Court May Take Girl Who Was Tied To Tree

Officials say a juvenile court judge will decide whether there is enough evidence of abuse to permanently remove from home a 13-year-old girl who was padlocked to a tree by her mother.

Since the girl was placed in foster care, tabloid TV crews from around the nation have hounded her, said caseworkers from the state children’s services agency and the Union County district attorney, Russell West.

“We’re just trying to safeguard the girl and let her get back to her normal life and get the TV crews out of town,” West said. “The victim is resentful of the media. This isn’t fair to her.”

The girl’s mother said she padlocked her daughter to a tree for two days because the girl wandered away from the family’s campsite during a hunting trip. The woman, Patricia Muncy, 41, faces assault and harassment charges.