Heather Lindorff starts prison term

Pete McCarthy

The Gloucester County Times

WOODBURY - Heather Lindorff was led away by sheriff's officers on Thursday in order to begin serving a six-year prison sentence for child endangerment - more than two years after being sentenced.

A Superior Court judge ruled the 41-year-old Lower Alloways Creek woman acted as a "custodial parent" to her four adopted Russian children even though she had lost custody of them following the conviction.

"When you're out on bail, you have to follow the orders of the court and she deliberately violated the terms of her release," Gloucester County Assistant Prosecutor Mary Pyffer said.

Lindorff - who showed no emotion as she was led away - had been free on $50,000 bail while appealing the conviction.

Last month, the appeal was dismissed after the defendant failed to file certain paperwork in a timely fashion. Lindorff's attorney is now in the process of getting the appeal reinstated.

In 2003, Lindorff was convicted of the second-degree crime in the death of her 5-year-old son inside her Franklin Township home. Jacob Lindorff died in December 2001 as the result of blunt force trauma to the head, which prosecutors insisted was the result of child abuse. The boy was also found to have second-degree burns on his feet, hemorrhaging in one eye and bruises to his body.

New allegations surfaced out of Salem County last month after one of her children was found to be "moderately" malnourished, which led to the request to get Lindorff's bail revoked.

Lindorff was home schooling the children - ranging in age from 10 to 15 - and having them perform chores around her home. Her mother was supposed to have custody of the children, only allowing Lindorff to have supervised visits with the children.

"There was little to no medical care and one child was malnourished - and I emphasize malnourished - not just hungry," Judge Walter Marshall Jr. said in his ruling.

The 12-year-old boy weighed just 61 pounds at the time. However, he gained more than two pounds in two days after being placed in the custody of the Division of Youth and Family Services.

No charges have been filed yet in Salem County, but they are pending.

They could be filed as early as next week, said Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan.

"There were volumes of evidence against her," Pyffer noted.

The bail hearing was delayed twice this month so Lindorff could get medical treatment for what her attorney described as a possible stroke and a blood clot.

Defense attorney John Morris of Bridgeton provided several medical reports on Thursday, which outlined a schedule for therapy for Lindorff.

"The medical reports reveal no health concerns that could not be adequately handled by the state prisons' medical staff," Pyffer argued.

After the ruling, Lindorff was quietly led away by four officers.

Having served two weeks of her sentence before getting out on bail, Lindorff will have to serve nearly two years before becoming eligible for parole.