‘THIS IS BARBARIC’

Dad Would Bury 6-Year-Old in Hole When She Lied, DA Says

John Kraft is accused in one of the most horrific cases of child abuse the district attorney has seen.

In one of the most horrendous child abuse cases the prosecutor has ever seen, a Pennsylvania father has been accused of burying his 6-year-old daughter in a hole in the yard when he thought she was lying. “The allegations are that this child was beaten brutally, that the child had bruises all over her body, that she was choked to the point that she had passed out,” Greene County District Attorney David Russo said. “She was buried in a hole as punishment. She was thrown in a hole overnight. Her head was slammed off the wall and slammed off the floor. This is a barbaric situation.” John Kraft of Waynesburg was arrested and charged after social workers noticed the girl’s injuries—but a family friend tells WTAE she actually reported signs of neglect and abuse months ago. “I knew there was trouble in the home, but I didn’t know it was that bad. Anytime I saw something I called and reported,” Larissa Fonner said.