Between the ages of four and twelve, Dave Pelzer endured severe abuse at the hands of his mother

Between the ages of four and twelve, Dave Pelzer endured severe abuse at the hands of his mother, Catherine Roerva Pelzer, at their home in Daly City, California. Catherine was an alcoholic who singled out Dave from among his five brothers for increasingly cruel punishments. She referred to him as "it" rather than by his name.

The abuse Catherine inflicted included starving Dave for days at a time, forcing him to sleep in the basement or garage, and making him wear the same torn clothing to school. She burned his arm on a gas stove as punishment. She stabbed him in the stomach.



 She forced him to drink ammonia. She made him eat his own vomit and feces. She played cruel "games" designed to make him suffer as greatly as possible. On some occasions, she would suddenly treat Dave with love and tenderness before returning to the abuse, leaving him confused and isolated.


Dave's father, Stephen Pelzer, a San Francisco firefighter who was also an alcoholic, was largely absent and failed to intervene in the abuse. The abuse was severe enough that Dave's case was later regarded as one of the worst child abuse cases in California history.

In 1973, when Dave was twelve years old, a school nurse documented his injuries during a routine check. Shortly after, Dave was called to the principal's office where a police officer was waiting. The officer explained that his mother would not hurt him anymore, and Dave was removed from the home and placed into foster care.


Catherine Pelzer was never charged or incarcerated for child abuse. After Dave was removed, his brother Richard became the new target of her abuse and endured it for ten years until he moved out. Catherine died of a heart attack in 1992. Dave later wrote that she had told him as an adult that if he hadn't been taken away, she would have ended up killing him.

Dave Pelzer published his memoir "A Child Called 'It'" in 1995. The book became a New York Times bestseller and remained on the list for several years.

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