Wash. Woman Accused of Forcing Granddaughter to Hold Bible Over Head to Expel 'Demon'
A woman in Washington state has been accused of abusing her 9-year-old granddaughter by forcing her to hold a Bible over her head and possibly torturing her over a long period of time, allegedly because she believed that would help expel a "demon" from the girl.
Cynthia Miller, the accused who is from Olympia, Wash., appeared before a judge in Thurston County Superior Court for a probable cause hearing through a video conferencing this week, according to kirotv.com.
Miller was ordered held on $40,000 bail after the hearing, during which she appeared confused and at one point denied the allegation.
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The probable cause affidavit against Miller states she would force her granddaughter to stand in a corner of the family's apartment holding a Bible over her head even as other family members would shout "Jehovah." Two other children lived with Miller and her husband.
The girl allegedly had bruises and burns on various parts of her body as well as several old fractures to her arms, legs, fingers and toes.
Miller and her husband were often angry with the girl and thought she was stealing from others in the family and was evil, according to neighbors.
"Like, oh she's not right, the kid's crazy, the kid's this, the kid's that," a next-door neighbor, Brandon Terrien, was quoted as saying. "Unfortunately I think she was kind of being singled out the whole time."
The girl had an abusive mother and was sent to live with her paternal grandparents by Child Protective Services in California seven years ago.
The 9-year-old and the two other children have been removed from the Miller's home by Washington State Child Protective Services.
The county sheriff's detectives started a probe into the allegation on Halloween after teachers at the girl's elementary school saw bruises on her.
