Child forced to eat soap, couple arrested

**Honey** · October 13th, 2009, 10:47 PM

An age-old punishment got a 32-year-old mother and her 41-year-old boyfriend from Palm Bay thrown in jail. An 8-year-old girl said a bad word over weekend, so the couple washed her mouth out with soap.

The little girl was hospitalized, but was released and put in the custody of the Department of Children and Families along with a sibling.

While you've probably heard of parents washing their kids’ mouth out with soap, police say in this case it wasn't just a form of discipline, it was abuse.

The couple is in hot water after attempting to discipline the 8-year-old girl using a bar of Irish Spring. Police say Wilfredo Rivera forced the little girl to chew on a half-bar of the green soap for 10 minutes after she said the "F" word.

Police said the little girl was foaming at the mouth and wasn't allowed to wash the soap out until she cleaned up her own vomit.

"The detectives handling this case believed it to the point of abuse, child abuse, and that it was malicious torture,” explained Palm Bay police spokesperson Yvonne Martinez said.

Investigators say Rivera was laughing while the girl's mother did nothing until the couple noticed the girl's lips, throat and tongue were swollen. Then Rivera took her to Palm Bay Community Hospital.

However, police say, Rivera didn't stay to get her any help and left after he found out hospital staff called authorities, including the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Their landlord said Rivera told him they left because their daughter wanted to leave.

"He told me that the child was hungry and he said he knew she wasn't hungry because he had fed her something,” landlord Darwyn Rushing said.

When police discovered the girl at her house, she was still showing signs of some sort of allergic reaction that could have had dire consequences.

"Complications that could have turned life threatening,” Martinez said.

The girl was taken by ambulance back to the hospital and the couple was taken to jail. The 8-year-old girl is not the child of the mother’s boyfriend. Herderner and Rivera, however, do have an 18-month-old child together. Both children are in the care and custody of DCF.

Adriyanna Herdener was released on her own recognizance and her boyfriend was released with $20,000 bond. Eyewitness News tried to contact both of them, but was unable to reach them.

Child Forced To Eat Soap, Couple Arrested - County By County News Story - WFTV Orlando

**Grimmlok** · October 13th, 2009, 10:54 PM

she's not supposed EAT it, you just get her to suck on it for a bit

and really, an allergic reaction? from soap? how would anybody know that beforehand?

**McJag** · October 13th, 2009, 10:57 PM

I am glad the children have been removed from that household. Stupid twits.

**PoisonGirl** · October 13th, 2009, 11:53 PM

They need a whole bar of soup stuffed down their mouths.

**Sarzy** · October 14th, 2009, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by McJag

I am glad the children have been removed from that household. Stupid twits.

Agreed.

**Chilly Willy** · October 14th, 2009, 04:41 AM

Oh my.

**shutterbug** · October 14th, 2009, 05:38 AM

Originally Posted by PoisonGirl

They need a whole bar of soup stuffed down their mouths.

I find it difficult to believe that any sane person would countenance such a stupid act

**Rondette** · October 14th, 2009, 06:32 AM

Bet she won't swear for a while though....

**Mel1973** · October 14th, 2009, 07:20 AM

Anyone else having flash backs to the "soap poisining" blindness scene from A Christmas Story?

I know it's not funny but....
And you can sign me up as one of the parents who have washed a child's mouth out with soap. We call it a "scrubbing" - it involved dish washing liquid and a toothbrush. I didn't make him swallow that shit but he also never said a cuss word again. He's certainly never said "fuck". That's the queen mother of them all, I don't know what I'd do if my kid said "fuck"....

**msdeb** · October 14th, 2009, 10:20 AM

chew on half the bar of Irish Spring? that shit tears up my skin, cant imagine what it'd do to my mouth.

**cmmdee** · October 14th, 2009, 11:14 AM

Police said the little girl was foaming at the mouth and wasn't allowed to wash the soap out until she cleaned up her own vomit.

WTF.

**Grimmlok** · October 14th, 2009, 11:15 AM

well of course she was foaming. she ate soap!

**DeChayz** · October 14th, 2009, 11:23 AM

My sister got the soap AND hotsauce. Not simultaneously, of course. Making her chew it is excessive, but soap in the mouth is not normally abuse. I'm guessing they never used it to bathe her with, or they would have noticed an allergic reaction?