A Minnesota woman was arrested after she allegedly tortured a young child for 17 months by forcing them to do several punishments and refusing to feed them.
Paula Jo McCallister has been accused of forcing the child to “go on the wall” and standing with their feet and nose to it every day from the beginning of the day until their bed time, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KBJR. McCallister, 36, allegedly told the child they couldn’t move away from “the wall” under any circumstances.
There was one occasion when McCallister allegedly pushed the child down, pulled out a pistol and then held the weapon to the victim’s forehead. “Your death would bring me sweet relief,” she allegedly said at the time of the incident.
McCallister also punished the child for stealing food by allegedly refusing to feed them for days at a time, as well as allegedly locked the child in a room without food and water and would force them to kneel on grains of rice while holding weights.
Another child living in the home told investigators that the victim was punished on a daily basis unless McCallister decided to give them a second chance. The abuse allegedly began in September 2024 and lasted until January 2026.
While the victim and child interviewed are reportedly siblings, their relation to McCallister is not currently known. The ages and genders of the children have also not yet been revealed.
The other child told investigators that McCallister had instructed them to not reveal what she was doing to the victim. McCallister allegedly told the other child that police would not believe the victim if they told anyone about the cruel way she punished them.
McCallister also allegedly said that if they reported her, officials would return the victim back to her without any consequences because she did not have a criminal record.
After the authorities learned of the allegations against McCallister, she was arrested on seven criminal counts of child torture, second-degree assault, domestic assault by strangulation, neglect or endangerment of a child, malicious punishment of a child, domestic assault and false imprisonment with unreasonable restraint of a child by tying, locking, caging or chaining.
If she is found guilty, she could face up to 25 years in prison for the child torture charge, as well as additional time for the other charges.
It is not currently clear if McCallister has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. She has since been released from custody on bail and is scheduled to return to court regarding the charges on Wednesday, July 28.
The Chisholm Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
