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CNN Live Today
Abusive Mother's Family Not Cooperating with Police
Aired September 20, 2002 - 13:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Indiana are looking for a mother accused of beating her child, a beating apparently caught on videotape by a parking lot surveillance camera.
Officers say the little girl could have been seriously injured and criminal charges will be filed against the mother.
CNN's Gary Tuchman has been following this story. He joins us now from Indiana with the latest -- hello, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, hello to you.
She is 4 years old, her name is Martha, and her whereabouts are unknown, as are the whereabouts of her mother, who attacked her in the backseat of the car, and she did it, unbeknownst to her, on video. The video is disturbing, but officials here are very glad it is running nationally now because think it is their best chance of catching this woman.
Twenty-five-year-old Madelyne Gorman took her child out of a store here in Mishawaka, Indiana, and then looked back to make sure no one was looking, and then started punching, hitting, pulling the hair of her child, and shaking her child. She was in a Kohl's department store before that with her sister and another child. They were kicked out of the store, they tried to return items that weren't from the store.
They left the store, and the suspicious people inside the store trained the security cameras on her. It is very hard to watch, because you see this poor child's legs flailing in her car seat, and the mother continues the assault on this little girl.
Madelyne Gorman is married. Her husband, we are told, is not cooperating with the investigation. They don't know where the mother is, but they are very concerned about where the daughter is because they certainly believe she is seriously hurt.
There is a warrant out for Madelyne Gorman's arrest for something that happened 6 months ago, and very coincidentally, it also happened at a Kohl's department store. She allegedly shoplifted from a Kohl's department store in Terrent County (ph), Texas. That is where Madelyne Gorman is originally from. She did not show up in court, and that is why there has been a warrant out for her arrest.
We are told that she and several other members of her family, including her sister, who was in the store with her, and who has also been arrested on related charges of not reporting child abuse, we are told they are nomads. They travel around the country looking for jobs. But right now, they don't know where Madelyne Gorman is, and they are hoping to find her as soon as possible. An arrest complaint will be filed momentarily. She will be charged with felony battery. Now, found guilty of a felony battery charge, she will not grow old in prison. Maximum sentence: three years behind bars.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGGIE JONES, DEPUTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: My reaction to the video, I was just very upset. I continue to find it very upsetting every single time that I view it, the way that the woman glances around the parking lot prior to assaulting the child.
We'll be bringing battery charges against the woman and those are set for review by a judge today as a matter of fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: The sister's name is Margaret Daley (ph), who was inside the Kohl's store. She, as we said, has been charged with not reporting child abuse. Maximum penalty for that, 6 months in prison.
We are also told she is not cooperating in the investigation. Very discouraging when you hear things like this. One other discouraging bit of news, we are told that Madelyne Gorman has two other children, believed to be boys, 5 or 6 years old, and we don't know where they are right now either -- authorities say they are looking for those two children also -- Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right. CNN's Gary Tuchman.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 20, 2002 - 13:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Police in Indiana are looking for a mother accused of beating her child, a beating apparently caught on videotape by a parking lot surveillance camera.
Officers say the little girl could have been seriously injured and criminal charges will be filed against the mother.
CNN's Gary Tuchman has been following this story. He joins us now from Indiana with the latest -- hello, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, hello to you.
She is 4 years old, her name is Martha, and her whereabouts are unknown, as are the whereabouts of her mother, who attacked her in the backseat of the car, and she did it, unbeknownst to her, on video. The video is disturbing, but officials here are very glad it is running nationally now because think it is their best chance of catching this woman.
Twenty-five-year-old Madelyne Gorman took her child out of a store here in Mishawaka, Indiana, and then looked back to make sure no one was looking, and then started punching, hitting, pulling the hair of her child, and shaking her child. She was in a Kohl's department store before that with her sister and another child. They were kicked out of the store, they tried to return items that weren't from the store.
They left the store, and the suspicious people inside the store trained the security cameras on her. It is very hard to watch, because you see this poor child's legs flailing in her car seat, and the mother continues the assault on this little girl.
Madelyne Gorman is married. Her husband, we are told, is not cooperating with the investigation. They don't know where the mother is, but they are very concerned about where the daughter is because they certainly believe she is seriously hurt.
There is a warrant out for Madelyne Gorman's arrest for something that happened 6 months ago, and very coincidentally, it also happened at a Kohl's department store. She allegedly shoplifted from a Kohl's department store in Terrent County (ph), Texas. That is where Madelyne Gorman is originally from. She did not show up in court, and that is why there has been a warrant out for her arrest.
We are told that she and several other members of her family, including her sister, who was in the store with her, and who has also been arrested on related charges of not reporting child abuse, we are told they are nomads. They travel around the country looking for jobs. But right now, they don't know where Madelyne Gorman is, and they are hoping to find her as soon as possible. An arrest complaint will be filed momentarily. She will be charged with felony battery. Now, found guilty of a felony battery charge, she will not grow old in prison. Maximum sentence: three years behind bars.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGGIE JONES, DEPUTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: My reaction to the video, I was just very upset. I continue to find it very upsetting every single time that I view it, the way that the woman glances around the parking lot prior to assaulting the child.
We'll be bringing battery charges against the woman and those are set for review by a judge today as a matter of fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: The sister's name is Margaret Daley (ph), who was inside the Kohl's store. She, as we said, has been charged with not reporting child abuse. Maximum penalty for that, 6 months in prison.
We are also told she is not cooperating in the investigation. Very discouraging when you hear things like this. One other discouraging bit of news, we are told that Madelyne Gorman has two other children, believed to be boys, 5 or 6 years old, and we don't know where they are right now either -- authorities say they are looking for those two children also -- Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right. CNN's Gary Tuchman.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
