Show summary Hide summary
A Wisconsin woman was handed a multi-year prison term this week after prosecutors said a teenage stepdaughter in her care was hospitalized in life-threatening condition from extreme undernourishment. Court documents and medical records describe prolonged restrictions on the girl’s access to food and water, and investigators say home video captured episodes of prolonged physical discipline.
The defendant, 33-year-old Brittany Hull, was sentenced to seven years behind bars and four years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to chronic neglect of a child resulting in great bodily harm, according to online court filings. A separate intentional child abuse count was dismissed but was “read in” at sentencing, meaning the allegations were considered by the judge when determining the penalty. The files also bar Hull from contacting the victim and require her to complete a parenting course.
Case background and medical findings
Horoscopes May 9, 2026: major planetary moves that could shape your day
Teen found at 58 pounds: stepmother to spend years reflecting on abuse
Local authorities say the emergency began on Oct. 15, 2023, at a home in Rib Mountain, northeast Wisconsin, when the girl stopped breathing. Paramedics performed prolonged CPR at the scene before she was taken to a nearby hospital and later transported by air to a higher-level facility.
Doctors reported that the teen had multiple organ systems compromised by dehydration and malnutrition and was intubated for several days. Hospital evaluations found no underlying medical condition that would prevent normal weight gain; clinicians concluded she was severely underweight for her age and suffering from severe malnutrition. While in care and separated from her parents, the girl reportedly gained nearly five pounds over eight days.
What investigators found at home
Detectives who reviewed the household and interviewed witnesses say there was ample food in the residence and that the girl’s siblings did not show nutritional problems. The family attended a weekly children’s program at a local church; the program’s pastor told police he had observed the girl’s health decline over several years. He described episodes in which she would quickly eat any snack offered and hide food to eat later.
Investigators documented several restrictive measures allegedly applied to the girl, including locked bedroom doors and windows and a door alarm. She told officers she was prevented from eating snacks and sometimes excluded from family meals. The complaint states the stepmother limited the girl’s daily water intake to about 16 ounces and occasionally spoon-fed her when she was too weak to feed herself.
Police also say they recovered surveillance footage from inside the girl’s bedroom that shows repeated incidents in which she was compelled to remain standing with her hands raised for extended periods while crying and visibly shaking, and that both the father and stepmother were involved in enforcing those commands.
- Defendants: Brittany Hull (33); Tristan Hull (41), the girl’s father.
- Charges: Brittany pleaded guilty to chronic neglect with great bodily harm; an intentional abuse count was dismissed but considered at sentencing. Tristan pleaded guilty last year to the same neglect charge and received a four-year prison term.
- Medical outcome: Hospitalized for severe dehydration and malnutrition; intubated for multiple days; clinicians found no medical barrier to normal weight gain.
- Evidence cited: hospital records, church witness statements, home surveillance footage, household inspection.
- Restrictions: No contact with the victim; court-ordered parenting education; combined prison and probation terms.
The stepmother told investigators she attributed the girl’s weight issues to ADHD and had taken her to a dietitian, but police say she did not follow the provider’s recommendations. The father previously admitted to the same neglect charge and received a shorter prison term earlier this year.
Beyond the immediate criminal outcome, the case underscores how medical intervention and community observation can intersect to uncover chronic neglect. Prosecutors relied on medical assessments to show that the harm was not the result of an unchangeable medical condition but rather prolonged deprivation. Child welfare advocates say such findings often prompt reviews of agency responses and preventive practices in similar situations.
Court records indicate the victim remains protected by the no-contact order while the sentencing terms are carried out. Further details of any ongoing civil or child welfare proceedings were not released in the public file reviewed by reporters.
