Online addiction led to neglect
Internet Obsession Blamed for Neglect:
Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, have both been arrested on child neglect charges. Allegedly they were so addicted to the internet and video games that their children went hungry and had various health problems.
Prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing “Dungeons & Dragons” series, to give their children proper care.
“They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games,” Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.
Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.
Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.
Her MySpace has quite the ironic post…
What’s Wrong With Our Kids?
Do you really have to ask? Open your eyes. The problem isn’t that the next mass murderer may be sitting right next to you, sleeping in your house, eating at your table, giving you every signal of desperation a person can give. The problem is, you don’t want to see it. How else does a child become an emotionally alienated, psychologically twisted, mass murderer, unnoticed by everyone?
You mean like some kids who go unnoticed by their parents because they’re too busy online?
Both have plead guilty to the charges.
Thanks to S for the tip.
Tags: child-neglect, Iana-Straw, Michael-Straw, online-addiction
40 opinions for Online addiction led to neglect
katie
Jul 15, 2007 at 12:20 am
Hey Trench, you forgot to mention the kids ages. The girl was 11 months old, and the boy was 22 months old.
And here’s another little tidbit from her “What’s wrong with our kids” rant:
“Children who are loved and respected, are not emotionally alienated.”
There are tons of pics of their kids on their myspace pages.
Those babies are so precious. These people are disgusting.
Amanda
Jul 16, 2007 at 12:49 pm
I actually know this guy. We served in the U.S. Navy together from 2001-2003. He always seemed like a nice enough guy, but I guess you never know. Terrible thing that happened here… I feel awful for those poor babies. Couldn’t you just see them standing there next to them BEGGING them for foo! They were probably even screaming! And they didn’t even care!
Laurel Lei
Jul 16, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I read this story today… and then viewed her myspace page… these babies (WERE) loved and (careD for)… it was obvious from her page… something obviously went horribly wrong… addiction is a terrible thing… I am thankful and glad that they were found before they died… where were all the “friends” that were obvoiusly chatting with them and visiting them? Iana shows a picture of her new family that includes her mother… where was her extended family? How did it come to this? I grieve for the injured children and for the parents, who obviously needed some help. I hope they find that help in “the system” and can turn their lives around. I am struggling to understand. And again, I don’t think I ever will…
AKJules
Jul 16, 2007 at 1:35 pm
I couldn’t help but notice her interests liststed the playstation, xbox, computer games, watching movies, and playing on the net BEFORE listing her children.
“Between playing the playstation or the xbox, Computer Games, watching movies, playing on the net, taking care of the kids, and Trying to keep up on the house, inwhich never works. I’m too damn lazy. I’m over it.”
Amanda
Jul 16, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Does anyone have the myspace link or anything?
AKJules
Jul 16, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Their names at the top are links to their myspace pages.
Rachel
Jul 16, 2007 at 2:17 pm
I disagree that these babies “were” loved and cared for. Babies are all fun and cuddles when you first get them home and it’s all well and good to put goofy crap on them and take funny pictures and even spit vitorol on how “society” is the problem. This is classic, these people whine and moan about societal issues and how the “rich people” neglect their kids emotionally because they don’t want to deal with the fact that they are lazy slobs who don’t have jobs and their kids will get by just fine because they “love them” and “understand what is wrong.” Yeah, it’s societiy’s fault that you blew your inheritance on crap and you were too much of a freaking child to step up and be responsible for those babies. GROW UP.
These people make me want to puke. Get a job. Clean your house up. Throw the damn computer in the bathtub if you get to the point that you can’t even be bothered to feed these kids. Quit blaming the internet, you’re just as bad as those parents that blame their kid’s suicide on music.
