Mom, Boyfriend Forced 11-Year-Old to Repeatedly Write ‘You’re Not a Loved Child’ During Years of Torture, Cops Say

A horrific case of child abuse has come to light in Illinois, where a mother allegedly beat her 11-year-old son for years and told him she wanted him to die. Authorities became aware of the abuse on March 6 after a local business owner in Fox Lake found the victim wearing only a diaper on a street.

The Fox Lake Police Department then went to the victim’s home on East Grand Avenue and arrested his mother, Pricilla P. Marshall, 34, and her boyfriend, Cody R. Marion, 35. According to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen Laughlin, the boy was tortured by Marshall and Marion for almost three years.

Not only did Marshall allegedly beat up the child multiple times, but she also told him that he was not loved. The complaint says the mother repeatedly punched the victim, threw sharp objects at him, refused to let him attend school, and even poured dish soap into his mouth and ear, which led him to cough up blood.

According to the boy, the abuse began in 2023 when Marshall smashed his face. To hide the abuse, his mother allegedly warned him not to tell anyone at school about the beatings, telling him she would go to prison if he did. He was eventually pulled out of the school when he was in fifth grade.

Though the boy lived in the home with two brothers and two sisters, aged between one and 13, only he suffered the abuse. The other children were given proper meals, but the victim was forced to survive on canned food and ravioli.

Laughlin said Marshall told the boy he was adopted, while his two brothers were her favorite children. Marshall also forced him to write, “You’re not a loved child, everybody hates you,” several times as a punishment. In one instance, she allegedly warned him that she was going to stab him 33 times and later dump his body.

As for Marion, he allegedly told the kid to tolerate the abuse because he deserved it. The complaint further reveals that the victim was forced to take off his clothes so the beatings would hurt more.

After another abuse episode on March 6, the child ran out of his home wearing only his underwear and was eventually found by the business owner. The victim was then taken into protective custody and treated at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.

The medical personnel noticed several bruises across his body. Meanwhile, his brothers and sisters were also taken into protective custody and later placed in the care of an extended family member.

Marshall and Marion have been charged with aggravated battery to a child under 13, endangering the life of a child, and two counts of domestic battery. They are being held at the Lake County Jail without bond after the State Attorney’s Office filed a petition stating that no conditions of release would protect the victim.