On charges of abuse and false imprisonment of a boy, a woman from Herbster was sent to jail.
The boy Brianne Nicoletti, 35, adopted was only fed once a day or not at all some days. She also locked him in his room for long periods of time, hit him with metal objects, and would not let him go to the bathroom.
Bayfield County Circuit Court Judge John P. Anderson called Nicoletti “a dangerous person” and said the place where Nicoletti worked felt like a “concentration camp” in front of a full courtroom on October 15.
He gave her a 25-year prison term and 20 years of extended supervision.
At the July sentencing meeting, Nicoletti pleaded “not guilty,” but Anderson did not accept the plea. In the end, she changed her plea to guilty.
She got one count of child abuse with the intent to cause great bodily harm, ignoring a child with the intent to cause great bodily harm, mental harm to a child, and false imprisonment. Six more charges were dropped but read in.
Child Protective Services called the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office because another child in Nicoletti’s care said the victim was grounded and his door was locked with him inside. This is how the case started.
When police went to Nicoletti’s house, one of them recognized the boy. The boy was “emaciated” and had “sunken cheeks/eyes.” He also had cuts and scrapes on his face, hands, and neck.
When they got to Tamarack Health, they had to accept the boy because they were worried about his health. That July, he gained 17 pounds. Now that he weighs 70 pounds, he is “well below normal growth chart.”
There were two open cuts on his back and signs of muscle loss between his ribs. When asked about the cuts, the boy said that he started hiding and sneaking food for no reason.
According to the victim, he was locked in his room a lot because people did not trust him around the house because he was taking food.
A Marshfield Clinic Forensic and Service Coordinator was told by the boy that he only got one meal a day, which was usually cereal. He did not get any food on the last two days of the week.
He then said that things between him and Nicoletti got worse in the summer of 2023. The boy talked about how he sneaked around the house and stole food. As time went on, this was the only food he could eat.
That turned into him being locked in his room all the time with even less food. The boy said that Nicoletti would sometimes hit him in the hands with a metal hollow tube if he was found trying to steal food.
Concerns have been raised before. It was said that the boy came to school in October with a black eye. Late that month, someone called to say they were worried about the boy because he was not going to school and had lost a lot of weight.
As soon as that report came out, Nicoletti took the boy out of school and put him in online classes. The boy said that he was pulled from school because people were worried about him and fed him at school, which made Nicoletti angry.
He ate a can of refried beans in November 2023, and Nicoletti allegedly caught him, grabbed the can, and hit him in the face with the rough edges. During the Jan. 15 interview, those scars were still clear.
The boy was afraid of being alone and knew he was not getting enough food, so he ran away from home on November 23.
Nicoletti’s boyfriend found him and locked him in his room. Nicoletti then tore up the boy’s winter coat, leaving him more open to the weather if he tried to run away again.
At this time, the boy was getting help from a counselor at NorthLakes Community Clinic. There was a report to the Bayfield County DHS in April about Nicoletti’s mental abuse of the victim.
The reporter was worried because the boy was afraid to say how he really felt.
The reporter also said that the boy is mentally hurt because he is “grounded constantly” and nothing he does is ever good enough. Soon after the story came out, Nicoletti stopped taking the boy to counseling because he was being “honest.”
During the meeting, Assistant District Attorney Lynne Van Hollen said that “a lot of flags got deflected” and “the system failed” when she thought back on the case. Van Hollen said the suspect picked out the victim and “dehumanized” him by what she did.
Nicoletti was in charge of everything in his life, even the lights in his room. Over time, the punishments that were given to him became normal and accepted. Van Hollen said that Nicoletti thought the boy stole food to spite her, not because he was hungry.
Van Hollen said Nicoletti said she did not talk to the boy about his weight loss because she did not want to “body shame” him.
Nicoletti told her boyfriend in a text message that she did not like the child. She told him he was “breathing” when asked what he was doing. She was scared when the police came to take the child away because she had lost control of him.
Van Hollen said that Nicoletti thought he was being rude to her by going to the bathroom in his room.
“She is not a person.” Van Hollen said, “He was put with a monster.” “She smiles in her mugshot.” This is something I have never seen before. It is not like she is said she is sorry.
Kenneth Ryder, Nicoletti’s lawyer, said that Nicoletti is not a monster. He said that she is someone who has problems with their mental health.
Ryder said that Nicoletti agrees with the charges and wants to go to jail. She has never been in trouble with the law before, and this was her first crime. Ryder suggested that the fact that she was a good mom to her other kids does not make things any better.
Nicoletti was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder after being checked out. Ryder said she did not understand why she was having mental health problems at the time.
Nicoletti admitted she was wrong and said she would have done things differently if she could go back in time.
“I love all of my kids.” “I feel awful,” she said. “I promise to make changes as best I can.” “I want to be a better person.”
The foster parent of the victim said that he has been in her care since December 2023. He was so weak at first that he could hardly walk. He also had bed sores from sleeping on the floor all the time.
He now has a good relationship with food and enjoys cooking. Jennifer said that he does well in school, is friendly, and has a good attitude.
The boy wrote in a letter that was read out loud that Nicoletti still left scars on him that remind him of what happened.
He said that Nicoletti took out all the things that made him happy, like basketball, school, and his friends. The boy said he was scared for his brothers and hoped Nicoletti would never do something like this again.
Anderson said that giving Nicoletti probation would make the crime seem less serious.
He also said that this was “one of the most disturbing cases I have ever seen.” Anderson said that Nicoletti’s land is like “Bayfield County’s Concentration Camp” after looking at all the proof.
He said, “This is one of the saddest times in Bayfield County.”
Anderson made Nicoletti know that he did not believe a word she said. The man said that sociopaths do not often have crime records because they know how to get away with things.
He asked her, “Who do you think you are?” “I am not stupid.” Please. You did the same thing over and over. “I am sorry you got caught.”
Anderson said that after giving a sentence, he generally tells the person “good luck.” He told Nicoletti, “I will not say that to you,” this time.
He told them, “You do not deserve it,” and then he told everyone else—”Go home and hug your kids.”