I hope they rot in jail with no medicine for their genital infections and are dehydrated to the point that they can’t even cry. Those poor babies deserved so much better.
sarahd
Jul 16, 2007 at 3:12 pm
You know what is so sickeningly ironic about that post? Neglect is the absolute most damaging kind of abuse that a child can experience. Kids get over being addicted to crack, they can recover eventually from emotional, sexual and physical abuse in most cases, but a small child who is neglected and does not properly bond with the parents - they NEVER RECOVER from that. These are exactly the kids who become sociopaths. And if they don’t receive the proper nutrition when there little bodies and BRAINS are developing, they can look forward to a lifetime of physical ailments. I have seen it time and time again as a social worker. I am a big bleeding heart liberal, but there are too many deserving people to help out there. Let these two ROT in prison!!
David
Jul 16, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Laurel Lei, Just because they took several pictures and said they loved their kids doesn’t mean anything. I know several people who are bad parents and say all they do is spend time with their kids in reality they are lucky if they see them on a daily basis. People like that like to show their kids off like they are trophies or something, and its sickening. There is no excuse for what the have done. Internet is not an addiction. People do not need it to function, its sad how they turn everything into an addiction or disability when people are just lazy and look for an excuse to sit on their asses.
Laurel Lei
Jul 16, 2007 at 6:35 pm
I didn’t post my comment for it to be torn apart and scrutinized… I just felt I needed to write my thoughts… Please, as a requested courtesy, leave me out future responses, especially by name. I would appreciate that. As they say… opinions… everyone’s got one.
Since I have been personally addressed, I’ll respond… “We” don’t know what these people are “like”… hence my general statement of pity and outrage. My outrage lies primarily with the parents and also, secondarily, with our “village” for failing them… all of them, including children and parents. We have all been failed… for leaving me and you these terrible thoughts to mull in our heads…
As to addiction, no one truly “needs” any “addiction” to survive and function, hence its name and definition. Addiction isn’t just to substances like drugs, alcohol or food… it (also) refers to behaviors or like.
-ad•dic•tion (ə-dĭk’shən) (noun)
1. Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance: a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction; alcohol.
An instance of this: a person with multiple chemical addictions.
(AND)
2. The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something.
An instance of this: an addiction for fast cars or driving fast; an addiction to gambling.
The tug toward many addictions is overwhelming; powerful and consequences of actions are not thought out and are not paramount.
You and I may not “identify with” true addiction… but it exists in many forms and no one is invulnerable. I plan to take with me a better understanding of addiction, human nature, and a keener eye for those around me.
You are right… as I also stated… I can find no “excuse” for what they have done… but I am neither the judge, nor the jury… nor will I ever be.
I simply stated, that the children at one time appeared to be healthy and cared for and loved… and something horribly changed… Love is a very subjective word… no one defines it the same… I grieve for what love there was and still remains in that family… and I hope they all can survive what has been lost and betrayed. Love remains, even in its most shattered form, despite inhumanities and wrongs people commit…
I hope (the parents) find the strength to change what they have become… and they receive what is due them…
The parents: education, training, counseling and much time to ponder it.
The children: a loving home (together), nurturing care and, much later, the courage and strength to forgive.
My two pence…
-Laurel Lei
Amanda
Jul 16, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Like I said before, I DO know this guy. He was my friend and he was very caring and kind. Never in a million years could I imagine this type of situation involving him. We worked together SIDE BY SIDE in the navy for two years twelve hours a day everyday except weekends. We lived in the same building too. At that time he was not married and did not have children. He was just an all around nice guy. He did wear black, and he did like rock music, but, that doesn’t/didn’t make him a weirdo or a criminal.
Dont’ get me wrong; I am NOT condoning what he and his wife have done. But, at the same time… I’m really wondering what happened? He just didn’t seem like the type of guy he’s being made out to be. I dont’ believe for a second that the entire $50,000 went to computers either… not a second. I really hope something happens soon and we can get more details because I’m quite curious to see what is going to happen.
