday.

Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday.

"She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said.

Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.

The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death to "apparently they didn't have enough faith," the police chief said.

They believed the key to healing "was it was better to keep praying. Call more people to help pray," he said.

The mother believes the girl could still be resurrected, the police chief said.

Telephone messages left at the Neumann home by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

The family does not attend an organized church or participate in an organized religion, Vergin said. "They have a little Bible study of a few people."

The parents told investigators their daughter last saw a doctor when she was 3 to get some shots, Vergin said. The girl had attended public school during the first semester but didn't return for the second semester.

Officers went to the home after one of the girl's relatives in California called police to check on her, Vergin said. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The relative was fearful the girl was "extremely ill, dire," Vergin said.

The girl has three siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 16, the police chief said.

"They are still in the home," he said. "There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see."

The girl's death remains under investigation and the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney to review for possible charges, the chief said.

The family operates a coffee shop in Weston, which is a suburb of Wausau, Vergin said

[otakuapprentice]

they should take the kids away from those parents, so this doesn't happen again.

"apparently they didn't have enough faith"? thats the saddest excuse I've ever heard in my life.

[Sunara Ishi]

What I think is sadder is that the mother believes she can resurrect her daughter from the dead. D:

No abuse? I think letting your child sit around and die should constitute as abuse!
Yet more people who should not have had children. -.-;

Someone needs to take those children away before they get hurt or emotionally and psychologically f'd up.
I don't care what excuse; just do.

[cappeh]

wtffff

"There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see."

parents lacking common sense so badly that their kid dies isn't a good enough reason? bullcrap.

[Shinsengumi]

To me, that's just sad. If it was me I would taking my kid to hospital right a way.

[Moonblossom]

There may be no signs of current and apparent abuse towards the other kids because they aren't chronically ill, but what's going to happen if one of them falls and breaks a leg or something. Will she sit there and pray for them while they contort in pain, have the bone set badly, and possibly leave it to the point where they start to suffer from sepsis and die?

:/

[zoupzuop2]

Oigh. There's a place for prayer, and a place for medical assistance. "Faith" in and of itself is seldom a good remedy for health problems; Faith alongside medical assistance, however, can have its power.

[punk_parfait]

Sad topics in here today... this is just a shame. While I don't think the parents are abusive, if they're going to have custody of the remaining children they need to have a social worker or something of the sort checking to make sure no kids are on their death bed. I would growl for removal of the children from these parents with no common sense but then again foster care isn't exactly ideal either in most cases.

[JTchinoy]

This reminds me of the story of the vegan parents whose baby died because they wouldn't give their baby milk.  They were just feeding the poor child apple sauce and more vegan crap that a baby obviously can't live off of.  FYI they got like 10-20 years for it.  Hopefully these parents get something too.

[Sunara Ishi]

I would growl for removal of the children from these parents with no common sense but then again foster care isn't exactly ideal either in most cases.

The article did mention a relative in California. That person does seem to have a good head on their shoulders. I would point to them first for relocating the children (if possible) if the person has the means to care for others.

[Kazuko]

well I know most religions or sects like roman gypsies and a certain sect of christianity or was it jehova witness but they dont belive in medical attention since they belive that their prayer or natural healing would just take its place.

[Glitch]

I'd say get those kids out as soon as possible. This is endangering a child no matter how you slice it. This wouldn't violate religious freedom no more than when you stop somebody from blowing themselves because they believe they will go to heaven.

[JTchinoy]

This is more on the grounds of negligence than potential abuse I think.

I'm not how far you can go with negligence that is of no immediate threat.  If it was negligence of food, that's one thing, but not negligence in the POSSIBLE event of a medical emergency.

[mDuo13]

This is more on the grounds of negligence than potential abuse I think.

I'm not how far you can go with negligence that is of no immediate threat.  If it was negligence of food, that's one thing, but not negligence in the POSSIBLE event of a medical emergency.

Right. This is negligence, but it's not clear that legal grounds extend far enough to justify taking away the other two children.

Oigh. There's a place for prayer, and a place for medical assistance. "Faith" in and of itself is seldom a good remedy for health problems; Faith alongside medical assistance, however, can have its power.

Yeah. If you believe that "God helps those who help themselves," then seeking medical assistance sounds a lot more like helping oneself than sitting around, praying for God to do everything.

[zoupzuop2]

Ehh, I think there's a place for that thought too. Perhaps, some advances in science are God's gifts to us, if you ask me.

...but nobody asked me ._. Ah well. :P

I'll sum up a quick joke regarding my opinion on the matter of using science to heal: There are times when God can heal us, and then...

A man was caught in a flash flood. Deciding that God would save him, he sat on his roof and waited. A raft soon came by and offered to save him, but he refused, insisting that God would save him. Some time later, another raft came by, as the water got higher. Again he refused. Soon the water was up to his feet, and a helicopter flew to him, offering what they thought to be his last chance. Again he refused. Alas, he died.

He did make it to heaven, and he met God. After some discussion, the man said, "So, why didn't you save me?"
God laughed and said, "I tried! I sent two rafts and a helicopter to save you!"

I believe God is a being of common sense, too. :3

[JTchinoy]

hahahahaha, i remember that joke.  didn't make me literally LOL so i didn't save it. :)

[XpHoBiaX]

God works in mysterious ways too. Not just POOF YE BE HEALED!
Jeez. Next time, drop a brick on the poor sods heads. Do 'em a favor.

[JTchinoy]

Maybe they were praying to the herbal gods *hint hint*

[rubymoonIII]

and hence why  those kids should be removed what happened was child endangerment

[TaikoMoon]

I thought that merely neglecting children the medical assistance that they need, especially if they aren't getting any better is a crime as well. Because it is still neglect. Granted they are entitled to their own beliefs but even the Yanomami (sp?) go to receive modern medicine and continue to go to the Shamans for medical assistance. 

It still seems like neglect to me.

I mean, the resurrection comment alone reveals that something weird is going on. I feel bad that the relatives in California didn't contact the police sooner. Perhaps they could have saved her and placed her somewhere more suitable.