The Torture Board: Melissa Stoddard

It was around 10PM on December 12th, 2012, when paramedics in Sarasota, Florida, were called to a home where it was reported that a young girl had stopped breathing. When they arrived, it quickly became apparent that the case was much more complex than the caller had portrayed. Not only was the young girl not breathing, she had evident ligature marks across her body.¹

The home belonged to Kenneth Stoddard, who lived with his wife, Misty Stoddard and their children ranging in age between 4 and 15. It was a blended family. The young girl who had stopped breathing was Kenneth’s 11-year-old daughter from a prior relationship, Melissa Stoddard.

According to Misty, that evening, Melissa had been upset and had refused to go to bed. She said that she gave Melissa some night-time medicine and then sent her back to bed where she quietened down. However, Misty claimed that when she checked on Melissa sometime later, she found her unconscious and not breathing, so she called 911.²

Paramedics entered the secluded home and were taken back by how dirty it was. They found Melissa laying on her back in the living room. She wasn’t breathing. The room was dark and the stench of vomit was overpowering. Kenneth was still on the phone to 911, performing chest compressions with one hand. As the paramedics got closer, they could see marks on Melissa’s arms – some fresh, some older. What struck them as odd was that Melissa wasn’t wearing pyjamas. It was late at night and she was wearing jean shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. There was duct-tape on her wrists and ankles.³

The two paramedics, Scott McComas and Billy Green, found the Stoddards’ behaviour peculiar. They both kept getting in the way as they desperately tried to revive Melissa. They were reluctant to provide medical information and the paramedics couldn’t help but feel as though the concern they were expressing for Melissa’s welfare was not genuine. As Scott later said: “It’s just the vibe I felt. It’s just a weird feeling.”⁴

After unsuccessful CPR attempts, paramedics rushed Melissa to Doctors Hospital in Sarasota. At the hospital, Melissa’s heart began to beat again, but her heart had stopped beating for almost an hour. Her brain was swollen from the lack of oxygen and she was suffering from severe brain damage. She was transported to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, where she was classified as brain dead.⁵

The doctors noticed that Melissa had ligature marks to her upper arms, wrists, ankles and thighs. She was severely underweight – five foot five inches and weighing only 88 pounds. There were stitches above her left eye, fresh lacerations to her wrists, a broken left hand, and marks to her neck and buttocks. Bruises to her thighs looked as though she had been beaten with a belt, and her feet were swollen and bruised. Skin was peeling off her wrists. Hospital social worker Ken Rigsby said: “It was possibly the most horrific case I have ever worked on.”⁶

Upon informing police of this disturbing revelation, they interviewed Kenneth and Misty. The couple claimed that sometimes Melissa needed to be restrained because of behavioural issues. They said she was autistic and would be restrained to protect both herself and her other siblings. Kenneth admitted they would bind Melissa’s wrists to her ankles in a hog-tied fashion using shoelace-style strings, Velcro straps, tape and other bindings.⁷

When police spoke with the other children in the home, they revealed a very disturbing portrait. They said that Melissa was routinely tied up as punishment and that Kenneth and Misty would put duct tape over her mouth to stop her from screaming and crying. The couple would tie Melissa to a wooden board where she would remain for long periods. Melissa’s 15-year-old brother told police that he had helped Misty remove the wooden board from Melissa’s bedroom before the ambulance arrived.⁸

Police recovered two wooden boards from the woods near the home, along with a helmet fashioned with restraints and several rolls of duct tape. The wooden boards had blood, hair and fecal matter stuck to them.

The children detailed more horrific abuse. Sometimes Melissa would be tied to her bed. She wasn’t allowed to eat inside with the rest of the family – instead, she was fed in a fenced spot outside which the children called “the corral.” On occasion, Melissa would be tied up and put in a swimming pool. Despite having a bedroom, she would be forced to sleep outside on a filthy mattress.⁹

Life for Melissa wasn’t always this tragic. Before moving to Florida, she had lived with her mother, Lisha Stoddard, in Greenboro, North Carolina. Lisha and Kenneth had met while both serving in the Marine Corps. They were married in 1998 and Melissa was born in 2001. Like her older brother, Melissa was diagnosed with autism. When Melissa was five years old, Lisha and Kenneth divorced.

In North Carolina, Melissa attended McIver Education Center where her teachers recalled how she loved to re-enact The Cat in the Hat and The Lion King. She was a loving child, always curious about those around her. While she had challenges including a hot temper and tantrums due to her autism, staff said she was showing steady progress in the highly structured setting.¹⁰

In 2012, Melissa’s life changed forever. During a visit to Kenneth and Misty in Florida with her older brother, Misty discovered that the 13-year-old boy had sexually abused Melissa. The boy was arrested and charged. Given an ultimatum that Melissa and her brother could not remain under the same roof, it was decided that Melissa would move to Florida to live with Kenneth, Misty, and their five children.¹¹

Lisha agreed to this arrangement, having no cause for concern. Kenneth had always been a good father during their marriage and had never restrained or abused children in the past.

From the moment Melissa arrived in Florida in September 2012, she was treated differently than her step-siblings. She was forced to eat outside and given different food than the rest of the family. Kenneth and Misty put Melissa on a strict gluten-free diet which they believed would help her autism.¹²

Initially, Melissa attended Oak Park School where she showed progress, much like she had in North Carolina. Her communication skills were developing and she was able to express her needs. One teacher even commented to Kenneth: “Your daughter could have gone to Harvard” because of how well Melissa had been behaving.