P.S. Don’t judge my opinion. I knew this person, and he was a good friend to me.
keith
Jul 16, 2007 at 8:07 pm
This kind of behavior warrants the punishment of the couple being shoved in a jail cell and starved for a long period of time. Boo Hoo, they had an adiction with the cyber world….What’s that crap? He is a disgrace because he is only 25 and unemployed as a cashier. What the heck was he doing all day long that he couldn’t take care of the kids while his wife worked? Do not even mention the fact that he was a American serviceman because he is a disgrace. His wife being the pile of crap she is has no room to talk either. What was that garbage about your kids becoming serial killers? The both of them should be tortured and starved for their actions. Since we live in this country of pansy liberals, they will probably get their kids back and serve no time because we feel bad. Such a shame!!!
keith
Jul 16, 2007 at 8:12 pm
AMANDA!!!!!
Your opinion is crap!!! I don’t care if you slept with him (which you probably did) while you were in the military with him. HELLO!!! WAKE UP!!! His baby had so much cat piss in her hair that the hospital had to cut it off and his boy couldn’t walk because of muscle failure. I can’t honestly believe you as a soldier (at one point in your life) could be stupid enough to buy that he was a nice guy. I will rip your comments apart as long as you are believing that he is innocent. Don’t be stupid!!!
Jimbob Anonymous
Jul 17, 2007 at 1:40 am
What is incredibly weird, they appeared to be together enough to run a website. This page details how many problems they had with people ordering stuff. The link is on her myspace page but here is the link anyway - http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=112008805
The website where they sell their stuff is http://www.ianasplace.com
So if they had it together enough to remember all the stuff about running an online business, how come they couldn’t remember to feed the kids?
amanda
Jul 17, 2007 at 5:55 am
Listen here ASSHOLE! You don’t know me! How dare you accuse me of sleeping with the guy! I NEVER said he was fucking innocent! What him and his wife did was SICK AND DISGUSTING! I simply said that three or so years ago, I knew him because we served in the navy and that was a good friend and a nice guy! THREE YEARS AGO! WTF is your problem? Learn to fucking read before you open your trap.
Oh yea one more thing… did you serve in the military? Until you have, STFU!
Michael Straw and his pathetic wife SHOULD rot in hell for what they’ve done and there is NO excuse for what they have done either. Theres no such thing as internet addiction, they just flat out didn’t care. I mean, why did they have kids anyway? Then again, are obviously not the smartest crayons in the box so they probably didn’t use protection or whatever.
Its pathetic and sad. Still, he is obviously not the person that I met years ago and thats ashame.
David
Jul 17, 2007 at 8:38 am
Keith, how about you grow up and learn to read. The kid didn’t have ‘muscle failure’ that ignorant that you would say that. There was a lack of muscle development, big difference. His muscle wasn’t disappearing, they just weren’t growing correctly. And where in her comments is she condoning what they did? She stated a fact, she knew him a few years ago, no that doesn’t mean she fucked him. Its sad your so sick you have to think that. How is it ok to jump all over a person because they stated they knew the guy three years ago? Its not it makes you look petty and ridiculous because everyone and go up and read what she wrote and then how you made an ass of yourself. So every comment you make about someone else’s comment i will shred apart, because you need to step back into reality. People do sick and stupid things, and you can’t get mad when someone says they knew a guy and he seamed nice 3 years ago. By the sounds of your comments, you are probably a teenager who has everything they want given to them by mommy and daddy. Grow up before you criticize someone else’s COMMENT.
AKJules
Jul 17, 2007 at 9:23 am
The lesson I take from this is that abusers can be anyone. Even people who no one suspects.
Amanda
Jul 17, 2007 at 1:30 pm
You are exactly right AKJules. Thats the small point I was trying to make. Thanks David.
Chuck
Jul 17, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Damn.
You know, in my house we have an Xbox/Xbox360, a PS2, a Gamecube/Wii, 2 decently high-end homebuilt computers, a highspeed internet connection, 2 WoW accounts, a decent sized HDTV and HD cable service with almost all the channels. We also have a 9 month old baby.
Guess which one gets the most attention?
