5. A Hometown Momstrosity

I can't believe it's taken me this long to blog about this, but honestly, it makes me so sad that this story took place in my small hometown outside of Detroit that it probably explains a little of why I've stayed away from it. However, today I wondered what progress had been made in this case, and I decided I could fill anyone reading this in on it as well.

Last semester, I read a very disturbing story online that unfortunately happened just a few blocks from my parent's house in Trenton, MI. A 33 year old woman named Jennifer Petkov had been taunting her neighbor, a seven year old girl named Kathleen Edward. If taunting a seven year old girl does not seem problematic enough, Kathleen had also been diagnosed with and in the late stages of Huntington's disease. Jennifer posted pictures of Kathleen's mother who had died of the same disease on Facebook, edited together with pictures of the grim reaper, and had also posted pictures of Kathleen herself edited with a skull and cross bones. Jennifer admitted to the taunting, and explained that at its root was a feud among the families, specifically she and one of Kathleen's caretakers, her grandmother. The feud reportedly started from something so small as who was or was not invited to a child's birthday party, and has somehow progressed to this.

The incident was not Jennifer's last appearance in the news. Since, she has also plead guilty to battery and assault for her attempts to run over a different neighbor with her car.

When I was thinking about it today, I came across this article which explains that Jennifer has been ordered to move out of her home and sentenced to eighteen months probation as well as many different evaluations.

I am glad to see that action is being taken against Jennifer Petkov, and especially that she has been given a restraining order so that Kathleen can continue her life in peace. I think one of the things that bothers me most about this story is that Jennifer is a mother herself--I can only imagine growing up in a household with Jennifer as a mother. I cannot understand how anyone can have so little compassion as to actually taunt a young, dying girl, but I think the part that makes me so sick about this story is that Jennifer has her own children as well. Furthermore, the fact that part of Kathleen's tragic story includes losing her own mother and Jennifer did not hesitate in attacking that as well makes the story all the more horrifying.