Cheektowaga woman sentenced for holding child inside home

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Cheektowaga woman has been sentenced for forcibly holding a child inside of her home across a period of over two years, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Carol Steinagle, 58, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Between November 2017 and January 2020, her and her boyfriend, 44-year-old James McGonnell, forced the child victim to remain in a bedroom or garage for "extended periods of time" inside of his Queens Drive home in Cheektowaga.

The pair were the victim's caregivers. However, they made threats if the victim did not remain inside of the bedroom and was also denied basic needs, including food, clothing and access to the bathroom. The child told authorities in 2020 that she was beaten almost daily.

Then-Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in 2020 that the word "torture" was used in medical records. The child was forced to sit cross-legged on a wood floor. Scars were found on the child's leg.

The two pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree kidnapping in March 2023. McGonnell was sentenced to eight years in prison with five years of post-release supervision last August. Steinagle is also subject to five years of post-release supervision, getting an identical sentence.

A final order of protection was issued on behalf of the victim, which remains in effect until 2041.