They're Children!

It disgusts me what some "parents" do to their children.

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- A September trial has been set for the mother, stepfather and grandmother of two children in what doctors call one of the worst child abuse cases they've seen.

The three are accused of locking up the two children in their Nevada home and starving them for years. A judge compared the 16-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother to Nazi death camp survivors. A doctor said their health problems may be irreversible.

The 4-foot girl weighed about 40 pounds when she was found in January. The 3-foot-6-inch boy weighed 31 pounds. He has deformed feet and the girl is scarred from beatings.

The 16-year-old said she and her brother got by on sandwiches, hot dogs or hot cereal, and often went three days without being fed.

It's bad enough that these people did this to their kids. It's not even anything I can comprehend. But in this case, there were healthy children found in the home as well. In body only, I suspect. How could they possibly have not been scarred for life seeing their siblings treated in such a way? How does a "parent" explain to the healthy kids why they are beating and starving their siblings to the brink of death? I know these questions don't really have any answers, I just have to ask as I have NO CLUE how an adult can do this to their children - or any child for that matter. The human race can really disgust me and this case is no different.

Children Shouldn't Have to Suffer Like This...

Over at Signal 94 is a story that articulates why some people should not be parents. Be prepared to want to lock and load and take a trip to NY.

"The police chief said it was one of the worst cases of child abuse his department has seen."

No emotions, no feelings, just a robot-like attention to duty and detail. Take photos, collect and bag the evidence, type the affidavits and write the reports.

"The officers were horrified," Nichols said Friday. "The doctors described the boy as dangerously malnourished and showing signs of starvation. If this neglect had continued, he could have died."

Because if you don't you're gonna kill some asshole.

Police also found an 11-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy in the home. Like their younger brother, Nichols said, both suffered from malnourishment and neglect.

And then there's those who just don't care...

"Christina Stevens, who lived next door in the same two-family house for several months last year, said the 5-year-old boy next door looked as though he were 10 to 12 months old. Stevens said she called Cortland County child protective services workers at least three times last year about the family."

...and yet another case of the CPS not responding timely when they should have helped those kids. I couldn't have put it any better than sig, but to have to write about this kind of tragedy is virtually a sin.

Grow.A.Brain

These people need to get a clue...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Police cited two parents for child neglect after discovering two infants left alone in an unlocked vehicle.

It's bad enough they were left in the car, but it was unlocked. It's bad enough that they were left in an unlocked car, but one was a year old and the other 2-months old.

The father of the children returned about 35 minutes later and told the officer that he was visiting the children's mother in her dorm.

Thirty five minutes later. The couple were cited with child neglect. I suspect dear ole "Dad" got right back in the car, with those little ones, and drove home. Wonder if he forgot them in his unlocked car in the driveway?

Parents of Caged Kids Lose Permanent Custody

I've been following the story of the parents who kept their adopted kids in cages to "protect them" from their special needs conditions.

NORWALK, Ohio — A couple charged with abuse for forcing some of their 11 adopted children to sleep in cages were stripped of custody Monday, six months after a social worker discovered the enclosures.

Juvenile Judge Timothy Cardwell said there was a good chance Michael and Sharen Gravelle would mistreat the children again, citing a history of sexual abuse allegations against the father.

They, of course, will appeal the decision because they love their kids and truly do not feel that they abused them and that the cages were a good and necessary thing. I had hoped by now they realized they were in over their heads and the best thing for the kids would be to get them to families that can focus on fully addressing their conditions. Unfortunately that isn't the case. Hopefully the review of the appeal will yield the same common sense outcome, if nothing else for the sake of the kids.

Unbelievable

People can be unbelievably stupid sometimes...and some are just plain sick and disgusting.

CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland woman is accused of dragging her two daughters back inside their burning home after the girls ran to a neighbor for help.

Authorities said the woman had set the fire herself.

The girls, ages 8 and 12, told investigators their mother was upset because the older girl had a boyfriend. The mother allegedly interrogated the girl while applying lighted incense to child's neck, chest, rectum and inside her mouth, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason.

Investigators said the woman set the house on fire when she didn't get answers, and when the girls ran out, she forced them kicking and screaming back inside the burning house.

