Report: Five Children Die Each Day From Abuse or Neglect

ABC News- A new report out today found that on average, five children died from abuse or neglect every day in the United States between 2001 and 2007.

The report by the advocacy group Every Child Matters, estimated that more than 10,000 children died over the same time frame.

In 2007 alone 1,760 children died, a 35 percent increase over the death rate in 2001. And, due to poor reporting and record-keeping in many states, the actual number is estimated to be as much as 50 percent higher.

Texas was found to have the highest number of deaths, 228, attributable to child abuse in 2007, but Kentucky had the highest per-capita rate at 4.09 deaths per 100,000 children.

In the wake of these findings, lawmakers and celebrities joined forces on Capitol Hill today to urge Congress to increase funding to fight child abuse. "It's a failure of the United States of America but we have the opportunity and the resources, and I believe the will and the commitment to correct this," said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

With negotiations over health care reform ongoing, Casey and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., both urged lawmakers to include provisions to fight child abuse in any health care reform. "Within the Finance Committee health care proposal is Senate Bill 1267… the Evidence Based Home Visitation Act of 2009.

The data shows that among other things, the risk of child abuse and neglect dropped significantly for mothers and children involved in this program. There is no reason why we should not pass that as part of the health care bill," Casey said.

Kennedy emphasized the importance of getting parents access to adequate mental and psychological care. "One of the things that we have in this health bill, is mental health parity...The reason why that's so important in helping reduce child abuse and neglect is obviously children have parents and those parents if they are not mentally healthy...they are going to be more likely to take that out and have an environment where those kids are forced to grow up in really difficult and traumatic circumstances," he said.

Several members of the advocacy community agreed. "We need to pass comprehensive health reform that supports our nations families and includes crucial public health services like home visiting, like well child care, like prevention for all Americans," said CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs Michael Fraser.

-more here-

Baby Beaten to Death, Father Arrested

EDISON, N.J. (WABC) -- A father is behind bars accused of killing his own baby girl.

Police say 39 year old Nilesh Patel of Edison, New Jersey savagely and repeatedly beat his 10 week old daughter until she died.

A public defender entered a plea of not guilty for Patel, who police say beat his infant daughter so badly the 10 week old bled from her eyes and her ears.
Investigators said Patel assaulted his own flesh and blood throughout her short life.

Patel and his wife brought her battered and barely alive to the emergency room at JFK Medical Center on Tuesday. Staffers there soon called police, saying the girl was close to death from apparent abuse.

She later died from Shaken Baby Syndrome and other severe injuries.
Patel was ordered held on $1 million bail. Patel's wife has not been charged.

'Psychopath' Sentenced to 120 Years in Horrific Child Porn Case

PHILADELPHIA — A seldom-employed psychopath was sentenced Wednesday to spend the rest of his life in prison for making a huge cache of child pornography that shows him sexually assaulting a dozen children, including infants at a girlfriend's in-home day care.

The FBI found John Jackey Worman with more than 1 million images and 11,000 videos of child pornography when they arrested him in suburban Philadelphia in 2007. Worman made girls in his care perform sex acts for school lunch money.

"I cannot know ... what was going through your head while you were molesting my daughter. Was it a big joke as I pulled away each day?" the mother of one of the abused infants asked Worman during testimony Wednesday. He stared blankly ahead.

Worman has told prison doctors he feels no remorse for sexually "anointing" his female victims.

"I am totally at peace with everything I have done," he said, according to U.S. District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel, who sentenced him to 120 years in prison.

A teenager who had been abused for several years ultimately tipped off authorities, after watching an episode of "Law & Order" about child sexual abuse. She only then realized it had been wrong, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotella said.

That led to last year's trial, when jurors, who sometimes asked for breaks from viewing the evidence, convicted Worman of 56 child-pornography counts.

The sentencing judge described Worman, 42, of Colwyn, as a psychopath who sponged off women and sadistically coerced his young victims.

Remarkably, the judge found, Worman has no mental-health diagnosis or childhood trauma that would help explain his crimes. Psychiatric tests conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons revealed only that he is a pedophile with an anti-social personality disorder.

Worman described his childhood as a good one in which he was free to do as he liked. He told the medical staff he started using alcohol and marijuana at age 11, and dropped out of 10th grade.

He lived in his mother's basement in Colwyn through his 40s, sometimes with a girlfriend's three children — the woman herself never moved in. He also rigged hidden cameras at the home of another girlfriend, baby sitter Concetta Jackson.

