A Michigan couple has been sentenced to additional prison time for subjecting their adopted daughters to months of severe abuse, including starvation, confinement in dog cages, and punishment that included forcing the children to sleep on plastic storage containers in a cold basement.
Background
Jessica Klimp, 45, and Jason Klimp, 47, of Wexford County, Michigan, were sentenced to eight years and three months behind bars after pleading no contest to two counts of first-degree child abuse. The couple is currently serving a separate 10-year sentence in Tennessee for aggravated child abuse related to the same victims.
The investigation into the adoptive parents began when authorities in Fentress County, Tennessee responded to their rental home in February 2024 after one of their adopted daughters collapsed. When paramedics arrived, they found a 12-year-old girl who appeared between 6 and 8 years old due to severe malnutrition. Her body temperature was critically low at 95.6 degrees, and her skin showed signs of discoloration.
According to testimony from that incident, Jason Klimp placed the unconscious child in a cold shower in an attempt to revive her before emergency responders arrived. The girl and her sister were so severely underweight that investigators determined they had been fed only liquefied food from bottles because, as one victim later told police, they "ate too much and would get sick."
Following their arrest in Tennessee, Michigan State Police executed a search warrant at the couple's Wexford County residence. Investigators discovered additional evidence of systemic abuse, including dog cages that appeared to have been used to confine the children, a homemade straitjacket found in a bedroom, and security alarms installed on bedroom doors.
Authorities also learned that the Klimps would severely punish their adopted daughters for bed-wetting incidents by forcing them to sleep on plastic totes in an unheated basement maintained at approximately 60 degrees, without blankets. At the time of the investigation, eight children lived in the Michigan home: four biological and four adopted.
The couple was extradited from Tennessee back to Michigan last year to face these additional charges after state investigators uncovered evidence of prolonged torture involving two of their four adopted children.
The Charges
Jessica Klimp and Jason Klimp each pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree child abuse in Wexford County Circuit Court. First-degree child abuse is a felony charge in Michigan carrying significant prison time.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the sentences, stating that her office pursued accountability for the "cruelty" the children endured. "Kids deserve to grow up in a loving home free from abuse," Nessel said. "The cruelty that these children endured is heartbreaking, and while no outcome can erase the trauma, I hope these convictions will provide a sense of justice and healing."
Both defendants have had their parental rights terminated. They are expected to serve the additional Michigan sentence concurrently with their existing Tennessee sentence once those requirements are satisfied.
Key Takeaways
- Jessica Klimp (45) and Jason Klimp (47) sentenced to eight years and three months in Michigan prison for first-degree child abuse
- Couple already serving 10-year sentence from Tennessee related to same victims
- Adopted daughters were starved and fed only liquefied food because parents claimed they "ate too much"
- Children found confined in dog cages, restrained with homemade straitjacket at Michigan residence
- One victim collapsed and appeared much younger than her actual age due to severe malnutrition
- Eight children total lived in the home: four biological and four adopted
- Parental rights of both defendants terminated
What's Next
The Klimps will serve their Michigan sentence concurrently with their Tennessee term. With both sentences combined, the couple faces approximately 10 years remaining on their current sentence before becoming eligible for parole consideration. The victims continue to receive services through child protective services, though details about their current placements have not been made public.
Michigan authorities have indicated that the case remains closed from a prosecutorial standpoint following the sentencing. No further charges are expected in Wexford County related to this matter.