Thank God a neighbor happened along and pulled them to safety. The catch - this happened a year ago - it's taken Cleveland authorities a year to investigate the blaze. And guess what? Laquana O'Neal, the "mom" has not yet been arrested as of Thursday, even though prosecutors say she faces multiple charges including aggravated arson, felonious assult, rape and gross sexual imposition.

The article doesn't say what happened to the children, but I hope and pray they aren't with *that* excuse of a human being. My God, she was willing to torch her own home and burn her children as punishment for the oldest apparently having a boyfriend. I can't imagine what she would have done if her oldest daughter came home and said she was pregnant!

Anyhoo...here is the last part of the article:

...O’Neal was diagnosed with a mental condition.

Can anyone say DUH? Of course she has a mental condition. Anyone who commits the acts that she did, including almost murdering her own children isn't in their right mind. Leave it up to the media to keep us informed, and on the edge of our seats.

CP at VAM

Andrea Yates and Other Criminals

As I'm sure everyone has heard, Andrea Yates, who decided to meticulously drown all of her children is now pleading "innocent" by reason of insanity.

During her original trial, jurors rejected Yates' insanity defense and found her guilty for the 2001 deaths of three of the children drowned in the family bathtub: 7-year-old Noah, 5-year-old John and the youngest, 6-month-old Mary.

Evidence was presented about the drownings of the other two children — Paul, 3, and Luke, 2 — but Yates was not charged in their deaths.

Yates was convicted of two capital murder charges and sentenced to life in prison.

As I'm sure you heard that her original conviction was overturned and we now will start the circus all over again.  I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but AGAIN there's more worry about this less than human being than the 5 children - her OWN children - that she stalked, and methodically drown one-by-one.  Noah, John, Mary, Paul and Luke certainly have no say, do they?

I'm all for assuring this pig of a human being never sees the light of day, but it's a tragedy that this has to play out again and will be "media'd" into the ground.  We will hear it over and over...but will it be about the kids she slaughtered?  NO...it will be about poor Andrea Yates. 

Just when I think I can't be disgusted any more, my hubby throws this link over my way:

Omaha police said a 4-week-old girl was treated Friday at Creighton University Medical Center for multiple fractures to both of her legs.

The media, in all of their brilliance, report that it appears to be abuse.  No, really?  I thought maybe she played a spirited game of rugby and suffered a bit of a fall.  Of COURSE it should be treated as potential abuse...this little one is only 4-weeks old.  What insane piece of human waste could do this to a child?  I can only wait patiently to see how this will turn out.  But I predict, somehow, that the law will be more in the interest of the criminal versus the well being of the child.  Let's hope I'm wrong.

Update:  The infant in the last story is actually 4-months old, but it doesn't change the fact that she was abused.  Guess who is charged?  The baby's "mom" whose name is Anna Mis-Guiterrez.  A mother, breaking her four-month-old little girl's legs.  What did this innocent little girl do to deseve it?  Nothing.  Will this woman, should she be convicted, get a just sentence?  Sure hope so.

Kids in Cages

Back on September 9, social workers and law enforcement removed 11 adopted children from their home when it was discovered that their adopted "parents" kept them in CAGES.  This is how the social worker described these "cage-like enclosures" during the hearing today:

"I saw wooden structures that had a solid wooden piece for a door, an alarm to left of the opening. There was a small handle on it. They were piled one on top of another. They looked like a kennel," said Jo Ellen Johnson, of Huron County Children and Family Services.

She also said cages with alarms and locks are not appropriate for children. 

Folks - this is a CUSTODY HEARING.  This isn't a criminal trial as these two miscreants have not been charged with anything...yet (and that's a very skeptical yet, I might add).  These people adopted 11 special needs children and because they couldn't handle the challenges these children's disorders presented, they chose to stick them, ages 1-14, in cages.  CAGES!  They aren't "cage-like enclosures" or merely "enclosures" as their attorney would attempt to tell you.  They are CAGES...containment designed so the child can't get out.

The custody hearing will determine if the children were abused or neglected, Cleveland TV station WEWS reported.

Michael and Sharen Gravelle said before court that they were optimistic about getting custody of their children back.

For the love of God - they shouldn't get their children back.  We have people in DC worried about Gitmo and the conditions for vile terrorists who would love to see us sizzle at sunset but someone is still entertaining the idea that it ISN'T abuse or neglect to lock a child in a cage?

The Gravelles have said they adopted children with special needs and behavioral problems, and built what they have described as enclosures with alarms where the children could sleep for their own protection.

The Gravelles have said the children have health and behavioral problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome and pica, a disorder in which children eat nonfood items such as rocks or dirt.

Yes, these disorders are very challenging.  My mother worked with special needs adults and children for years and saw her fair share of both disorders.  They are challenging to deal with - even in a medical institution.  But even in the most sterile halls of hospitals and institutions that Mom worked in, I never ONCE saw a cage.  Those with these syndromes and disorders needed a higher level of monitoring and observation in order to protect them from their environment and their disorder.  NOT a cage.  While it is entirely possible that this couple felt they were doing great deeds by adopting these children, they obviously didn't think about what they were doing.  And because they didn't think through what a challenge one special needs child would be in terms of care, let alone 10 more, who pays the price?  The kids, of course. 

Discretion and common sense don't seem to be at the top of the list when a couple decides "hey, let's build some 'enclosures' for them to live in...wow, that will solve everything!"  My heart aches at the thought of a fire breaking out in their home.  Those kids would have potentially been trapped in cages without a fighting chance to get out...how safe is THAT?!?!?!

Lastly, the thing that really got to me was the pictures their attorney released, showing how "happy" the children are (you can see the photos on the article I linked to above).  Every picture was one that showed them at family functions, the holidays, special events, etc.  And of course they were happy - they weren't trapped in their cages!

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Update: Just saw this article on Fox News.  Talk about blood boiling.  If the story is accurate, this was brought to the attention of child welfare workers 2 years ago and because the parents weren't cooperative, a full investigation was never pursued.  If that is the case, they are almost as guilty as the parents of neglect in my opinion. 

But this....this makes my blood boil:

Insurance agent Edward Clunk said that he visited the couple in summer 2004 to sell them policies. He observed two children — one sleeping in a cubbyhole and another in what he described as a cage.

"I've been in thousands of homes. ... This was something just a little bit out of the ordinary," Clunk said, adding he did not file a report because he did not believe the children were being abused by the Gravelles.

"I thought it was very admirable for them to adopt children of that nature that nobody wanted," he said.

Admirable that they adopted them?  Perhaps.  Admirable that they would keep those adopted kids in cages?  Hardly.  ...and didn't file a report because he didn't think they were being abused or neglected?  For real?  Get a clue! 

Why?

From KETV.com:

Police said the mother told them she had learned that Riley admitted putting the baby’s body in a plastic bag and then placing it in a nearby storm drain. An autopsy performed on the child ruled that the death was a homicide, caused by asphyxia, blunt force, head injury and environmental exposure.

This 22-year-old, Danielle Eboni Riley, made the adult decision to have unprotected sex.  She made the decision, once she was pregnant, to carry the baby to term, even though she more than likely never planned to put the baby up for adoption.  And then she made the most disgusting, selfish, hateful decision of all...to murder her baby.  A baby who never had a chance to live because "MOM" decided to smother the baby, hit the baby in the head and toss the baby away like garbage.

Now, some of you may want me to understand that this "poor 22-year-old girl" was a victim in some way.  You will NEVER convince me of that, so it isn't worth trying.  I don't care.  There is NOTHING that can make me feel sorry for anyone who could be so cold and hateful that they make a decision to MURDER a newborn...one that was breathing, and crying and helpless.  People that make decisions such as this should understand what it is like to have life taken away.

...and you wonder why I so strongly believe in the death penalty?

...and People Wonder Why I am for the Death Penalty

Well, it's simple.  *This* is why I am for the death penalty:

SAN FRANCISCO -- A search of San Francisco Bay continues for the bodies of two young children believed to have been tossed into the water by their mother.

Authorities have recovered what's believed to be the body of a third child. The San Francisco Examiner reported that the body of the woman's 3-year-old son was recovered about four hours after a witness reported seeing a woman drop the children off a local pier.

The search began late Wednesday afternoon when an unidentified man called 911 to report seeing the woman drop the children into the chilly water near a popular waterfront stretch.

Lashaun Harris, the 23-year-old "mother" in this case, is booked for three counts of murder.  Her excuse?  The "VOICES" told her to dump her kids off the pier.  Well, my "voices" tell me that she should receive the death penalty.  But it's possible that she will have some "mental disorder" that would prohibit that from happening.  I personally don't care.  There isn't a person out there, mental disorder or not, who can justifiably kill their own kids and get away with it in my book.

Update:  No surprise, Lashaun Harris pled "not guilty."  Of course she has a mental disorder....and of course she's going to get some testing.

The charges could bring the death penalty, but District Attorney Kamala Harris said she hasn't decided yet whether to seek such a sentence.

Hmmmm....easy decision for me, quite honestly.  And this:

She said there will be a critical look at the way social services handled the woman's case.

Of course there should be a critical look - they made the decision to return the children to this woman.  But more importantly, what consequences will there be for the family members who didn't take her seriously when she stated she was thinking of feeding the kids to the sharks?  I'm so damn tired of people taking "critical" looks and feeling some level of pity for the family who "didn't take it seriously."  DO SOMETHING.  In both instances (social services and the family members), they had information and history which led them to understand that this woman was not in her right mind (um, anyone who kills someone like this isn't in their right mind, by the way).  The family should have kept the kids safe when social services decided that Mom and kids needed to be reunited.  Call me mean or hateful if you feel you must, but they are virtually as guilty as she is by not taking her threats seriously. 

I look into the face of any child (mine, but other kids as well), and I cannot fathom what these innocent, beautiful children could ever do to inspire such hateful acts, even in their worst moment.  To protect a person after they kill a kid, in particular their own, is just not something I can comprehend.  The criminal is not the victim here, whether they are mentally "ill" or not.

Woman Beats Her Children to Death

Yet another monster who thinks they should play God...

DYER, Ind. -- A northwest Indiana mother has been charged with two counts of murder.

Police said she beat her two sons to death with a 10-pound dumbbell because she thought they'd be better off in heaven.

Magdalena Lopez was arrested after police officers answered a 911 call and found her 9-year-old son Antonio and 2-year-old son Erik dead in separate rooms of the family home in Dyer, Ind.

A police report said as officers approached the house, the mother walked out, her clothes and feet spattered with blood. She told officers she had to kill the children because she couldn't take care of them anymore, saying, "They're in a much better place now."

Relatives said Lopez was being treated for bipolar disorder but had been coping better recently. The boys' father was at work when he was told of the deaths.

I don't particularly care that Lopez was "being treated" for anything - I'm certain that little "issue" with bipolar disorder will set up Lopez for a nice little "innocent by reason of insanity" plea.  She does not deserve to breathe fresh air outside prison walls ever again.  These were innocent children - HER children.  Unbelievable. 

Mother Tries to Poison Her Child

Anyone who reads my blog knows that one area of focus for me is the welfare of children, and protection against pedophiles, abusive parents, and any other sick monsters who try to harm children.  This story is no exception and it infuriates me that this woman is actually trying to get custody of her child!

BEAR, Del. -- A former pediatric nurse has been charged with trying to poison her toddler son by injecting human feces into his bloodstream.

Stephanie McMullen, 29, was charged Thursday with assault and reckless endangerment counts and released on bail.

Doctors at the hospital where McMullen worked alerted police that her 22-month-old son had been hospitalized six times since he was four months old for "serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses," acting police chief Lt. Col. Scott McLaren said.

During one examination, doctors found E. coli, a bacteria found in feces, in the boy's bloodstream, and said the only way it could have entered the bloodstream was "through injection, not consumption."

"This could have eventually led to the death of the child," McLaren said.

A search of McMullen's hospital locker turned up needles, a syringe holder and an intravenous line tap, and an examination of her home computer indicated she had been researching child poisoning, according to court records.

...and we let people like this out on bail.  Lovely...just lovely.

McLaren said the woman could have Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which caregivers cause illnesses in children or exaggerate their symptoms in an effort to draw attention to themselves.

