Before 2007, the life of Danielle Crockett had been seven years of the most unthinkable hell anyone could probably imagine. When authorities found her inside of a run-down house, there are just no words to adequately describe the degree of filth that this little girl was living in. When Detective Mark Holste arrived at the home with his partner, they encountered an investigator with social services outside. The woman was leaning on her car, sobbing uncontrollably. When the officer approached her, he asked if she had been injured or confronted by people in the home. She assured the officers that she was unharmed be relayed that this was the worst case of child abuse that she had ever seen in her career. That said, the woman’s statement did not prepare the two men for what they would find in the home.
Once they entered the house, Mark and his partner witnessed what must have been thousands of disgusting cockroaches teeming everywhere. The insects crunched under their feet as they walked through the residence. They also found piles of cat and dog feces all over the home. The smell was so horrendous that his partner had to leave the residence quickly to get his breath. As Marked walked toward the back of the house, he found a small room almost the size of a walk-in closet. In the room was a girl huddled in the corner sitting on a filthy mattress. Next to the mattress was a pile of dirty diapers teeming with flies. Danielle was sitting in the dark; her hair was filled with lice. The little girl appeared not to be able to communicate. Later, the police would arrest her birth mother. When questioned, she claimed that she did the “best” she could do as a single mother.
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Later that year, Bernie and Diane Lierow had come to a decision. Four out of their five sons had already moved out of the house, and they wished to adopt a little girl. They would attend an adoption event where they would have pictures of several children up for adoption, many of which were in attendance at the event. However, there was one picture in particular that caught the couple’s attention. It was a black and white photo of a very sad looking little girl. When the couple asked for more information on the girl, they were met with odd resistance from the social workers.
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They warned that the little girl was damaged and too much work for them to take care of when pressed further someone told them about the little girl’s heartbreaking backstory. But, that did not deter the determined couple who would go on to become Danielle’s adoptive parents.
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We wish we could tell you that this story had a happy ending. Unfortunately, a few years after adopting Danielle, the Leirows got a divorce. This left Bernie to raise Danielle, who was now a teenager, all on his own. But, once the child turned 18, Bernie had to face the reality that he could no longer provide the care she needed. So, he made the painful decision to place her into an adult care facility. The loving father still visits Danielle as often as he can, and they are still very close. You can see a video about Danielle’s story below.
