In a shocking and harrowing case that has sent shockwaves through the nation, a New Hampshire couple is facing a lawsuit for allegedly subjecting their adopted daughter to years of torture and abuse. Olivia Atkocaitis, now 20 years old, managed to escape from a locked basement dungeon room in 2018, where she had been confined for weeks at a time. The details of her ordeal are nothing short of horrifying.
Olivia’s nightmare began when she was adopted at just 14 months old under China’s “one-child policy.” From the age of 3, she claims to have endured physical and mental abuse at the hands of her adoptive parents, Thomas and Denise Atkocaitis. She was denied food, healthcare, and education, and was treated as less than human. The lawsuit alleges that she was tied up with a dog leash and threatened with deportation if she didn’t comply with their demands.
The extent of the abuse Olivia suffered is truly disturbing. She was forced to sleep on a vinyl twin mattress without sheets, in a room without heat, ventilation, or running water. The window was covered with chicken wire, and she was forced to use a bucket as a toilet. But the physical abuse was just as horrifying. Olivia claims that her adoptive parents poured hot sauce down her throat, made her eat her own vomit, and subjected her to other forms of degrading punishment.
The lawsuit also reveals the shocking indifference of authorities who were aware of Olivia’s situation. One of her siblings reported the abuse to the New Boston Police Department and their school in 2011, but despite photographic evidence of the dungeon room and the parents’ admission that they regularly locked Olivia inside, she was never removed from the home. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the Division for Children, Youth and Families are also named in the lawsuit for their alleged failure to protect Olivia.
Earlier this month, the parents’ pleas to dismiss the case were denied by a court judge. Thomas and Denise Atkocaitis, who have since moved to Georgia, argued that they were not properly served, that the court lacked jurisdiction, and that the statute of limitations had passed. However, charges against individual police officers and social workers are still pending.
Olivia Atkocaitis, now studying psychology at Plymouth State University, is seeking justice and emancipation through this civil action. Her attorney, Michael S. Lewis, emphasizes the gravity of the case, stating that “slavery still exists in modern times, in acute forms, in New Hampshire.” The goal is to free Olivia from the environment that caused her immense suffering.
This horrifying tale of torture and abuse serves as a stark reminder of the importance of protecting vulnerable individuals and holding those responsible accountable for their actions. The legal battle that lies ahead will undoubtedly shed more light on the extent of Olivia’s suffering and the failures of the system that should have protected her.
As the nation grapples with this shocking case, it serves as a chilling reminder that evil can lurk behind closed doors, even in the most unsuspecting places. The fight for justice for Olivia Atkocaitis continues, as the world watches in horror at the unimaginable cruelty she endured.
