Father accused of beating 6-year-old daughter and burying her alive in yard

A man in the USA has been accused of burying his daughter alive in a pit and leaving her there overnight as a form of punishment. The Pennsylvania man has been identified as John Kraft, and has been accused of brutally abusing his 6-year-old daughter multiple times.

The abuse occurred at their house in Waynesburg and came to light in September. However, the extent of the abuse that the little girl had to go through was revealed just two weeks ago, according to Pittsburgh's Action 4 News.

The police interviewed the girl and her brother and found out that the man used to brutally hit the girl using a belt and his arm that had a metal rod in it from surgery. The girl told police that Kraft "would bury her in the yard when he believes that she is lying."

"The allegations are that this child was beaten brutally, that the child had bruises all over her body, that she was choked to the point that she had passed out," said Greene County District Attorney David Russo.

"She was buried in a hole as punishment. She was thrown in a hole overnight. Her head was slammed off the wall and slammed off the floor. This is a barbaric situation," he said, adding that it was one of the worst cases of child abuse that he had ever seen.

The authorities found several old and new bruises on the girl's body. The social workers had reported seeing severe bruising on her face and body last month.

Kraft has been charged with multiple accounts of aggravated assault, along with simple assault, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment of a minor, strangulation, and endangering the welfare of children. He is currently in jail, while the children have been placed in foster care.

"My office has always taken a strong stance against child abuse," Russo added. "We will not tolerate it in our county, and this individual will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."