Stacey Ann Louder (left) and Amanda Lynn Gregorio (Luzerne County Correctional Facility).
A Pennsylvania mother and grandmother are going to prison for repeatedly abusing an 11-year-old girl by beating her, strapping her to a bed, starving her, and forcing the child to eat cat food.
Amanda Gregorio, the girl”s mother, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 to 40 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint and conspiracy to commit endangering the welfare of a child, authorities announced.
Stacey Louder, the child’s grandmother, was sentenced to eight to 30 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, unlawful restraint and conspiracy to commit endangering the welfare of a child.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the abuse came to light in August 2024 after emergency responders were called to the family’s Luzerne County home for an 11-year-old girl suffering seizure-like symptoms. During the girl’s hospitalization, Gregorio allegedly admitted giving her 50 milligrams of Benadryl and 60 milligrams of melatonin before the medical emergency, prompting medical staff to alert authorities.
Investigators soon uncovered what prosecutors described as months of horrific abuse. The girl, who weighed just 50 pounds, told investigators she had been restrained to her bed for long periods of time, forced to urinate and defecate while tied down and monitored by cameras installed in her bedroom to prevent her from escaping. Authorities also alleged Gregorio admitted feeding the child cat food and told a witness she restrained her daughter because Louder was “making” her do it.
“This home was supposed to be a safe haven for this child, but instead, the defendants turned it into a house of horrors as they, time and time again, subjected the girl to a spectrum of abuse,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a news release. “We commend the Court for recognizing this heinous behavior and the long-lasting trauma inflicted on this brave child.”
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors presented surveillance images showing Gregorio sitting beside the girl as she was strapped to her bed. Luzerne County Detective George Keifer testified the investigation was “by far one of the most horrific cases” of his career, according to a report from The Citizens’ Voice.
The child also addressed the court through a victim impact statement read by prosecutors.
“I want you to stay in jail. I want you to suffer. What you did is very bad,” the girl said. “I know you’re going to get mad at me. I don’t care. You made me sad.”
Prosecutors argued both women deserved the maximum punishment, calling them “absolute monsters” who treated the girl “worse than a caged animal,” according to The Citizens’ Voice.
Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas, describing the case as one of “extreme cruelty,” said it was difficult to comprehend how a mother and grandmother could inflict such abuse on their own family member before imposing the lengthy prison terms.
“It is hard for this court to fathom how someone can act in such a cruel fashion, not only to another human being but to their own flesh and blood,” he said, per the Citizens’ Voice.
Authorities said the girl, now in trauma therapy, has made significant progress since being removed from the home. “She’s grown leaps and bounds,” a Luzerne County Children and Youth caseworker reportedly testified at the hearing.
Both defendants were credited with 450 days of time served.
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