The baby. The other stuff doesn’t get much attention until he is asleep for the night.
These douchenozzles are just scum of the earth and they need to be skimmed.
digital thoughts » Blog Archive » Irresponsible Parents
Jul 18, 2007 at 12:09 am
[…] Link: Online addiction led to neglect Bookmark […]
Shelley
Jul 18, 2007 at 12:40 pm
It i a sad day when parents (young ones) make the mistakes that these two have. There are truly terrible people in the world. However, for all the bad these 2 have done just remember there are worse…have you heard about the woman that threw her 2 month old baby at a moving car and missed. That poor little boy hit the window, and then the ground. Anyone that has half a brain can be a parent…where are these people getting their skills from? Sounds like someone failed them at some point and they’re just repeating the pattern.
Chuck D.
Jul 20, 2007 at 6:11 am
Just because a person served in the military doesn’t make them any more honorable in the face of horrifying crimes…Tim McVeigh, anyone? And there’s been a coupla Iraq vets who turned up on Dateline’s To Catch a Predator.
Chuck D.
Jul 20, 2007 at 7:03 am
Seems like the angry mob has already descended on Iana’s MS, which has a single blog entry and is thus an open invite for public castigation…someone calling herself “K” is defending the couple, but seems to be the lone voice on their side, as even Iana’s sister has declared “you’re dead to me”.
A mom of four, so far...
Jul 21, 2007 at 4:02 am
I saw her Myspace page, too, both hers and his. I do think at one point, yes, those children were loved and cared for, and like an above poster said, something went terribly wrong. I have a friend whose sister-in-law used to be a wonderful mother but when her son was around five years old she dipped into drugs and never got out. She now lives on the streets, her son has been adopted by my friend and her hubby, and she has given birth to another child that was taken from her because she is too high on Meth to know if she is coming or going most of the time. To look at this woman, she came from a good family and had a good support system and had been a great mom for five years. No one EVER guessed that she would end up how she did and that she would hurt so many people, mostly her son.
I guess my point is is that one cannot always “read” someone. When Dennis Raider (the BTK killer) was caught, no one who knew him could believe it. People who knew criminals always say “Oh, he was such a nice guy. Always had a smile for everyone. I never would have guessed…” Never do you hear former neighbors say “Oh man, that guy was WHACKED! I was scared to death! I was just waiting for those chainsaws to come slicing through my walks. Good think you caught him, I always knew he was a sick freak.”
To say that you knew someone and that they were nice doesn’t mean you condone what they did. Or think that they do not deserve to be punished for what they did.
This whole case is just heartbreaking. My prayers go up for those children, who must have wondered WHY did they stop taking care of us? Why aren’t they feeding us? I also pray for the parents; I believe one day they are going to really wake up and realize what they have done and what they have lost as a result, and I think that will be far worse punishment than any prison term that they serve - that they had the whole world in their hands and they threw it all away for what? A GAME. A STUPID video game. That they should have thrown straight in the garbage the minute it began taking over their lives.
tk
Jul 23, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Iana’s Myspace has been taken down, but you can still see her slideshow of the kids, which has its own comments. Notice how sickeningly skinny her baby girl is…. http://www.slide.com/r/J2RNM23s4j_ZYHIr5epEEOS36py98UiQ?view=large
Truthsayer
Jul 23, 2007 at 3:37 pm
On Iana’s myspace page she had a blog asking “What’s your favorite cookie” there were 3 pages the last time I checked of inflamitory remarks towards her except for a very, very few bone heads who post retarded comments (no not supporters, people who said stuff like D&D was lame). I just checked myspace and her page is down now, I guess that’s for the best in a way because it became a board where people gathered to express hatred for these animals over the horrible treatment they exacted on their babies. I hope they both get the full sentence allowed by law and they are never allowed contact with their children again. More importantly, I hope these darling children are able to fully recover from what has happened to them and to forget the horrors they suffered. Iana and Michael are selfish and evil people.
