Dad Buries 6-Year-Old Daughter Alive in Backyard Hole

A Pennsylvania man faces multiple charges in the alleged child abuse of his 6-year-old daughter, including leaving her in a hole in the backyard overnight.

A criminal complaint against 50-year-old John Edward Kraft says that Greene County Children and Youth Services met with the girl initially on September 21, when they found severe bruising all over her body, according to the Observer-Reporter.

Earlier his month, the girl told investigators that her father would put her in the hole in the backyard when he thought she was lying; her brother told them Kraft left the girl in the hole overnight on at least one occasion.

The girl also told the investigators about multiple instances of physical abuse, including times when Kraft slammed her head against a wall and choked her, the complaint said.

Kraft was arraign on charges of aggravated assault, strangulation, endangering the welfare of children, false imprisonment, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. He’s being held on a $125,000 bond and is due in court for a preliminary hearing on November 1.

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[Featured image: John Edward Kraft/Pennsylvania State Police]