Autistic girl, 3, beaten to death by foster parents who would get upset over how she chewed food: report

A pair of sick foster parents allegedly beat their 3-year-old “special needs” foster daughter to death after meting out months of abuse because the girl would cry and take too long to chew her food, according to police.Jamie Johnson, 44, and Raymond Johnson, 62, of Stanley, North Dakota, allegedly doled out closed-fist punches, kicks, head-slamming hair pulls, and other “owies” as punishments for the now-dead 3-year-old foster child who they believed was autistic, Law and Crime reported, citing the Stanley Police Department.The girl, who was in the Johnsons’ custody for just a few months, would be abused as punishment for “infractions” such as crying and taking too long to chew her food, an affidavit reviewed by the outlet stated.The child’s foster mom would regularly fly into a fit of rage over the 3-year-old’s eating habits.One of the Johnsons’ other foster kids told cops the girl would get “in trouble” for “leaving food in her mouth,” the report stated.“It’s not easy, I get pretty crabby sometimes and then I feel like s–t for it,” Jamie allegedly told a friend via text message. “Honestly, if I knew how she was I might not have taken her,” she added in reference to the child whom she called a “total brat” in another message.In other texts, Jamie expressed the belief that the girl was “special needs” and possibly “autistic,” the report stated.In March, the Johnsons brought the unresponsive girl to the hospital, saying that she had fallen down a flight of stairs at some point in the days prior, Law and Crime reported.The foster mom told investigators the girl would regularly “self-inflict” injuries due to her learning disability — but revelations from the couple’s other foster children, and home security footage, revealed the hellish reality of the Johnsons’ home.“You need to be careful with my mom,” one of the kids told investigators from the North Dakota Bureau of Investigation, describing her as ...