Malinda Hoagland's sisters are looking for answers and justice after their 12-year-old sister died from severe abuse.
Malinda Hoagland sadly passed away in a Pennsylvania hospital, and the police say the abuse was caused by her father and his girlfriend.
At the time of her death, she was severely underweight, weighing just 50 pounds, and had multiple broken bones.
Malinda's father, Rendell Hoagland, and his girlfriend, Cindy Warren, have been charged with attempted criminal homicide, kidnapping, and several other charges related to Malinda's death.
Prosecutors announced these charges, but it is not yet clear if the accused have entered a plea.
An investigation revealed that Malinda had been pulled out of school in late 2023.
Police found disturbing videos on Warren's phone that showed Malinda in chains and being yelled at by both suspects through a speaker system.
Prosecutors claim that Rendell and Warren made Malinda endure tough punishments, like intense workouts and withholding food.
Cindy Warren has a prior criminal history.
In 2007, she pleaded guilty to endangering her 3-year-old child in a separate child abuse case.
Malinda’s half-sisters, Emily Lee (28) and Jamie Hoagland (23) told PEOPLE they were shocked and saddened.
They didn’t know their sister was living in such terrible conditions.
Emily Lee shared, "I was estranged from my father, waiting for my sister to get older. We had a relationship before my father's involvement with Cindy, but we didn't know what was happening. We were kept in the dark."
When Emily found out about her dad's new girlfriend, she looked up Cindy Warren online and discovered her troubling legal history.
"I asked my dad, ‘Do you know what this woman has been accused of? Do you know what she's done?’ But we weren't supposed to talk about it," she recalls.
Emily hoped Warren had changed, but she got more worried about Malinda when their father moved away and stopped talking to them as much.
Jamie Hoagland last saw Malinda in May 2023 at a competition Rendell participated in.
When Malinda didn't attend, Jamie insisted on seeing her.
"I brought food for all of them," Jamie remembers.
"Malinda was in a hotel room that was 50 degrees, under blankets and sweatshirts. I didn't think much of it at the time."
Jamie recalls talking briefly with Malinda, who said she was making friends at her new school.
However, their visit ended when Rendell and Warren came back and told them to leave.
Months later, authorities noted Malinda was withdrawn from school.
Given Warren’s criminal past, Emily and Jamie, represented by attorneys Alexandria Crouthamel and Tom Bosworth, believe Child and Youth Services should have intervened.
While a lawsuit is possible, Emily and Jamie’s attorneys are advocating for legislative change.
"We're pushing for something called Malinda's Law, which would create a registry for physical offenders," Crouthamel explains. "There’s a registry for sex offenders that the public can access, but nothing similar for physical offenders. The girls want a database to identify such individuals."
Crouthamel and Bosworth have been in contact with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro about this potential legislation.
Malinda’s sisters fondly remember her as a bubbly and outgoing child who loved movies. "She loved the world and being in it," Lee says.
Though they are still grieving, Emily and Jamie are determined to share Malinda’s story.
"It never gets easier to talk about it," Jamie admits. "But if we don't have the courage to speak up, nobody will. This can't go back under the rug."
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org.
All calls are toll-free and confidential, and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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