Jackson Free Press

Six people, including a 12-year-old, are in jail on $1 million bond for torturing a pregnant woman with developmental delays who lived with them.

ALTON, Illinois (AP) -- Banished to the basement, the 29-year-old mother with a childlike mind and another baby on the way had little more than a thin rug and a mattress to call her own on the chilly concrete floor.

Five adults and a 12-year-old child were charged with Dorothy Dixon's murder.

Dorothy Dixon ate what she could forage from the refrigerator upstairs, where housemates used her for target practice with BBs, burned her with a glue gun and doused her with scalding liquid that peeled away her skin.

They torched what few clothes she had, so she walked around naked. They often pummeled her with an aluminum bat or metal handle.

Dixon -- six months pregnant -- died after weeks of abuse. Police have charged two adults, three teenagers and a 12-year-old boy with murder in the case that has repulsed many in this Mississippi River town.

"This is heartbreaking," police Lt. David Hayes said. "It was almost as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering. This woman was almost like living in a prison."

Investigators put much of the blame on Michelle Riley, 35, who they said befriended Dixon but pocketed monthly Social Security checks she got because of her developmental delays.

Dixon saw little, if any, of the money, Hayes said. For months she weathered the torment to keep a roof over her head and that of her year-old son, who weighed just 15 pounds when taken into state custody after his mom's death....

Hayes watched the autopsy and found her injuries disturbing. X-rays revealed roughly 30 BBs lodged in her. Deep-tissue burns covered about one-third of her body -- her face, her chest, her arms and feet -- and left her severely dehydrated. Her face and body showed signs of prolonged abuse. Many of her wounds were infected.

None of the injuries, Hayes said, proved singly fatal to Dixon. Her system already was taxed by her unborn baby.

"The autopsy sort of indicates her immune system just shut down," he said. "It was not capable of fending off any more."

In the rental home's basement, Atkins said, he found spots of blood in a shower and tiny smears on the concrete floor, washer and dryer.

"It's disgraceful the way this girl died, as kind and as sweet as this girl was," he said. "She didn't deserve to die the way she did. It's just terrible, senseless. It's just a total shame."

I still have a lot of questions about what happened to Dixon. Who was the father of her babies? If he wasn't involved with the well-being of Dixon and their offspring, why? Were the pregnancies the result of abuse? Was a social worker aware of the circumstances surrounding Dixon's one-year-old?

Four of the perpetrators are between the ages of 12 and 18, which is also tragic.

Previous Comments

ID

117778

Comment

This makes me nauseous. I can't fathom how anyone could treat another human being that way, but especially one who is disabled AND pregnant. They should put those people in a basement for a while. LW, most likely no one knew what was really going on. I'm sure this group of "adults" made sure nobody knew. And I wouldn't be surprised if the pregnancies were the result of sexual abuse. Poor woman. At least now she's in a place where nobody can hurt her.

Author

andi

Date

2008-03-24T12:51:43-06:00

ID

117779

Comment

Andi, I also hope that the child she left behind is placed in a loving home.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-24T13:42:48-06:00

ID

117780

Comment

Oh yes, me too -- I am sure that he will be, no way would they put him back in the home with those people. Of course hopefully they'll all be going to jail for a long time. As for that 12 year old, I don't know but I bet he/she will be in at least a juvenile detention center -- but they may try him/her as an adult since the poor lady was murdered. This is just a total shame.

Author

andi

Date

2008-03-24T13:50:28-06:00

ID

117781

Comment

Sick.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2008-03-24T14:39:52-06:00

ID

117782

Comment

P-S-Y-C-H-O-P-A-T-H-I-C !!!!!

Author

Philip

Date

2008-03-25T09:20:33-06:00

ID

117783

Comment

According to NOVA, the National Organization for Victim's Assistance, women with disabilities are four times more likely to be the victim's of assault, date rape, and sexual assault than non-disabled women. It's a dirty little secret that's not really discussed even in the disability rights community, and I'm a quadriplegic.

Author

willdufauve

Date

2008-03-25T09:44:20-06:00

ID

117784

Comment

I wonder if it would be possible for advocates to be assigned to disabled women to make sure they're not being physically or mentally abused.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-25T21:06:53-06:00

ID

117785

Comment

That would probably be through something like your local Center for Independent Living, state office on disabilities, or state disabled person's protection commission.

Author

willdufauve

Date

2008-03-25T21:34:25-06:00

ID

117786

Comment

Someone would have to contact one of those offices (or MS Protection & Advocacy) to let them know about the potential abuse. If the abuser is the legal guardian/conservator of the person it can get even trickier, but it is not impossible to get that overturned and get the victim out of the situation.

Author

andi

Date

2008-03-26T08:26:21-06:00

ID

164913

Comment

Thanks for your response, Haven Boo. I wish I knew what happened to the son she left behind. He should be about four years old now, so hopefully he's with a good family.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2011-09-12T18:32:45-06:00