she actually got charged today and i am so happy...i hope she is found guilty and spends her life in prison..and yes i might be harsh but what she did is unimaginable..

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- A 21-year-old Navy wife accused of fatally neglecting her 18-month-old daughter, then storing her body for weeks in a garbage bag, is being charged with second degree murder, with four special circumstances: domestic violence, deliberate cruelty, particularly vulnerable victim and position of trust.

If found guilty Rhoades could face a maximum of life in prison. The prosecutor says Rhoades husband will not be charged with anything based on the information now available.

Richeal M. Rhoades was arrested Monday for investigation of manslaughter and booked into the Kitsap County jail. Prosecutors said charges would likely be filed Thursday and could include second-degree murder, manslaughter or criminal mistreatment.

The woman moved to the Jackson Park Naval Housing Area in Bremerton in August as her sailor husband Michael Rhoades prepared to leave from Kings Bay, Ga., aboard the USS Maine, a Trident submarine that was reassigned to a base at Bangor, near Bremerton.

According to documents filed in Kitsap County Superior Court, she waived her rights and made a statement to Naval Criminal Investigative Service officers. She described a steadily worsening depression, which led her to do the bare minimum for her two children, 18-month-old Brenda and Michael, age 3. She described letting the little boy make his own snacks and get his own water by climbing a step stool to reach the kitchen sink.

Eventually, according to court papers, the woman said she was giving Brenda only about 3 eight-ounce bottles of milk per day, with no solid food, and changing her diaper only once a day.

A week before Thanksgiving, the woman said, she left the window open all night in the little girl's room to air out the stench of dirty diapers, then found the child had a 102-degree temperature the next day.

She told investigators she found Brenda dead in her room after leaving the baby alone for 40 to 44 hours. She estimated that was a few days before Thanksgiving, according to court papers. She told investigators she ate Thanksgiving Dinner with neighbors, telling them Brenda was sick and staying with friends.

Instead of reporting the death, she put the child's body in a black plastic garbage bag, along with some dirty diapers, and left it in the child's bedroom until last Friday. Realizing her husband would be arriving soon, she put the bagged body into a box and taped it shut, setting it on the porch.

Her husband's submarine arrived Sunday at Bangor, and he apparently learned of the baby's death that night, although authorities weren't notified until Monday, the papers said.

An autopsy has been completed, but no results were released Tuesday.

The 3-year-old boy was placed in protective custody.

"This is sad," Navy spokesman Tom Danaher said. "It's a serious concern of ours and we're -- we're perplexed."


ALSO-here is another article about it on another news station..i didn't want to actually post this one because it is very graphic. i am still crying and i read it about 20 min ago..so open at your own risk
http://www.komotv.com/stories/40787.htm

What is the worst thing is that she could have WALKED to the hospitak to get help for het daughter...

well in the komo link i just posted, she explains why she didn't go to the hospital..god i so hope she doesn't get off with an insanity plea..yes she's fucked up but she needs to pay for this..it is like she has no remorse whatsoever

That absolutely breaks my heart. I didn't open the KOMO link, the story itself is enough for me. There's no excuse for not going to the hospital, no excuse for child neglect. I can't believe anyone could be so cruel. That poor poor baby. I think of my baby girl and I just wish someone would have been there to help that poor baby in this case. I just can't imagine it. How heartless can you be?? If she's not insane (which she MUST be), I hope she gets the death penalty. Screw life in prison. She doesn't deserve to live in the first place.

Ugh! It makes my sick to my stomach reading that! I just don't understand how people can treat children like that. I will never understand.

omg thats horriabl and she should rot in jail! this is what i dont get the dad found out on a friday or so and the police were not notified righ away???? wtf he should go to jail too for not reporting it! im sorry but if i was him id be on the phone asap!! but she waitied until monday!!!! that poor poor baby! what a bich i hope she burns in hell

:no :tears

That is so sad!!

being a navy wife can be hard but she has major issue's to have done that horriable thing !

I just read the komo news story and am in tears and hugging my son extra hard. How sad is that. I cannot believe that and it actually turns my tummy.

That is the worst thing I have ever heard of! And not taking her to the hospital because she didn't want them to be taken away from her!!!! OMG!!! They needed to be taken away from her and then maybe this wouldn't have happened. How selfish she is!!!!

:sadeyes Okay, I can't stop crying now. HOW can someone do that to such an innocent child!?!? I want to go to WA and beat the fuck out of her!!!!

