In a case that Elmwood Place Police Chief Randy Newsom described as "the worst case of child abuse and neglect" he has seen in his three-decade career, a local couple has been arrested and charged with disturbing crimes. Angel Holland, 32, and her live-in boyfriend, Aaron Stalling, 34, are facing multiple felony child endangerment and assault charges after three severely malnourished children were found in their care, including a 9-year-old boy now on life support.
The dire situation emerged following a 911 call on Sept. 13, reporting an unresponsive child. Paramedics revived the young boy, who was found with a body temperature of below 80 degrees and weighing just 30 pounds. LOCAL12 News reported on the case, noting that his siblings were also discovered to be malnourished.
Court records reveal that the children had been under Holland's custodianship since 2020. Allegations against the couple include "torture or cruelly abuse" which led to serious physical harm to the children. FOX19 cited court documents stating the offenses took place on Sept. 13.
In response to the severity of the charges, Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Josh Berkowitz set a high bond of $600,000 each for Holland and Stalling. Should they manage to post bond, they are ordered to momentarily stay away from all victims and remain on house arrest with electronic monitoring. Details of these conditional measures and the upcoming grand jury indictment, slated for Oct. 3, were reported by FOX19.
The other children, aged 6 and 8, were taken to Children's Hospital where their conditions were reported as malnourished as well. The 8-year-old weighed only 23 pounds and the 6-year-old 22 pounds. A Hamilton County prosecuting attorney in court was quoted by WLWT as saying, "This appears to be one of the most insidious examples of child abuse that I've seen in 25 years." All three children have been placed in the custody of Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services as the investigation continues.
