The family of an 8-year-old girl found beaten and strangled in her Austin home are suing the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, claiming the agency failed to protect her from abuse that amounted to “torture.”
Gizzell Ford was found dead in her family’s home in the 5200 block of West Adams Street last July. She had suffered cuts, bruising and scratches to her face, ears and lips, had multiple bruises and puncture wounds on her back, chest and abdomen, and bruises on her arms and legs.
Her neck showed signs of hemorrhaging and fractures and broken cartilage, prosecutors said. And she had deep lacerations to her buttocks and ligature marks on her ankles and wrists, indicating she had been tied up, as well as circular burns on her body that may have been cigarette burns, according to prosecutors. Read More