6-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Buried Alive In Backyard Overnight As Punishment; Father Arrested

A father in Greene County, Pennsylvania, was arrested for allegedly physically abusing her 6-year-old daughter, and burying her alive in the backyard overnight.

The accused, identified as 50-year-old John Edward Kraft, was facing a number of felony charges, including aggravated assault, strangulation, endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, false imprisonment of a minor, and unlawful restraint of a minor, Kiro7 reported Tuesday.

"There are numerous allegations that are very severe and barbaric in nature," Greene County District Attorney David Russo said, according to WTAE.

The young child was allegedly buried alive in a hole and left there overnight, Russo said, sharing the horrific details of the abuse that took place at a residence on Tollgate Run in Waynesburg in September.

"It is alleged that he had brutally beaten a child, that the child was choked to the point of unconsciousness, that the child's head was slammed off the floor and off the wall, that the child was buried in the backyard as punishment," he added, as quoted by the outlet.

The victim's sibling corroborated the allegations as they informed the investigators the girl returned home smelling like sewage after Kraft left her in a hole one night, as per CBS News.

The police launched an investigation last month after social workers from Greene County Children & Youth Services found the girl with severe bruises on her face and body. According to the criminal complaint, the child informed authorities her father would beat her with a belt and his, which had a metal implant from surgery.

The victim also allegedly said the accused would use a shovel to dig a hole and cover her in mud and dirt when he thought she was lying, the criminal complaint revealed.

The Greene County district attorney termed the incident as one of the worst child abuse cases he's ever seen.

"We don't tolerate child abuse or allegations of child abuse, so this man will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Russo added.

No information about the child's mother was revealed by the authorities. Investigators further confirmed the children were put in foster care.

Kraft was held in the Greene County jail on a bond of $125,000.