Parents Charged After Child Hospitalized, Found ‘Severely Malnourished’ In Harvard

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner:

A mother and father were charged after their 6-year-old child was found ‘severely malnourished’ in Harvard and had to be taken to the hospital.

The Harvard Police Department and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) responded around 2:26 p.m. November 17 to the 100 block of Shawnee Lane for a well-being check.

Harvard Deputy Police Chief Tyson Bauman said officers responded to assist DCFS in a possible child neglect investigation.

Police learned that a young child had been taken to Mercy Hospital in Walworth, Wisconsin, and was severely malnourished, Bauman said.

The child’s parents, Margaret A. Wisner, 48, and William S. Wisner, 40, were both charged with aggravated domestic battery, reckless conduct causing great bodily harm and child endangerment.

A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court alleges Margaret Wisner and William Wisner caused their 6-year-old “to become severely malnourished after failing to provide adequate nutrition and medical care.”

The neglect reportedly went on for approximately two years. The child’s current condition was not immediately available.

Margaret Wisner was taken into custody on Thursday after a warrant had been issued for her arrest and William Wisner was taken into custody the following day.

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The couple has two other children and it is unclear if they are also in DCFS custody or not.

Margaret Wisner created a GoFundMe account in April 2019 titled “help the Wisner family” saying that she had cervical cancer.

The post detailed her medical journey and mentioned her three children, who she said at the time were ages 21, 11, and 5.

Wisner said in the post that her oldest son and youngest son both have autism and that her middle son has Aspergers Syndrome.

The Northwest Herald reported that Wisner also created a GoFundMe account on November 2, claiming that her child has special needs and has become a “victim of CPS.” The campaign has since been deactivated.

Margaret Wisner and William Wisner both remain held in the McHenry County jail on a $200,000 bond each and will appear in court again this week.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.