Left: David Fivas. Right: Jessica Harmes (Law&Crime).
A Utah father and his girlfriend are behind bars after they allegedly starved a 5-year-old girl to the point where she had to resort to eating her own feces and other non-food items such as Play-Doh.
David Fivas, 32, and Jessica Harmes, 44, stand accused of child torture, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office said. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the West Valley City Police Department began investigating on Aug. 30 after Fivas brought the 5-year-old girl to the hospital because she was "not gaining weight and would eat her own feces." Fivas allegedly said he gained custody of the girl when she was about 15 months old and has "steadily decreased on the growth chart."
Doctors noted the girl weighed about the same as a typical 16-month-old child. But after more than two weeks in the hospital with "consistent, scheduled meals" she gained nearly 9 pounds, the affidavit said.
Fivas said his daughter would eat until she vomited and would ingest non-food items such as Play-Doh and wax, the affidavit stated. He also claimed the girl would "steal" food from the refrigerator and pantry which caused them to put child locks on them. The defendant "thought she was a thief."
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Investigators believe Fivas and Harmes were purposely withholding food from her. Fivas admitted that he "resented" the girl and did not treat her well. Another child was in the home and he was not starving, cops noted.
"Over the course of at least two years, the victim has been plummeting in health and growth," detectives wrote. "The defendants, angry that the victim was 'stealing food' that they were depriving her of, went a step further and put child safety locks on every cabinet and appliance that had food."
Cops don't believe that the girl was overeating, but rather trying to "save" herself by eating non-food items or scavenging for food when everyone was asleep, per the affidavit.
"A common late-stage manifestation of starvation is the ability to overcome revulsion and eat non-food in an attempt to sustain themselves, and that eating feces is likely due to starvation," cops wrote.
Fivas and Harmes allegedly tried to concoct the overeating story to keep detectives from learning what was really going on inside the home.
After Harmes became pregnant with their child, Fivas said he called the Department of Child and Family Services to give the victim up but they wouldn't take her.
"Harmes said that Fivas asked them to take custody of her because he didn't want her and didn't want to take care of her," the affidavit reads.
The starvation wasn't the only form of abuse the girl was suffering, cops said.
Detectives discovered she was forced to sleep on the ground with only a blanket. The defendants also did not put her in school, making police believe they were trying to isolate her. Another child in the home confirmed many of the allegations against the defendants, cops said.
Prosecutors during Fivas' bond hearing on Thursday called the incident extremely concerning and asked that he be kept in jail without bond.
"This is a matter of being deprived food and being prevented from stealing food," the prosecutor said. "Apparently, she was so hungry, she's still in diapers and eating her own feces. This is a little beyond just not taking care of a child or neglecting a child. This is intentionally harming this particular child."
Judge Richard W. Daynes on Thursday denied Fivas' release from the Salt Lake County Jail.
"I do agree that this individual is a danger to the community, not just to his own children, but to any other children. Based on the depravity of the allegations here, it would appear to me that there's more going on here than just simple neglect."
Fivas' next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 24. Harmes also remains in jail without bond.
Their children are in the custody of the state.