ben
Jul 27, 2007 at 1:35 pm
To all spreading hatred toward Mike and Iana,
I am a friend of Mike’s we met when he was in the Navy at my last command VFA-146, who got out honorably after his term was up. He met Iana not online but at a Concert he told me a long time ago. Iana found him online through Yahoo when he and I were on cruise when he came off cruise she flew in from Alaska to be with him. My wife and I were his witnesses at their wedding (Best man & Matron of Honor). After Mike separated from the Navy he moved with his wife to Nevada, we were stationed in Lemoore, CA and I’m now in VA on my current orders. I’ve always known Mike to be a good man and, if anything I thought he had a minor drinking problem. In fact, he never played any games when he hung out at my place. I’ve been gaming since Atari. Iana, I’ve known to be a good person; she also has never played any game either. Although she did mention she liked games that were like Myst and that she had a lot of games, not Dungeons & Dragons but Final Fantasy games. My wife and I last spoke with them on the phone I think back in December and they seemed to be doing fine of course we haven’t talked to them in a long time. They surprised us when they told us they had 2 kids and had never said anything about a $50,000 inheritance. Mike told me he was in the stock market online which didn’t surprise me because he was always checking on his stock when he was in the Navy. I also just read an article stating that the 2 were addicted to being online their whole life and, I’m telling you straight up it’s not true. Yes Iana found Mike through yahoo but they did not meet online it was at a concert and they never played any games, and they barely even gotten online at all the whole time I knew them. I just want to state that this problem they have is a new problem for them. Mike I know for sure was not a gamer. I can’t say much about Iana because I only met her and have known her for a few months before they left. Anyways, point being is I’m still their friend and so is my wife and just because some people make mistakes doesn’t mean you turn your back on them. Yes we are disappointed for what they did but we do understand that it is a problem and professional help is needed. What they don’t deserve is to be ridiculed with hatred. That being said it could actually make things worse for them. They are already paying for their crime. Just leave it be and let them get the help they need to move on. If people out there hate them for what happened fine, but if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all, especially when you only know the bad stuff & haven’t seen any of the good stuff. We know these people and they are good people that just made some very bad choices. My wife and I will support them in anyway we can to help them through this. We hope the best for their kids, and we just don’t wanna see them jump through foster care. We also hope their family will step up and get the kids. If not, my wife and I would be happy to take care of them.
Very Respectfully,
AZ2 Ben Byers USN
ben
Jul 27, 2007 at 5:35 pm
oh also before anyone starts saying anything , let me make it clear that my wife and I do not condone for a second what they did, we believe that they need to be puinshed but at the same time they need professional help , and what they need are friends to stand by them , to let them know “hey you messed up bad , now you need to get help, and I will stand by you and make sure you get that help no matter how much you may or may not apperciate it . ”
It hurts us to go on to differnt websites about this story and to see strangers who don’t even know them post horrible comments about them , we understand that people are angry and are confussed at the situation , but everyone in this world makes mistakes and should not be casting stones .
Jacqueline
Sep 19, 2007 at 1:28 am
I’m so confused about this whole thing. Did they just let the kids cry and tune it out? I mean I myself have a 3 1/2 year old and a 17 month old and the second kids get hungry or thirsty they let you know right away and they will not stop crying until you get them what they want. So what did these people just sit there and listen to their kids cry for hours and hours? Did they put them to bed or where were they when they were on the computer all the time? Did they themselves ever sleep? I find it hard to believe that they were not on any drugs. Those are some of my questions about all this. There is so much unknown. Like how long had they been neglecting their kids? It’s just insane that people could do that.
