A 36-year-old Chisholm mother is facing seven criminal counts after investigators say she subjected her teenage son to food deprivation, forced workouts, confinement and violent punishment. The allegations describe a loaded pistol pressed to the boy’s forehead and a threat that his death would bring “sweet relief.” All of Paula Jo McCallister’s children have since been removed from her care.
According to Northern News Now, McCallister was charged July 24 in St. Louis County District Court with child torture, second-degree assault involving a pistol, domestic assault by strangulation, child neglect or endangerment, false imprisonment, malicious punishment of a child and domestic assault. The alleged conduct spans from September 2024 through January 2026.
Social workers interviewed the alleged victim, a 17-year-old boy, in March after reports of abuse surfaced, Bring Me The News reports. The boy initially denied physical abuse, but later told investigators that he was locked in his room for days without food or water and forced to exercise for hours, while his younger sisters described punishment that required him to stand with his toes and nose against a wall for much of the day.
Complaint Details Food Deprivation And Gun Threat
The most serious allegation involves an encounter in which McCallister allegedly pushed the boy to the ground, retrieved a pistol, loaded and cocked it, then held it to his forehead. The complaint says she told him, “Your death would bring me sweet relief,” according to Northern News Now.
The complaint also alleges McCallister kicked the boy, strangled him and struck his head against a wall over a broken cup. A witness reportedly called 911 during that incident, and investigators later found old screw holes on the outside of the boy’s bedroom door, suggesting a lock had been installed there, after executing a search warrant in July.
What Minnesota’s Child Torture Law Allows
Minnesota law defines child torture as the intentional infliction of extreme mental anguish or extreme psychological or physical abuse committed in an especially depraved manner. Under Minnesota’s child-torture statute, a conviction can carry up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $35,000.
McCallister was arrested and later released on bond, and she is due back in court later this month, according to Bring Me The News. The allegations come from charging documents and have not been proven in court; McCallister is presumed innocent unless prosecutors establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Recent Minnesota Case Shows How These Charges Can Unfold
The case follows another recent Minnesota prosecution involving a child-torture charge. Hoodline reported in March that a Grand Rapids mother was sentenced to 57 months after prosecutors said home-security footage documented repeated abuse and deprivation. The cases are separate, and McCallister’s case remains at the charging stage.
