PORTAGE, Wis. -- The FBI is considering whether to get involved in the torture and homicide case centered in Columbia County.

TALKBACK: Are You Shocked By Allegations?

Last Friday, authorities said that they made two discoveries at a Portage house after being tipped off that one of its occupants might have abducted her own daughter from Florida.

Investigators questioned the three adults and a 15-year-old girl who lived a the home and said that they learned that a 36-year-old woman -- the teen's mother -- had been killed and buried in the back yard. They also found that the girl's 11-year-old brother -- and son of the slaying victim -- was severely abused, malnourished and hidden in a closet, police said.

Police officials have described the alleged abuse as some of the worst they've seen, WISC-TV reported. The boy was hospitalized and three other young children with the group are in foster care.

Candace Clark, 23, Michael Sisk, 25, Michaela Clerc, 20, and Felicia Garlin, 15, were charged with being party to first-degree intentional homicide in Tammie Garlin's death, being party to hiding a corpse and being party to physical and mental abuse of a child, among other charges in Columbia County.

Police, court documents, family members and others said that the group of 20-somethings and their children spent the last two years crisscrossing the country, writing bad checks and stealing identities before graduating to murder. Prosecutors said that the group has lived in Florida, Maine, Tennessee, Kentucky and Colorado within the past year. Detectives said the group members were fugitives in a number of states.

District Attorney Jane Kohlwey said that Sisk and Clark, a mother of three and Sisk's girlfriend, were the ringleaders in the household and that Tammie Garlin had previously had a romantic relationship with fellow occupant Michaela Clerc, but that had ended when Clerc thought Garlin had cheated on her.

Investigators haven't released a possible motive in Tammie Garlin's death, but the Columbia County medical examiner said that she was strangled.

Authorities said that they discovered Tammie Garlin's body last Friday after questioning her daughter Felicia. Kohlwey said that Felicia Garlin operated as an adult in the household, caring for her brother and the other three children when the adults were away.

It's unclear when Tammie Garlin's death occurred, but according to court documents, the girl told authorities that she helped put her mother -- whom she believed was still alive -- into the trunk of a car. The affidavit said that the body was later buried in the back yard, and the girl said that she planted flowers on the site.

Authorities began the investigation after being alerted by Florida officials that Clark was suspected of abducting her own daughter, of whom she didn't have custody, from Florida. The 2-year-old child was found at the home along with two other children who lived there.

Besides the homicide and abuse charges, police alleged that the group supported themselves with several identity theft scams. They said that the four suspects operated under several aliases.

The judge set bail at $500,000 for Garlin and $350,000 for Clerc. Bail was denied for Clark and Sisk. If convicted, all four face life in prison, WISC-TV reported.

Boy Still Recovering At UW Hospital

The 11-year-old boy who was allegedly abused and tortured in the home remains at University of Wisconsin Hospital.

UW physicians aren't commenting about the condition of the boy that they're treating, but they said that they have concerns for children who are victims of abuse and that they work to prevent it.

The UW Hospital's child protection program sees hundreds of abuse cases a year, and Barbara Knox, the medical director for the program, said that there are many concerns for children who are victims of abuse.

"We become very concerned about post-traumatic stress for these children. We also become very concerned about depression and other forms of mental illness," she said. "We try to work very closely as a team here in the Madison community to make sure that children can move forward."

She said that beyond physical injuries, there are many other concerns for victims.

"In my experience of dealing with many cases of child torture, one of the most important things is we offer children intervention," Knox said.

Court documents released this week said that Knox told police that she believes the boy is a victim of serial torture, suffering burns on his hands that are so bad it caused mummification and restricted use of his fingers.

The records also said that the boy told authorities that he was repeatedly being burned by scalding hot water, was whipped daily with an extension cord, and had to drink water gallons of water until he vomited. He was profoundly malnourished -- given only one meal a day -- and the doctor concluded that he had been neglected medically and educationally, the documents said.

Review: Relative Warned Clark Might Grab Daughter, Flee

A review by a child advocacy group said that that two months before Clark allegedly took her toddler from a foster home and left central Florida, a relative told a caseworker that she was likely to do it.

Last week, authorities tracked down Clark in Wisconsin and said there were grounds for dozens of criminal charges at a Portage house where she was living.

The Miami Herald obtained the written review that was done by the Safe Children Coalition on the handling of Clark's child welfare case.

It said that a relative told Clark's caseworker in a phone call on Aug. 15, 2006, about concerns Clark would abscond with the 2-year-old girl. Clark had already done two stints in jail last year, and the girl had certain injuries that raised worries about her safety.

Caseworkers said that they discovered Clark falsified information provided to the child welfare agency. Then, in early October, a caregiver for the child told a foster-care caseworker she had "released" the girl to her mother, Clark.

On Jan. 19, the caseworker filed a missing children's report with police.

The handling of the case is under investigation by Florida authorities.

Local Banks Take Donations For Children

Community members are collecting donations for the children who lived in the house. The effort, called Portage Cares, is organized by the Portage Daily Register. The newspaper will accept noncash donations. Monetary donations can be sent in care of Portage Cares to four area banks.

Organizers encourage people to label all envelopes with "C/O Portage Cares" under the address.

Portage National Bank
2380 New Pinery Rd.
Portage, WI 53901

AMCORE Bank
611 E. Wisconsin St.
Portage, WI 53901

AMCORE Bank
2851 New Pinery Rd.
Portage, WI 53901

Associated Bank
222 E. Wisconsin St.
Portage WI 53901

Community Bank of Portage
2930 New Pinery Rd.
Portage, WI 53901

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.