:( Thats horrible.....
I know how bad depression can be, but you have to reach out to someone if you feel like that

The boat didn't get home until Saturday and he didn't come home until Sunday,so he probably had duty. The way that she has been telling lies to her neighbors and everyone else, she probably told him several as well.

omg thats horriabl and she should rot in jail! this is what i dont get the dad found out on a friday or so and the police were not notified righ away???? wtf he should go to jail too for not reporting it! im sorry but if i was him id be on the phone asap!! but she waitied until monday!!!! that poor poor baby! what a bich i hope she burns in hell

i know depression is a hard thing but it's not a good excuse :( there's never an excuse for doing that to a child.

well in the komo link i just posted, she explains why she didn't go to the hospital..god i so hope she doesn't get off with an insanity plea..yes she's fucked up but she needs to pay for this..it is like she has no remorse whatsoever


This makes me so sick to my stomach! I just want to cry, and to think that I live here in JP!! I wish I knew them in some sort of way, because I keep thinking I could have saved that little girl...some how:no

There is no way they can have her plead insanity. She knew EXACTLY what she was doing and she knew it was WRONG. She was apparently coherent. If she was so depressed and couldn't care for her children, she should have just taken them to the Naval Hospital, and dropped them off. At least her daughter would be alive:tears

I hope she rots in hell!!

The boat didn't get home until Saturday and he didn't come home until Sunday,so he probably had duty. The way that she has been telling lies to her neighbors and everyone else, she probably told him several as well.


You know, I am starting to think that too. I mean, how could a father, who has been deployed for 75 days, come home and have his wife tell him that their daughter is dead, and not go ballistic?!?! Personally, I think she got scared, told him that their daughter was at a friend's house, and when he went into the closet the next day, and found the body, he probably lost it, and called the police. I hope that's what happened. I don't think this woman is a very good source of information.

Wow...I don't even know what to say.

I think about my own and cannot even FATHOM doing something like that..

This part of the story REALLY made me want to cry the most:

The mother said she found the little girl against the bedroom door and had to push her out of the way to enter.

Terrible...Just picturing that little girl trying to get to her Mom...

:no

this is an excerpt from the kitsap sun about the father and what he actually knew..it clears up some things but i still think she lied to him and he didn't know the body was there at first...

When Michael returned home, police reports said Rhoades told him of Brenda's death, but that he had to return to duty, and she wasn't able to "explain everything."

When her husband again returned home, she explained the situation, after which they went to McDonald's, came home, "were intimate with each other," and "looked at the computer for while," before going to bed at 3 a.m., police reports said.

Her husband woke up late for work Monday, but when he left, he told her he was going to "tell somebody" about what had happened. He reported it to Navy authorities on Monday

I have been crying since I heard the first news story. I don't live in JP but when you are close...you feel like "I wish I could have done something". To think of that beautiful baby girl suffering and scared ...OMG I can't stop crying it just kills me...its just so painful to think about. I have to go hug my babies now...OMG this is so so so so sad.......................

I would feel so bad if I was her neighbor...I mean...I would never think that someone was capable of harming their children and you hear bumps, thumps and yelling or crying occasionally so maybe you would'nt know what was going on. No one really knows when its the right time to intrude...god this is just sad...

There are some very iffy situations to this story
But I agree with Becca she doesn't deserve to live she needs the death penalty

just read that komo article. It made me cry. I certainly hope she doesn't get off on insanity. After she did it if she was truely "insane" she would have told someone, not hide it and went to thanksgiving dinner and lie about where the baby was. This makes me so sick.

Gave me chills reading the whole thing.. On another forum I went too a lady come on and was asking if we thought it was due to stress as a navy spouse. I was like are you serious ! No way ! To do that takes alot more than just the stress of the military, takes something wrong in your head ! Disgusting... :0(

there's no excuse for that. There's just way too many resources available living on base. If she was depressed, she wouldn't have went over to her neighbors house to enjoy thanksgiving. She didn't neglect feeding herself, obviously if you watched the video. I'm sure those neighbors would have helped her with the baby if she told them she was too depressed. Navy wives understand how it is, she knows no other mother would have judged or looked down on her for asking for help! There's just no excuse.
One of the most disgusting parts of it is the dad. If what that report said is true, what the HELL is wrong with that man? If I killed our child I would hope Will would strangle me on the spot because that's what i would deserve!

