In 1999, Susan Wilk, committed a horrible crime against a 3 yr old little girl, Mercedes Caflish, in Baraboo, WI. Susan had a daycare out of her home and while Mercedes was there she hit her with such force, it was comparable to falling out of a 2 or 3 story building and landing on a protuding object. That blow to the abdomen caused her spinal cord/backbone to act as a knife when the intestines were split in half from the force given to her tummy. Mercedes had 40 bruises post mortem, and all the experts agreed that those bruises and injuries occured within 4 to 6 hours of her death, so it could be assumed that after she beat her so hard that the intestines split, Susan became irritated and mad that Mercedes would not stop crying and continued beating her until the girl was listless and unresponsive when her mommy came to pick her up. Mercedes mom put her in the car and she didn't even make it home when Mercedes stopped breathing, she rushed to the hospital and Mercedes was gone 12 min later. Susan was charged but released on a technicality and for 5 yrs remained free due to the Sauk County DA and Sheriff's office hindrance on prosecution.

Then Susan gave birth to a daughter in Feb. 05 and the baby girl at 2 months was admitted into the hospital with bilateral and lateral fractured ribs, subdural and bilateral hematomas ,which is bleeding of in between the protective outer layer of the brain and the brain itself, also bleeding behind her retinas. All injuries were consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Sauk County did take her placement rights away. Due to the severity of her injuries, no one was allowed to see her while she was recovering and when she recovered she placed into the foster care system. We would also like everyone to know that when her daughter was born she began having seizures and was transferred to St. Mary's. St Mary's concluded she was having narcotic withdrawal, and the baby stayed there for more than a week while going through horrible withdrawals. At that time the baby was not taken out of her care. For the first 3 months her daughter was placed in foster care, after being released for the near fatal injuries, Susan had access to see her, and to prove she was trying to get her back into her custody and a concerned parent, instead she was busy commiting forgery and theft and Sauk county put her in jail for those crimes. While she was in jail for her other criminal charges, Sauk County and the Attorney General's office ,due to her own child's abuse and near death, finally collected all evidence and formally charged and prosecuted Susan with the murder of Mercedes and she is serving a 40 yr sentence at Taycheedah.

Following the babies release into foster care, her father took a very different approach to show he wanted custody and was a good parent. He established paternity and started the grueling and interrogative process of getting his daughter put into his care and custody. It took 9 months for him to achieve this, and every chance he got he visited his daughter in foster care, his parents were able to get the baby put in their care after four months, and the family fought to get her placed in her father's sole custody. The state deemed him fit, his home safe and it was a very happy moment when he thought all the court procedures were done and he could go about maintaining a good and safe life for his daughter. He met a woman who took his little girl in with open arms, and loves her as much as any good mother can or would to their biological children, both are very bonded with a loving and wonderful mother/daughter relationship. His family and her grandparents show her so much love and she is a very happy child. To date the little girl does not know her biological mother, the state took her away from her at 2 months of age and Susan has been incarcerated since she was approx 6 months old.

UNFORTUNATELY, Susan was NEVER charged or prosecuted with ANYTHING for her own child's abuse, due to Sauk County believing that because she was already going to be put away for Mercedes murder and the assumption that they MAY not be able to prove Susan inflicted the near fatal injuries (ridiculous) she has not been charged with the crime. Because of this injustice, Susan still has the ability to ask for visitation, and is currently seeking that, while financially and emotionally burdening the now 4 yr old's father and mom (her chosen mother), they are fighting to stop Susan from being able to traumatize this child any further. Susan has a boyfriend paying thousands of dollars for an attorney to get visitation, but has never contributed anything for the day to day upbringing of this little girl. Her father had to pay the foster care system, her hospital bills from the injuries, and now to try and keep their daughter safe again. Most recently the father was charged with contempt for not sending pictures in a timely fashion, and had to pay $200 to Susan's lawyer. It is preposterous, it is disgusting enough that they are having to use more money to fight to keep their daughter safe, and to top it off they are being frivously charged for something as ridiculous as not sending a picture on time. Where is the justice, how about charging SUSAN with a crime for nearly killing a child that she now wants a picture of???

It is an outrage that Sauk County let her get away with it, her parental rights could have been terminated. Several attempts have been made to ask Sauk County to activate the case, and bring justice for this child. This convicted baby murderer, is asking to see a baby, in our opinion, she almost killed. It is preposterous, something has to be done. PLEASE, HELP US. Write letters to all mentioned offices above, the Attorney General, Van Hollen at PO Box 7857, Madison WI 53707 , or call the District Attorney, Patricia Barrett or Judge Guy Reynolds who sentenced her for the murder and is presiding over the visitation case at 608-356-5581, and sign this petition.