How Could You? Hall of Shame-5-Year-Old Girl case-Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Weston, Wisconsin, “Jonathan Stolp, 42, is charged with Neglecting a Child (no harm and child younger than six years old or with a disability) as a Party To A Crime (PTAC), Chronic Neglect of a Child where specified harm did not occur as a (PTAC) and Resisting or Obstructing an Officer.

Court records show that the Neglecting a Child (no harm and child younger than six years old or with a disability) as a (PTAC) was dismissed but read in. Stolp plead no-contest to the other two charges of Chronic Neglect of a Child where specified harm did not occur and Resisting or Obstructing an Officer.

The court sentenced Stolp to 10 months in jail with Huber release privileges. Stolp has 30 days to report to jail. The court withheld sentencing but ordered 3 years probation, for Chronic Neglect of a Child where specified harm did not occur (PTAC). The court also withheld a sentence but ordered 1 year of probation to run concurrently with the 3 years of probation.

Stolp’s probation conditions include having assessments/treatment counseling deemed appropriate by an agent; undergo a mental health assessment and follow-up, partake in an alcohol or other drug abuse (AODA) assessment and any follow-up programming, and participate in a parenting course.

Stolp was also ordered to have no-contact with anyone under the age of 18, unless supervised by a chaperone older than 25 and approved by his agent. Stolp was also ordered to have no contact with the child’s mother Sumitra.

Sumitra is also facing charges for the death of the child.

Sumitra is charged with First-Degree Reckless Homicide, Neglecting a Child (PTAC), Chronic Neglect of a Child (PTAC), and two counts of Resisting or Obstructing an Officer.

The child was five-years-old at the time of the incident, and was in the hospital 10 days before she passed away.

Pediatricians at Marshfield Medical Center said the child had a significant skull fracture that wrapped around both sides of the skull. These were injuries that appeared consistent with non-accidental trauma.

The child also had a fractured right foot, according to the report.

The initial story parents told police was the girl was at the park playing when she fell and landed on her head. The couple stated they called an ambulance when they found the child having a seizure.

Sumitra told police the park story was made up. She then told them the child was rocking in a recliner with her before she and the child fell backwards and hit the floor. Sumitra followed that statement by saying she was getting up and tripping with the girl in her hand and falling on the floor.

Sumitra will be in court again on April 19 for a pre-trial conference.”

Father charged in the death of adopted child accepts plea deal
[WJFW 3/31/23 by Kevin Kraft]

“A former Weston resident accused of child abuse, leading to the death of her adopted daughter, will be tried for the charges next spring.

Sumitra Stolp is scheduled for a week-long trial beginning on March 18th, 2024. She faces three felony counts of reckless homicide and neglecting a child along with two misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer.

Stolp and 42-year-old Jonathan Stolp had been caring for the girl for several months before formally adopting her in the summer of 2021. Shortly after she was adopted she was hospitalized with severe injuries that required her to be placed in a medically-induced coma. She died several days later.

Shortly after her death, the Everest Metrop PD opened an investigation into the girl’s injuries. Investigators said Sumitra Stolp initially told them the girl had fallen from some playground equipment, but she changed her story in subsequent interviews to say she had fallen backward from a chair.

Doctors say the child also had dangerously high levels of alcohol and Tylenol in her system when she was hospitalized. The child had to be put in a medically-induced coma and died about a week later.

Jonathan Stolp was also charged with child neglect in connection with the case and was sentenced in March as part of a plea deal. He is serving a ten-month jail sentence with work-release privileges in Chippewa County, where he currently resides. He was also given three years of probation which was withheld under several conditions. Those include completing all treatment or counseling along with a mental health assessment and the completion of parenting courses.

The couple was living in Weston at the time of the incident. Court records show Sumitra has since moved to Eau Claire, and that the couple has filed for divorce.”

Stolp Scheduled for Trial in Fatal Child Abuse Case
[WSAU 5/17/23 by Mike Leischner]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“Trial dates for a former Wausau woman accused in the death of her adopted child have been shifted to allow time for arguments over expert witness testimony, according to online court records.

Sumitra Stolp, 37, is being tried on charges of first-degree reckless homicide, chronic child neglect and obstruction. Stolp and her former husband, 42-year-old Jonathan Stolp, adopted the 5-year-old girl just six weeks before her death. The girl died in August 2021, 10 days after being hospitalized for a skull fracture and brain bleed, police said.

A five-day jury trial had been set for March 18. But during a motion hearing Jan. 31, that changed after a judge ordered attorneys on both sides to provide written arguments as part of a Daubert motion. The “Daubert Standard” provides a systematic framework for a trial court judge to assess the reliability and relevance of expert witness testimony before it is presented to a jury, according to Cornell University’s legal information institute.

Pediatric specialists in Marshfield said the child had a significant skull fracture that wrapped around both sides of her head, injuries that appeared consistent with non-accidental trauma such as shaking or slamming. The girl also had a fractured right foot and was given six times the recommended dose of Tylenol along with Nyquil, according to the doctor’s report included in court documents.

Jonathan Stolp, who was convicted of child neglect and obstruction, settled his case and was sentenced in March. In that case, Circuit Judge Scott Corbett ordered a withheld sentence with a total of three years of probation and 10 months in jail. In a withheld sentence, defendants can be forced to return to court and be sentenced for their original crime if they are not successful on probation.”

Jury trial delayed for woman accused in adopted daughter’s death
[Wausau Pilot and Review 2/5/24 by Shereen Siewert]