A disturbing case has emerged from Utah, where a father and his girlfriend face serious charges of child torture. They stand accused of starving the man’s 5-year-old daughter so severely that she resorted to eating her own feces and other inedible items in a desperate bid to survive.
Daniel James Fivas, 32, reportedly took his daughter to the hospital on August 30 after observing that she was not gaining weight and was consuming her own waste, according to a statement from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
Medical professionals at the hospital were alarmed by the girl’s condition, noting extreme malnutrition and stunted growth. According to court documents, the child, referred to as R.C., weighed the same as an average 16-month-old upon admission.
During the investigation, authorities interviewed Fivas, his girlfriend Jessica Marie Harmes, 41, and Harmes’ 13-year-old son. The teenager revealed that the family lived in a small one-bedroom apartment, which they shared with R.C. and a newborn baby, identified as A.Z.
The teen disclosed that R.C. often tried to access food from the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, prompting the family to install child locks. He mentioned that it was Harmes who suggested locking these food sources to prevent R.C. from getting into them.
Fivas explained to investigators that R.C. had a habit of “stealing food,” which led them to secure the kitchen and garbage with locks. He also admitted to wanting to relinquish custody of the girl, citing a personal resentment towards her because she “rubbed him the wrong way.”
Harmes said she noticed after she and her son moved in with Fivas that R.C. would “eat large quantities of food” so they were “hesitant to give her more food.” She said R.C. would “bulk up a little” and then “lose it again,” saying she was “really, really thin” although she was given the same amount of food the 13-year-old ate.
Harmes said they tried to give the girl to state authorities when they learned she was pregnant but they “wouldn’t take her.” She said Fivas told the authorities he didn’t want her and didn’t want to take care of her.
An affidavit obtained by Law&Crime said that Fivas claimed the girl would eat until she vomited and then eat non-food items such as wax and Play-Doh along with feces.
“Over the course of at least two years, the victim has been plummeting in health and growth,” detectives wrote in the affidavit. “The defendants, angry that the victim was ‘stealing food’ that they were depriving her of, went a step further and put child safety locks on every cabinet and appliance that had food.”
“A common late-stage manifestation of starvation is the ability to overcome revulsion and eat non-food in an attempt to sustain themselves, and that eating feces is likely due to starvation,” the affidavit said.
Investigators said R.C. was also forced to sleep on the ground with only a blanket and was not enrolled in school. According to KUTV, Fivas said there was a mattress in storage but it was “too hard to get to” and there was “no room for it.”
The girl was placed in foster care. The status of the other two children was not clear.
Doctors said that R.C. gained nearly 9 pounds over her 16 days of hospitalization “with consistent, scheduled meals,” the DA’s office said.
Last week, Fivas and Harmes were charged with one count each of first degree felony child torture.
“Our children depend on us to care for them, as parents that is our responsibility. Those who do not fulfill this obligation will be held to account for it,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
They were denied bond at a hearing last week.
“I do agree that this individual is a danger to the community, not just to his own children, but to any other children,” Judge Richard W. Daynes said, according to Law&Crime. “Based on the depravity of the allegations here, it would appear to me that there’s more going on here than just simple neglect.”
Fivas is due in court again on November 24.
