Court records show a Kansas City mother admitted withholding food from her daughter years before the now -10-year-old was freed from a closet weighing 32 pounds. The girl was hospitalized as a 4-year-old because she already was underweight at 26 pounds. The mother said her reason for withholding food was to keep the then 4-year-old from going to the bathroom too often.

Jackson County Family Court records show the girl and her younger sister were taken from their mother. The mother regained custody of the two girls the following year, and give birth to a third daughter two years ago. Now, the mother is charged with abusing her oldest daughter. And neighbors are wondering how the girl could have fallen through the cracks.