KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With her trial ongoing, you can’t escape the name Jacole Prince. Prince is accused of starving one of her daughters and keeping her in a locked closet. The girl is only known as “LP.”
“Anger is what I feel every time. Frustration, it’s so sad to learn that her community didn’t know she existed. There wasn’t anyone who kept eyes on her because her mom was so good at covering it. That was something I could really relate to,” said Nathan Ross of the Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association.
Ross not only relates to her; he sees his story in LP. Ross was just 10 years old when his brothers died of starvation and infection from burns caused by blistering bath water. His mother, Mary Bass, was sentenced eight life terms for their deaths.
“We were all underweight when we came into care, living in poor conditions. There wasn’t a lot of furniture in the house, food in the house. Reading about LP, it really hit him for me,” he said.
There is hope in tragedy. Ross was rescued and later adopted. That’s what he hopes for LP.
“Abuse does significant impact. We would do a variety of things to turn that around,” said Sara Brammer, the director of domestic violence services at Synergy.
There are resources for LP: court appointed special advocates, community organizations, and patient counseling. Sixteen years after the abuse, Ross is still recovering from trauma, but he says it’s easier with a great support system.
