PORTLAND, Ore. (TCN) — A 47-year-old woman will spend the next decade behind bars for her role in the torture, abuse, and physical restraint of a young girl who was also malnourished.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports a judge sentenced Larissa Ducan to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and criminal mistreatment. Ducan was initially charged with three counts of first-degree assault, seven counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, and two counts of third-degree assault. The girl’s father, Javon Ingram, was sentenced in May for three counts of first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, and one count of third-degree assault. Ingram faced 36 charges.
According to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, in November 2021, the then-5-year-old victim was transported to Randall Children’s Hospital and showed signs of being “severely malnourished with injuries all over her body.” The girl reportedly was not potty trained, nor had she ever attended school. Detectives from the Portland Police Bureau’s Child Abuse unit began investigating and executed search warrants at Ducan’s home. While there, they reportedly found zip ties, duct tape, and a dog shock collar.
A child abuse pediatrician reportedly “diagnosed the girl’s injuries as torture.” The girl weighed 29.8 pounds and had anemia, scratches, sores, fractures, brain bleeds, and digestive issues, among other injuries. She also reportedly exhibited signs of physical restraint on her upper body, as well as evidence of being blindfolded and gagged. Investigators discovered videos of the girl being abused that were “consistent with her physical injuries.”
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports the victim lived with Ingram and Ducan. Ingram reportedly referred to Ducan as his mother, but they were not actually related.
According to KOIN-TV, the abuse occurred between January 2019 and November 2021.
Ingram reportedly tied his daughter up and put tape over her mouth when he went to work. He also claimed his daughter caused some of the injuries herself, but the pediatrician argued that was “not plausible.”
Ingram took videos of the child’s abuse and torture, including one incident when she had to run laps around their house with her hands bound behind her back.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports the girl’s legal team is suing the Department of Human Services for $15 million because they claim the department received reports about her abuse but never investigated.