News Scrap

A former employee of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and a one-time guardian ad litem has found herself facing significant charges following the death of her 13-year-old adopted daughter.

The incident unfolded early Friday morning in the Sun ‘n Lake community of Sebring. Deputies were called to the home of Diana Natasha Mack just shortly after midnight, only to discover the unresponsive teenager lying near the front door. Unfortunately, EMS pronounced the girl dead at the scene.

According to Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman, the teen’s body showed clear signs of prolonged and severe abuse. Being malnourished and emaciated, the girl reportedly had wounds that were in different stages of healing, including lacerations that appeared to be recent. Adding to the ho, the girl was also found nude, wearing only a diaper.

“As bad as that is, it only gets worse,” Sheriff Blackman said. “The girl, who was nude except for a diaper, had clearly been severely abused. She was extremely emaciated and obviously malnourished. Her body was covered in wounds in all stages of healing, including open lacerations that were clearly recently suffered.”

The investigation uncovered even more tragic details if the story wasn’t bad enough. Reportedly, the child was being restrained in the home’s garage, where she was consistently monitored by Mack by surveillance cameras. However, the duration of the girl’s time in the garage is currently unknown. Adding to the horror, Sheriff Blackmon said Mack attempted to cover up the evidence by using pool chlorine inside the garage.

“While her child lay dead on the floor, the suspect had clearly used pool chlorine in an effort to destroy evidence in the garage before calling 911,” Sheriff Blackman added. “This is one of the most disturbing crime scenes I have encountered in more than 30 years of law enforcement. There are no words I can say that can truly convey the nightmare that this child’s life must have been.”

In the end, Mack gave conflicting timelines to authorities when asked about when she found the girl unresponsive. At first, Mack stated that she discovered the girl on Thursday morning, but later changed her statement to 3 p.m. Despite seeing the girl in this condition, Mack reportedly took the other four children to Titusville, leaving the 13-year-old behind. Unfortunately, she did not call for help until she returned home later that day.

As of now, Mack is facing charges of first-degree murder while engaged in aggravated child abuse, as well as charges of aggravated child abuse, kidnapping, and destroying evidence.