But is that a statement from him or from the court documents. From what I have heard he hasnt released a statement to the press or talked to anyone in the press about it. That he is a wreck and is under 24 hour watch. That there is no way they had sex and she is sprouting off more lies.


this is an excerpt from the kitsap sun about the father and what he actually knew..it clears up some things but i still think she lied to him and he didn't know the body was there at first...

When Michael returned home, police reports said Rhoades told him of Brenda's death, but that he had to return to duty, and she wasn't able to "explain everything."

When her husband again returned home, she explained the situation, after which they went to McDonald's, came home, "were intimate with each other," and "looked at the computer for while," before going to bed at 3 a.m., police reports said.

Her husband woke up late for work Monday, but when he left, he told her he was going to "tell somebody" about what had happened. He reported it to Navy authorities on Monday

stupid bitch! Let her fry! No ifs ands or buts! She is WRONG & there is no excuse for what she did!:mad :reallymad :no :shock :unlove :sadeyes :banghead :duh :sick


Poor precious baby!:sadeyes (L) :yes

Shoot me now...she doesn't deserve the death penalty...she deserves/needs therapy and medication. I know I'm going against the grain on this, it's my right.

The responses given in this thread show why other women military or civilian don't reach out when they are in this state of depression. Most of the time they don't realize they are that far gone. Her reality was blurred that is why she wasn't even giving the children basic necessities but still didn't want to have her children taken away by CPS. If you haven't lived with it or seen if happen personally you really don't understand from what I gather. Did anyone here see the Oprah show with Brooke Shields? We as military wives know it is depressing when a spouse leaves and it doesn't matter if they leave for 7 days or 7 months it's gets depressing, we all know moving depresses us, having no family around depresses us, put post partum depression with that then add in the stress of every day life and it's a killer drink...literally. Some can't take that, that is there breaking point. If they have no one around who really knows them and knows there normal (non-depressed) behavior then no one notices the difference. Her own husband may not have even realised her depression...they probably hadn't been married long and even if they have been married a couple years he's in the Navy and is on sea duty...hell he isn't home to know her normal behavior catch the slip ups. Not only that but when he is home I'm sure she is on an emotional high and doesn't have as many slip ups. Women everywhere need to stop bashing each other all the damned time for every little mistake. We are our own worst enemies and boy it just makes my skin crawl to think about. Instead of always belittleing your fellow woman...help her out, build her confidence up, don't break her trust and just be a friend.

I will stop now because I'm started to get irritated not at anyone in particular just women in general and I realize most of you have never lived in this state of depression and do not understand the depth of psychosis that is involved.

Shoot me now...she doesn't deserve the death penalty...she deserves/needs therapy and medication. I know I'm going against the grain on this, it's my right.

The responses given in this thread show why other women military or civilian don't reach out when they are in this state of depression. Most of the time they don't realize they are that far gone. Her reality was blurred that is why she wasn't even giving the children basic necessities but still didn't want to have her children taken away by CPS. If you haven't lived with it or seen if happen personally you really don't understand from what I gather. Did anyone here see the Oprah show with Brooke Shields? We as military wives know it is depressing when a spouse leaves and it doesn't matter if they leave for 7 days or 7 months it's gets depressing, we all know moving depresses us, having no family around depresses us, put post partum depression with that then add in the stress of every day life and it's a killer drink...literally. Some can't take that, that is there breaking point. If they have no one around who really knows them and knows there normal (non-depressed) behavior then no one notices the difference. Her own husband may not have even realised her depression...they probably hadn't been married long and even if they have been married a couple years he's in the Navy and is on sea duty...hell he isn't home to know her normal behavior catch the slip ups. Not only that but when he is home I'm sure she is on an emotional high and doesn't have as many slip ups. Women everywhere need to stop bashing each other all the damned time for every little mistake. We are our own worst enemies and boy it just makes my skin crawl to think about. Instead of always belittleing your fellow woman...help her out, build her confidence up, don't break her trust and just be a friend.

I will stop now because I'm started to get irritated not at anyone in particular just women in general and I realize most of you have never lived in this state of depression and do not understand the depth of psychosis that is involved.

You make a very good point. Its a complex and sad situation either way you look at it.

Why are we operating under the assuption that the woman was depressed? Did I miss that in an article somewhere (seriously, I didn't read the KOMO article)? The baby was a year and a freakin half old, it's not as if she was just delivered. Yes, we all miss our husbands when they're out to sea, but that's no excuse to neglect and kill our children.