However, as her language skills improved, she began offering insight into home life, shouting phrases like “get out of my house” followed by “now look what you’ve done. All right, that’s it” – mimicking what she heard at home. She had problems with the restricted food, becoming upset when other children were allowed treats and begging for food.

Starting in November, Melissa began missing school. Kenneth and Misty claimed the school wasn’t adhering to her strict diet. The last day Melissa attended school was November 15th. Staff became concerned about her wellbeing, with a guidance counsellor going to the family’s home, but Misty refused to open the door.¹³

One teacher, Paul Squeo, became so concerned he attempted to report to DCF anonymously but failed to complete the submission. Meanwhile, someone at the home was using the internet to search disturbing terms like “how to restrain a child at night,” “medication for psychopaths,” “best gag to keep somebody quiet” and “human muzzle.”

On December 1st, Kenneth purchased a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood, returning the following week to purchase four black Velcro straps. He bought three rolls of duct tape, captured on surveillance footage.

Melissa had completely fallen through the cracks, cut off from everybody except those in the home. A couple of weeks before she died, she attempted to seek help at Walmart, approaching several strangers asking for help. None thought to call for assistance.

A neighbour, Kevin Dermody, had heard sounds of slapping, cursing from a woman, and a girl crying coming from the Stoddard home for around three months. The noises were so terrible he considered calling 911 but decided not to, fearing police wouldn’t do anything and the child might be harmed more.¹⁴

Police obtained a search warrant for Kenneth and Misty’s computer, Nikon camera and cellphone, discovering they had documented the abuse. One video showed Melissa kneeling on a concrete slab in the yard at night, looking into the laundry room where Misty stood with a video camera. A step-sibling can be heard questioning: “Why can’t she just go away? Why is she crying?” Melissa begged to come inside before wailing, throwing her arms in the air and kicking her legs. Eventually, her spirit completely broken, she fell silent and buried her head in her hands.

Other videos showed Melissa sitting on a concrete slab with her arms bound behind her, staring ahead with dried blood on her nose and a makeshift bandage on her head. Police also uncovered photographs documenting Melissa’s decline. A Halloween 2012 photo showed Melissa smiling in her witch costume, but by a month later, photographs showed her with a swollen lip and cuts across her face.

Unfortunately, after five days at the hospital, it was decided that Melissa’s life support should be turned off. She was pronounced dead at 5:39AM on December 17th. Her autopsy determined she had died from hypoxia – deprivation of adequate oxygen supply.

Two days after Melissa died, Kenneth was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse. Misty, who was pregnant, attempted to take her own life before being arrested on the same charges. The Department of Children and Families took custody of the five other children.

Misty stood trial first in June 2014, with charges elevated to first-degree murder. The prosecution detailed how Melissa had been tortured and abused, arguing that Misty had covered Melissa’s mouth with duct-tape and left her alone to suffocate.¹⁵

Misty’s own children testified against her. Her 16-year-old son, Jarrett Eastman, explained how Melissa’s autism left his mother frustrated and detailed how both Kenneth and Misty would strap Melissa to the wooden board and gag her.

Misty testified on her own behalf, claiming she loved Melissa and that Kenneth was responsible for the restraints. She made the startling claim that the plywood boards had actually been purchased for sexual bondage purposes between her and Kenneth.¹⁶

The jury deliberated for just two hours before finding Misty guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus an additional 30 years.

Kenneth was subsequently convicted of aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse and tampering with evidence. During his sentencing, the judge addressed him: “The single most important duty of a parent is to protect their child. You failed, miserably.” Kenneth was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

1. Associated Press, 20 December, 2012 – “Father Charged with Aggravated Child Abuse”
2. The Bradenton Herald, 20 December, 2012 – “Sarasota Man Charged with Child Abuse After Daughter, 11, Dies”
3. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 20 December, 2012 – “Man Faces Charges in Death of Daughter”
4. The Bradenton Herald, 21 December, 2012 – “Sarasota Woman Charged with Child Abuse in Death of Stepdaughter”
5. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 21 December, 2012 – “Officials Paint Picture of Gruelling Abuse”
6. Englewood Sun, 21 December, 2012 – “Sarasota Father Charged After Daughter’s Death”
7. News & Record, 4 January, 2013 – “Teacher Recalls Girl as ‘Shining Star’”
8. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 25 January, 2013 – “Bond Reduction Denied in Fatal Child Abuse Case”
9. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 6 February, 2013 – “Records Offer Glimpse in to Girl’s Harsh Life and Death”
10. Associated Press, 15 April, 2013 – “Man Accused in Daughter’s Death Bonds out of Jail”
11. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 1 July, 2013 – “Google May Be Clue in Death”
12. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 21 July, 2013 – “Troubling Details from Past”
13. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 20 October, 2013 – “Video Shows Girl’s Struggle”
14. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 24 June, 2014 – “Tears as Trial Gets Underway”
15. NBC – 8 WFLA, 27 June, 2014 – “Guilty Verdict in Stoddard Murder Trial”
16. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 27 June, 2014 – “Officials Missed Opportunities to Stop Abuse”