THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW

How 'The Girl In The Window' Is Doing 9 Years After Her Rescue From Horrific Neglect

On July 13, 2005, Detective Mark Holste of Florida's Plant City Police Department responded to a call from a neighbor who had seen a mysterious, pale little girl peer out of a broken window in a rundown rental house. For three years, the neighbor hadn't seen a child in the home or yard, and was concerned that the child may be a victim of neglect. When Holste arrived at the residence, he wasn't prepared for what he saw.
"There [were] animal feces on the floor, there was chewed-up food everywhere, there was trash everywhere and there were spider webs hanging from the ceiling," Holste told "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2009. "There were thousands and thousands of cockroaches."
In the midst of the filth was then-6-year-old Danielle, severely malnourished and wearing nothing but a soiled diaper.
"When I walked in the room, her eyes were open very, very wide when she saw me," Holste recalled. "Her mouth dropped open and she did a little crab-walk into the corner, and tucked her knees up to her mouth and put her hands around her knees. And started making grunting noises."
Danielle was taken to the hospital, and doctors determined that her behavior and language skills were similar to those of a 6-month-old baby. Ultimately, Danielle's mother spent 26 hours in jail and was sentenced to two years of house arrest followed by three years of probation. Her parental rights were also terminated.