Jacqueline
Sep 19, 2007 at 1:44 am
wow! I just looked at that slideshow and those kids were both obviously not being fed! The baby is emaciated! That is so disturbing! I remember when I had my daughter and she was 7 lbs 6 oz at birth (2 weeks early) and I was trying to breast feed her and she wasn’t latching on right and we took her to the doctor like a day after we got out of the hospital and she’d lost weight and gotten down to 6 lbs 10 oz and I just freaked out! I was so afraid that she was starving! (The doctor just told me to follow every breast feeding with a bottle which I did then she started packing on the pounds) but my point is how could they look at her and her brother and take pictures of them and not see that they are both obviously not being fed nearly enough! They don’t just look small they look like they are straving! The baby’s cheeks weren’t chubby at all like babies cheeks are supposed to be they were like sunken in! And the boy looks obviously starved as well. Absolutly disturbing!!!!!!!!!!! Were these people on drugs or stupid or what???
Renoite
May 27, 2008 at 3:19 pm
So what if you knew them and they didn’t seem so bad when you knew them. Did you know their kids? Were you there when they suffered? Apparently, the Navy didn’t teach the moron any values or discipline. Perhaps if he went in the Marines he would have taken better care of the kids. Fact is, they’re both hideous criminals, and people should be showering them with hatred not compassion, sympathy, or love. I grew up with the same type of idiot parents they were, and trust me, anyone who tells me my parents were good people with unfortunate problems and they made mistakes, I’ll smash their heads in. Hideous parents are hideous monsters who deserve our contempt and incarceration. Therapy only makes them realize what a douche bag they are, it doesn’t change them.
Renoite
May 27, 2008 at 3:36 pm
All you Navy swabbies, I wouldn’t be so proud to be associated with him and come to his defense. Everyone knows you’re too cowardly to pick up a rifle so you sit in a floating steel box hundreds of miles from the action. Michael Straw didn’t even learn to be half a man in the Navy, so what does that tell you about the Navy? Real men join the Marines and boys join the Army so they can become men. Between the sailor boy Michael and his trailer trash goon, they couldn’t figure out how to stick a spoon in a jar and then into a kid’s mouth??? No wonder the Navy likes shooting down airliners instead of warplanes. They should join the Department of Homeland Security like the Coast Guard and stop pretending to be part of the US military. You don’t know what went wrong with him? He joined the Navy that’s what went wrong with him.
Amanda
May 27, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Renoite: You’re an idiot. Stick to the subject genious.
Chuck D.
May 27, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Yeah, really…Renoite, this isn’t about what the Navy does/doesn’t do, it’s about a couple of neglectful monsters who let their kids starve while they were too wrapped up in their own little world. W/e happened to them, anyway?
Amanda
May 27, 2008 at 8:34 pm
They each got four years in jail. They got off so easy, I have no idea why.. our justice system sucks.
Truthsayer
May 30, 2008 at 12:43 pm
wtf… this topic has been dead forever and suddenly I get a bunch of email that some post were made. Then I come on hoping for something posted to update us about the babies or the case and all I see are asinine remarks about irrelevant crap. Stick to the topic or STFU.
NOW…does anyone know anything ***NEW*** about this case? For the sake of the people who think that updating us on your personal opinions of Michael Straw or, if later someone is tempted to glorify Iana , Iana Straw , please don’t. I don’t care if they both had jobs as butt wipers for the pope… what they did to their children they did as the people they are TODAY. So I don’t give a crap about your “history” together.
You other off topic people…why don’t you go clean your bongs… it’s the end of the month you know. Your government check will be in and you’ll want a nice clean bong to smoke your dope in. Then later you can get a new card and sign back into your WoW account and stop screwing with the real people online….you know you miss it.
I think I’m done…
This has been a midol moment. LOL
Truthsayer
May 30, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Oh and…Amanda… do you have a link?
Shelley
May 30, 2008 at 1:04 pm
LOL Truthsayer!!
Amanda
May 30, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Let me see if I can find it.
Amanda
May 30, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I don’t remember if it was a comment that someone else had left on an article or if one of their family members told me that.. but “rumor has it” that they each only recieved four years in jail. I know the children were in foster care and were doing well but that was a while back.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: