The Nightmare of Thad Phillips: Surviving the Baraboo Bone Breaker

A Nightmare Begins in Baraboo

• 🌙 In July 1995, 13-year-old Thad Phillips was abducted from his family's couch in Baraboo, Wisconsin, by 17-year-old Joe Clark.
• 🏠 Joe carried a half-asleep Thad to his own filthy, decaying house, initially pretending his car broke down and he needed help.
• ⚠️ Once inside, Joe's demeanor shifted, revealing his sadistic nature and boasting about killing boys before, then twisting Thad's ankle until it snapped.

A Cycle of Torture and Failed Escapes

• 📞 After the initial injury, Joe offered a cut phone cord, revealing his deliberate cruelty and Thad's realization that nothing was accidental.
• 🦵 Thad's attempts to escape led to further brutalization, including his hip and femur being broken by Joe.
• 🤕 Joe's mood swung between friendly and sadistic, often bandaging Thad's broken bones with rags, only to inflict more damage after failed escape attempts.
• 🚨 During one instance, Joe put a pillow over Thad's face while masturbating, causing Thad to nearly suffocate.

The Desperate Bid for Freedom

• 🎸 After being locked in a closet, Thad used a beat-up electric guitar to smash his way out.
• 🤸‍♂️ Unable to walk, he threw himself down the stairs, enduring immense pain to reach the kitchen.
• ☎️ Thad managed to pull a phone off the counter and clumsily dialed 911 with his barely working fingers.

Rescue and Uncovering Past Crimes

• 🚑 Police arrived to find Thad with legs twisted into impossible angles and rushed him to the hospital, where doctors found numerous fractures and dislocations.
• 🔍 Thad's testimony about Joe bragging about previous killings led investigators to Chris Steiner, a 14-year-old boy whose drowning death was re-examined.
• 💀 A new autopsy on Chris Steiner's body revealed similar leg and ankle breaks, confirming Joe's pattern of violence and a sexual fetish for breaking bones, referred to as "the leg thing."
• 📝 Police found a notebook with 29 local boys' names at Joe's house, categorized into "can wait," "get to now," and "the leg thing," indicating a serial killer in the making.

Justice and Lingering Scars

• ⚖️ Joe Clark was found guilty and sentenced to 100 years for his crimes against Thad, and later life plus 50 years for Chris Steiner's murder.
• 🔫 Thad was shot twice by Joe's friend, Michael Huge, who tried to prevent his testimony, but Thad survived and testified again.
• 🚶‍♂️ Despite a long recovery and multiple surgeries, Thad learned to walk again, though he still suffers from a limp and chronic nerve pain.
• 💰 A civil judgment awarded Thad $21 million, but he has never received any money, leading to a GoFundMe campaign by Olga Johnson to help with his medical expenses.