Why are we operating under the assuption that the woman was depressed? Did I miss that in an article somewhere (seriously, I didn't read the KOMO article)? The baby was a year and a freakin half old, it's not as if she was just delivered. Yes, we all miss our husbands when they're out to sea, but that's no excuse to neglect and kill our children.

Yeah the komo link does say she was depressed. She says she was growing more detatched from her kids as her depression grew. While I do know depression is a real and serious thing, I also think it is used too lightly for situations like this. The fact that she gave her child childrens aspirin shows she was coherent and did know right from wrong. Did know her kid needed to be taken care of. But failed to do so. Do I think she was depressed? More then likely. But I also think she was more aware of what she was doing then what is thought. But thats just me...

Why are we operating under the assuption that the woman was depressed? Did I miss that in an article somewhere (seriously, I didn't read the KOMO article)? The baby was a year and a freakin half old, it's not as if she was just delivered. Yes, we all miss our husbands when they're out to sea, but that's no excuse to neglect and kill our children.

It did state that she was depressed in one of the articles. Post Partum Depression varies from person to person and in how extreme it effects each person. What she is actually dealing with is post partum psychosis. No I'm not a doctor but I've been there and understand more of her situation I guess. With out help it doesn't go away and only gets worse with each pregnancy/birth. yes her child was 18 months old but she also had an 18 month old when she got pregnant with the second child. She may have already had PPD and then with the second pregnancy slipped into the PP Psychosis. Neglecting our children is not ok but when you are in this state of mind you know it is wrong but the thoughts you are having are not right either and you don't know how to respond to them.

For those that have had no experience with any of this here is some explanation...
What is the difference between “baby blues,”postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis?
The baby blues can happen in the days right after childbirth and normally go away within a few days to a week. A new mother can have sudden mood swings, sadness, crying spells, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, and feel irritable, restless, anxious, and lonely. Symptoms are not severe and treatment isn’t needed. But there are things you can do to feel better. Nap when the baby does. Ask for help from your spouse, family members, and friends. Join a support group of new moms or talk with other moms.

Postpartum depression can happen anytime within the first year after childbirth. A woman may have a number of symptoms such as sadness, lack of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness. The difference between postpartum depression and the baby blues is that postpartum depression often affects a woman’s well-being and keeps her from functioning well for a longer period of time. Postpartum depression needs to be treated by a doctor. Counseling, support groups, and medicines are things that can help.

Postpartum psychosis is rare. It occurs in 1 or 2 out of every 1000 births and usually begins in the first 6 weeks postpartum. Women who have bipolar disorder or another psychiatric problem called schizoaffective disorder have a higher risk for developing postpartum psychosis. Symptoms may include delusions, hallucinations, sleep disturbances, and obsessive thoughts about the baby. A woman may have rapid mood swings, from depression to irritability to euphoria.

Yeah the komo link does say she was depressed. She says she was growing more detatched from her kids as her depression grew. While I do know depression is a real and serious thing, I also think it is used too lightly for situations like this. The fact that she gave her child childrens aspirin shows she was coherent and did know right from wrong. Did know her kid needed to be taken care of. But failed to do so. Do I think she was depressed? More then likely. But I also think she was more aware of what she was doing then what is thought. But thats just me...

When you have Post Partum Depression to the degree that it becomes phychosis you loose some of your coherency. That's why I said in my first response that her reality is blurred.

Thank you for being so informative on this issue. I never would have even known there was a difference between PPD and PPP. I do remember the Brook Shields thing on Oprah. I still believe that if she is found to be sane, she should suffer the death penalty. I do not, however, see her being found sane in the first place.


ETA: just for clarity, gotcurls, are you saying that because she had PPD or PPP you think her actions were justified? Or are you simply stating that she is a very ill woman and needs help rather than death?

I'm not justifing her actions, just stating that she is ill. It is a mental illness...compare it to bipolar disease if you want...it's not the same but it's something you don't understand unless you live it. She needs medical attention not just death.

eta...I just want to get the word out more about PPD because it is a fairly new thing. I think just within the last 10-15 years it has become more of an open discussion.

the world has changed so much...women used to have babies in hospitals and then go home to families with extended family members there to help...that is not the norm in the military world and more so in civilian world now.

Very well said Brook.
I agree if sane the Death penalty is justifiable but I understand the depression part as I have been there.