On March 12, 2004, law enforcement found Lee Ann Miller’s 17-year-old daughter living in squalor in the basement of the family home. The girl had been withdrawn from public school 3 years prior, supposedly to begin homeschooling. Soon afterwards, Miller and her husband Troy moved the family—they had 3 children together; the abused girl was Lee Ann’s from a previous relationship—several counties away. The other children were enrolled in public school; the community had no idea the 17-year-old (known to the media as N.L.D.) existed. After N.L.D. was withdrawn from public school, and kept isolated within the family’s country home, the abuse she’d suffered the last 7 years severely escalated. N.L.D. was forced to wear a dog’s shock collar, which her mother would use to shock her until the batteries died; drink waste water as punishment; was beaten with sticks, plastic and metal pipes to the point that one of her thumbs was permanently disfigured, and had her teeth knocked out or severely damaged after being repeatedly struck by a hammer. All 4 children were removed from the home after the abuse was discovered. The Millers were charged with multiple counts of various forms of abuse. After an attempt to jump bail, they each pleaded guilty to multiple charges; Lee Ann was sentenced to 18 years in prison, and Troy to 32 years.

Date: March 2004
Location: Juneau County, Wisconsin