I don't care what syndrome she has, or whether she was in the right mental status when she did it.  That doesn't matter.  What matters is protecting the child, and any other children such a monster would come across.

McMullen's attorney, Elwood Eveland Jr., said the child has an eating disorder, and that he has consulted with a medical expert who believes that what the child is suffering is part of a medical condition.

He said police have "absolutely no evidence of an objective nature" against her.

Um, Mr. Eveland...did you bother to check her locker?  I think a few of those items (needles, syringe holder and intravenous line tap) might give her motives away.

The boy was placed in foster care, and McMullen is scheduled to appear in Family Court next week to try to regain custody.

If the courts allow her to regain custody, I can almost fully predict that we will have another major story in the MSM talking about a parent who killed their child.  She shouldn't have custody, and in my humble opinion, she shouldn't be walking free, either.

Burn in Hell, Ivan Henk

My hubby, Eric, over at Vince Aut Morire has an update regarding the Brendan Gonzales case.  For those of you not familiar with the case, Brendan's "Dad" - Ivan Henk - killed the four year old boy, stating his son was the Anti-Christ.  He dumped his body in a dumpster at least 10 miles from the boy's hometown and Brendan's body ended up in a landfill.  After six weeks of volunteers and rescue crews searching endlessly in the heat of summer, Brendan's body was never found.

One of our local television channels in Omaha, NE did a story on the video of Henk's interrogation - released recently - during which he used Brandon's body as a bargaining chip, or at least as a means of having some level of perceived control.  I won't steal Eric's thunder, because he has been a champion of Brendan's cause over at his site, but one snippet of this interview, a statement from this vile, disgusting pig stood out for me - in fact I almost lost it when I saw it on TV:

"Stupid body. Who cares? I don't give a s--- about it. You do, other people do, maybe, OK. Not me.   

Text on a post cannot possibly do this justice.  To hear the venom and the hatred in this man's voice is indescribable.  This is the body of your own child, your flesh and blood four year old beautiful boy, you SICK, PERVERTED, DISGUSTING, VILE MURDERER.  How could a parent do this to their own child and then just throw him away like the weekly trash?!?!? 

The guy plead guilty and got life in prison, the bastard.  He's attempted to take his own life - if it were me watching him in prison that day, I'd have turned the other way and hoped that he was successful.  Pretty awful thoughts to have, but this man is not human and will NEVER be released, NEVER be rehabilitated.  Why does society have to continue dealing with this monster?

Brendan was such an adorable, sweet 4-year-old child and his memory and life will be honored forever, whether his body is found or not.  Please checkout the website dedicated to him (link is over at Eric's site).  Be prepared, and have extra tissue on hand because you'll need it.

Would You Sell your 18-month old?

She's swearing it was mistaken identity (emphasis mine, below):

An Omaha woman is in custody, accused of Felony Child Abuse, after allegedly trying to sell her 18-month-old child into prostitution.

WTF???

Thirty-four-year-old Elizabeth Harlan was arrested shortly before 11:30 Sunday night.

Police were responding to a call near 32nd and "V" Street to check the well being of a child. Neighbors made the prostitution allegation.

Officers were directed to 3913 ½ South 24th Street.

Police entered the apartment and say they found Ms. Harlan passed out on the sofa while the one-year-old sat on the floor eating cigarettes.

Okay - so even if you weren't selling your child, Ms. Harlan, what the hell kind of parent are you anyway?

The child was transported to Creighton University Medical Center for treatment and Harlan was taken to Central Police Headquarters where she was interviewed and then booked into detention for Felony Child Abuse.

In court Monday, Ms. Harlan's attorney told the judge that the child was in someone else's care Sunday night and it must have been that person who tried to sell the boy into prostitution.

Sure, um, yeah...isn't that a little hard to believe?  And why would officers arrest and charge *you* Ms. Harlan? 

Harlan's aunt and cousin are now trying to get the foster care system to release the boy to them.

Harlan is being held on $800,000 bond.

These non-parents are everywhere - even here in Omaha.  Just hope that whatever happens, the boy gets the best care and lots of love.

Cross Posted at And Rightly So!