Jeanette Maples, a 16-year-old girl residing in Eugene, Oregon, had a passion for reading during her time at Cascade Middle School from 2006. However, after completing eighth grade in 2008, she transitioned to being homeschooled under the registration of Lane Education Service District. Jeanette lived with her mother, Angela McAnulty, and Angela's husband, Richard McAnulty.
On the evening of December 9, 2009, just before 8 PM, authorities received a distress call from the residence on Howard Avenue. Inside, they found Jeanette unconscious and injured in the bathtub. Angela claimed that Jeanette had been sleeping in the living room when she suddenly stopped breathing.
Jeanette was swiftly taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, but she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Upon initial examination, it became apparent that Jeanette had endured prolonged abuse and starvation. Dr. Daniel Davis, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, stated that Jeanette had suffered such extensive harm from various sources that he couldn't determine which specific injury had caused her death. Her body had wasted away, devoid of fat and with minimal muscle tissue.
The effects of starvation alone could have been fatal, but Jeanette's body exhibited numerous injuries in different stages of healing. Over 200 injuries were observed, many resulting from blunt force inflicted by a manufactured object with a straight, machined edge. Dr. Davis discovered a hole at the back of Jeanette's head, causing bleeding in her brain. Furthermore, Jeanette had pneumonia in the form of an abscessed lung, which might have introduced bacteria into her bloodstream, leading to shock and eventual demise.