>As Barsi’s career success increased, József became increasingly angry and would routinely threaten to kill himself and his wife and daughter. His alcoholism worsened, causing the police to arrest him three separate times for drunk driving.
>In December 1986, Maria reported his threats and physical violence toward her to the police. After police found no physical signs of abuse, she decided not to press charges against him.
>After the incident with police, József Barsi reportedly stopped drinking, but continued to threaten Maria and Judith... He reportedly hid a telegram informing Maria that a relative in Hungary had died in an attempt to prevent her from leaving the United States with Judith.
>The physical violence continued, with Barsi telling a friend that her father threw pots and pans at her, resulting in a nosebleed.
>As a result of his abuse, Barsi began gaining weight and exhibited disturbing behavior, which included plucking out her eyelashes and pulling out her cat's whiskers.
>After breaking down in front of her agent during a singing audition for All Dogs Go to Heaven, Barsi was taken by Maria to a child psychologist, who identified severe physical and emotional abuse and reported her findings to Child Protective Services.
>The investigation was dropped after Maria assured the case worker that she intended to begin divorce proceedings against József and that she and Barsi were going to move into a Panorama City apartment she had recently rented as a daytime haven from him.
>Friends urged her to follow through with the plan, but she resisted, reportedly because she was afraid that she would lose the family home and belongings.
> Don Bluth, the director of ... All Dogs Go To Heaven, described her as "absolutely astonishing. She understood verbal direction, even for the most sophisticated situations," and he intended to feature her extensively in his future productions. The end credits song "Love Survives" was dedicated in her memory.
