Teri Lynn Hatcher born December 8, is an American actress, writer, presenter and singer. In March , Hatcher alleged that she was sexually abused from the age of five by Richard Hayes Stone, an uncle by marriage who was later divorced by Hatcher's aunt. She said her parents were unaware of the abuse at the time. Stone died of colon cancer on August 19, , having served six years of his sentence. Hatcher studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater. This role mainly involved dancing and singing as part of the Mermaids weekly show routine, but had short comedic lines in some episodes, and in one episode she was part of one of the three main storylines for the episode opposite a male guest star. In , she played the sensible, intelligent year-old daughter of Patty Duke 's lead character in the short-lived Fox comedy Karen's Song and had a guest-star role in an episode of Night Court.