As Brian and Shannon Gore face new homicide charges for their son's death in 2008, NewsChannel 3 has learned the daughter they nearly starved to death "continues to do very well."
"She is a tough little girl who has come a very long way," said her court appointed attorney Brian Decker in an e-mail to NewsChannel 3. "There aren`t enough adjectives to describe just how wonderful she is."
The Gores were sentenced to 30 years in prison last year for locking their daughter in a makeshift cage and not feeding her for years. The girl, left to feed off her own skin and feces to survive, suffered permanent brain and physical damage. Medical records discussed during the Gores' sentencing in June 2013 suggest the girl was starved from the time she was three until she was around six years. That's when authorities in Gloucester found her in a dark room. They also found the remains of her younger brother under the shed. Charges were dropped for lack of evidence in his death years ago, but new charges were filed earlier this month.
In a letter to the judge last year, her adopted mother wrote: "We will always be here to protect our daughter and be her cheering squad in the years to come."
Her father also wrote "she is intelligent enough to know she is different from her peers and cries asking why she is different," and "while other children were learning to sing songs, color.... my daughter was alone, confined and denied the most basic human needs".
Experts said the girl will need therapy and counseling for the rest of her life.
The Gores are due in court to face new homicide charges on June 10.
