It’s been called the “worst case of child abuse in recent memory” by New York police. A little girl was brutally beaten and tortured, reportedly by the hands of her own mother’s boyfriend and friends, while “mom” did nothing to stop the abuse. A neighbor recently opened up and described how she helped the child to safety after finding her with cuts and bruises last week.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, police in Oswego County, New York, arrested four people in connection with the abuse and torture of a 10-year-old girl. The suspects were identified as the child’s mother, Leslieann Raeder, 34, Gary Bubis Jr., 37; Bubis’ sister, Brandy Shaver, 18; and Shaver’s boyfriend, Shawn Whaley, 23.

ORIGINAL Story: ‘Mom’ and friends beat and torture 10-year-old girl, drag her behind vehicle: Police

Court documents indicate that three of the suspects allegedly fed the child food covered in hot sauce one time per day and made her work outside all day without access to a bathroom, food, or water. When she finished work for the day, she wasn’t allowed to bathe.

Further, the suspects are accused of taking the girl to park and forcing her to run in front their vehicle while carrying a weighted backpack. If she slowed down, she got hit with the car. Later, she was allegedly dragged by the vehicle after the suspects tied a rope around her and attached it to a car.

The girl managed to run away from the horror Oswego home, located at 393 Albion Cross Road. Neighbor Autumn Lee Butchino spotted the child and rushed to help her. According to Butchino, the victim showed up on her driveway at night, covered head to toe in bruises and cuts.

“She said they were all sleeping, so she waited until they were all asleep then she left, so she wouldn’t get beat, so they wouldn’t find her,” Butchino told LocalSYR. “She was crying, she had tears running down her face, she was all dirty, she hasn’t had a shower in two weeks.”

Butchino immediately took the little girl inside her home and gave her pizza and Mountain Dew. As the little girl ate, she detailed the horror she lived through as Butchino listened intently.

“She said last night she had dinner, but she didn’t eat it all because they put hot sauce on all her stuff. When she asked for a drink, they gave her hot sauce……She said that they brought her to the [Happy Valley Game Management Park] because she was misbehaving and they tied her to the truck and they pulled her.”

Butchino said she cried along with the little girl and could “feel her pain.” Authorities picked up the child from Butchino’s home and took her to the Golisano Children’s Hospital, where she’s currently receiving medical care. Officers drove to the victim’s former residence and removed other children in the home who were also being abused, including a 3-year-old.

All four suspects were arrested. Raeder is currently charged with endangering the welfare of a child, while the other three suspects face assault charges. Raeder was released on her own recognizance while the other suspects remain behind bars on a $50,000 bond each.

[Feature Photo: Oswego County Jail]