For many weeks, Dorothy Dixon, a single mother who had the mind of a child was forced to live in the basement of a house where it was cold and chilly. She was also pregnant at the time. The father of Dixon’s unborn fetus is unknown. Regardless of having a baby on the way, Dixon was forced to sleep on a mattress and a thin rug.
For food, Dixon would have to forage it. Whenever Dixon had gone upstairs, she was tormented by the rest of her housemates. They would shoot her with BBs as target practice. She got even burned with a glue gun. The housemates even resorted to dousing Dixon with scalding liquid that peeled away at her skin as a result.
Dixon was even pummeled with either an aluminum bat or a metal handle. It is unknown whether or not they even realized that Dixon was pregnant.
Dixon was even forced to walk around naked because housemates decided to torch what little clothes she had. Due to her child-like state, Dixon received Social Security checks. However, they were withheld by 35-year-old Michelle Riley who is accused of being the mastermind behind Dixon’s torment and murder.
According to Police Lieutenant David Hayes, Dixon saw little of the money she received.
Hayes said: “It was almost as though they were making fun of the abuse they were administering. This woman was almost like living in a prison.” It would look as if Dixon went through the abuse and torture to ensure there was a roof over the heads of herself and her one-year-old son.
Since her death, the son has been taken into custody by the state.
“I’ve never seen an almost conspiratorial effort by a group of people to continuously torture someone until she finally died, then not really show any remorse,” Hayes explained. He adds: “It was just a slow, torturous, tragic way to die. I highly doubt Dorothy Dixon even knew she was dying.”
The marks on Dixon’s body indicate that the abuse has happened for quite awhile. Upon examining Dixon’s body during an autopsy, it was discovered that she had 30 BBs inside her body from being used as target practice.
About 30 to 33 percent of her body had deep-tissue burns which were on her face, chest, arms, and feet. Also, many of the wounds that were inflicted upon Dixon became infected.
So far, six people have been arrested and charged: two adults, three teenagers, and a 12-year-old boy.
The two adults are 35-year-old Michelle Riley and 43-year-old Judy Woods.
The three teenagers are 15-year-old LaShelle McBride, 16-year-old Benny Wilson, and 18-year-old Michael Elliott. LaShelle McBride is Riley’s daughter.
Riley’s 12-year-old son is charged as a juvenile. His name has not been disclosed.
All six are in jail with the bail set to $1 million.
It is noted that Riley herself is a former drug user.
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