Girls abducted by father, now recovered, have nightmares, abscessed teeth (Newark, Delaware)

We've posted on dad DAVID T. MATUSIEWICZ before, and how he committed bank fraud before abducting his two daughters and taking them off to Central America. Now we're hearing the details on how the girls were neglected and emotionally abused during the 19 months they were on the road.

Abduction took toll on young girls
As mother-in-law is sentenced, court hears how children suffered on the run
By TERRI SANGINITI • The News Journal • September 11, 2009

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090911/NEWS01/909110346

Seven-year-old Laura Matusiewicz has nightmares because of the 19 months she spent on the road in Central America with her father and grandmother and has taken to hoarding food.

Her younger sister, Leigh, 6, who is autistic, suffered with a mouth full of abscessed teeth due to neglected dental care.

And youngest sister, Karen, 4, is still working on her social skills because of the isolation of life on the run.

These are among details that surfaced Thursday when 64-year-old Lenore Matusiewicz pleaded guilty in Superior Court to three counts of endangering the welfare of a child for her part in the children's nearly two-year abduction.

The Smyrna woman accompanied her optometrist son, David T. Matusiewicz, 42, of Newark, between Aug. 26, 2007 and March 13, 2009 in a complex parental kidnapping plot that has landed both of them in jail and left their three young captives with emotional problems, according to court records.

Lenore Matusiewicz purchased a 33-foot $80,000 recreational vehicle they called home for nearly two years and traveled to Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama with her son and his children.

The girls, who thought they were going on a two-week vacation to Disney World, were told their mother was dead.

The pair was arrested and the girls were returned to their mother, Christine Belford, after an international manhunt tracked them to a small village near Managua, Nicaragua.

The case was featured on the television series "America's Most Wanted," and attracted the attention of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"They were dragged across the Western Hemisphere," prosecutor Phyllis Scully said in court Thursday. "This is the way children should not live their lives."

Superior Court Judge M. Jane Brady said the consequences of Matusiewicz's actions will have a long-ranging affect on the children.

"At least the oldest one, she will question for a long time why she didn't ask more questions," Brady said. "She trusted you, and you betrayed that trust and the trust of their mother."

She sentenced Lenore Matusiewicz to a year and a half in jail with credit for the 119 days she already has served.

The judge also ordered the defendant to pay for any counseling fees the family may incur.

"I'm sorry what I did affected the family so adversely," Lenore Matusiewicz told the court. "I'd like to put it behind me and go on with my life."

As she faced the court with two attorneys, her husband, Thomas, watched from the back of the courtroom.

In her impact statement to the court, Belford said she and her daughters will always be affected by what their grandmother did.

Belford, whose marriage to David Matusiewicz ended in November 2006, said her former mother-in-law behaved in ways in which someone else would be ashamed, remorseful and apologetic, with the abduction being "the most deranged behavior she has ever displayed in the 10 years I've known her."

Lenore Matusiewicz's Texas attorney, Demetrio Duarte Jr. said his client "wishes she had made a different choice."

"She wanted to make sure the children were safe," he said. "She was the principal caretaker when they were married. She was the principal caretaker when they divorced."

Scully told the court that as "principal caretaker," Matusiewicz knew the children were well-cared for, but she "accepted the representation of her son" that they were at risk.

None of the children had complete immunizations when they were abducted and were put at a much higher risk of contracting diseases, Belford said.

"Not knowing where your children are, if they are healthy, safe and being well-cared for changes a person forever," Belford said.

She told the court that she had to resign from her job due to "mental and emotional trauma inflicted by the idea of not knowing whether your children are alive or dead."

"She committed illegal acts," Belford said of her former mother-in-law. "She chose to participate and assist in the concealment of my daughters' whereabouts for 19 months and continues to attempt to justify her actions with lies and false, horrible accusations of abuse."

Matusiewicz's son and accomplice pleaded guilty in federal court a week ago to parental kidnapping and bank fraud. He remains in custody and faces sentencing in December.

Duarte declined comment following the hearing. Both Belford and Scully said they were "pleased with the outcome."

She sentenced Lenore Matusiewicz to a year and a half in jail with credit for the 119 days she already has served.

The judge also ordered the defendant to pay for any counseling fees the family may incur.

"I'm sorry what I did affected the family so adversely," Lenore Matusiewicz told the court. "I'd like to put it behind me and go on with my life."

As she faced the court with two attorneys, her husband, Thomas, watched from the back of the courtroom.

In her impact statement to the court, Belford said she and her daughters will always be affected by what their grandmother did.

Belford, whose marriage to David Matusiewicz ended in November 2006, said her former mother-in-law behaved in ways in which someone else would be ashamed, remorseful and apologetic, with the abduction being "the most deranged behavior she has ever displayed in the 10 years I've known her."

Lenore Matusiewicz's Texas attorney, Demetrio Duarte Jr. said his client "wishes she had made a different choice."

"She wanted to make sure the children were safe," he said. "She was the principal caretaker when they were married. She was the principal caretaker when they divorced."

Scully told the court that as "principal caretaker," Matusiewicz knew the children were well-cared for, but she "accepted the representation of her son" that they were at risk.

None of the children had complete immunizations when they were abducted and were put at a much higher risk of contracting diseases, Belford said.

"Not knowing where your children are, if they are healthy, safe and being well-cared for changes a person forever," Belford said.

She told the court that she had to resign from her job due to "mental and emotional trauma inflicted by the idea of not knowing whether your children are alive or dead."

"She committed illegal acts," Belford said of her former mother-in-law. "She chose to participate and assist in the concealment of my daughters' whereabouts for 19 months and continues to attempt to justify her actions with lies and false, horrible accusations of abuse."

Matusiewicz's son and accomplice pleaded guilty in federal court a week ago to parental kidnapping and bank fraud. He remains in custody and faces sentencing in December.

Duarte declined comment following the hearing. Both Belford and Scully said they were "pleased with the outcome."