Jackson, 46, of Collingdale is in prison awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to one child-pornography count. Prosecutors say she procured some of the victims for Worman.

Ex-girlfriend Dorothy Prawdzik of Drexel Hill, who went to trial, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for undressing and posing young girls for Worman. Prawdzik, 45, also held the camera while he tried to rape an infant and participated with Worman in a three-way sexual encounter with a 10-year-old girl.

The mother who tried to get answers from Worman in court describes herself now as a tortured, overprotective parent. Her daughter does not remember the abuse — but the woman can't forget it.

The Associated Press is not identifying her to protect her daughter's identity, and is not identifying other sexual-abuse victims in the case.

Worman declined to make a statement Wednesday. His court-appointed lawyer argued against a life term, comparing it to "putting down" an animal.

"A sentence that basically says we're putting you down does not recognize whatever degree of humanity exists in Mr. Worman," lawyer Mark Cedrone said.

Stengel nonetheless said he sought to craft a life term.

The victim who first disclosed the abuse to police is now a 21-year-old wife and expectant mother. After the hearing, she was congratulated for how she came to earn her childhood nickname, "Mouthy."

"That was the best nickname for (me)," she said as she hugged an FBI agent who worked the case. "I'm just happy that it's all over."

Mom Allegedly Carves 'S' Onto Child's Buttocks

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A mother allegedly carved a letter "S" onto her 15-month-old's buttocks, Sacramento police said.

Sergaye Lafayette, 23, remained in custody at the Sacramento County Jail on Thursday afternoon.

A doctor at the UC Davis Children's Hospital's CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center called officials about the scar.

The mutilation appears to have taken place about a week ago, according to a police report.

The child has been placed into protective custody, police said.

Police said she had been taking care of her three children, who she does not have custody of. The children were taken to the medical center for standard check-ups. That's when the doctor found the "S" carving on the 15-month-old.

It's unknown what kind of instrument was used to make the wound.

According to police, Lafayette was pulled over Aug. 10 near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 40th Avenue. She had outstanding warrants, including a felony burglary charge and a felony charge for unlawful use of personal identifying information.

She was booked on a felony charge of endangering the life or health of child.

Lafayette is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on a $120,689 bail.

Child Found Beaten, Starved in Closet; Mom Arrested

APPLE VALLEY -- A mother and her teenage roommate have been arrested after authorities say they found her 5-year-old son 'weak and emaciated' inside a closet.

Officers say the child was living at a house in the 21000 block of Pahute Road along with 9 other children, 3 adults and a teenage boy.

An anonymous tipster called a child abuse hot line this week and reported that a young child was being held hostage and denied food and water in a house.

Deputies say the child had bruises and lacerations all over his body and immediately asked arriving deputies for water.

The victim was transported by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital and later to Loma Linda University Children's Hospital for treatment. He's being treated for burns, bruises, cuts and malnutrition.

Deputies say the child's mother, 31-year-old Desiree Gonzales, and the 16-year-old male roommate had been beating, burning and depriving the child of food and water.

The suspects were displaying symptoms of being under the influence of suspected methamphetamine and were also identified as having Los Angeles area gang affiliations, deputies said.

The other 9 children were removed from the home by Children and Family Services. The victim was the only child that belonged to Gonzales.

Gonzales was arrested and booked into the West Valley Detention Center on charges of Child Abuse/Torture.

The 16-year old was arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall on the same charges. It's believed he may be Gonzales' boyfriend.

The other two adults in the house were not charged.

The investigation is on-going.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Detectives Bessinger or Goddard at (909) 387-3615.

Mother Charged With Killing Burned Child

(Memphis, TN) A Memphis woman has been charged with killing her 11-month-old son by not caring for him properly.

Karen Kirkwood is charged with First Degree Murder and two counts of Aggravated Child Abuse.

In March, Kirkwood's son, Christopher, was severely burned in what was deemed a suspicious fire.

Investigators say Kirkwood did not immediately report the 2nd and 3rd degree burns that covered 30% of the child's body.

Christopher Kirkwood was released into his mother's care April 16 from Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center where his mother was trained how to care for him.

Hospital administrators taught Kirkwood how to care for her son's wounds as well as his tracheal tube.

Monday, May 25, Christopher Kirkwood was found dead in his mother's home. An autopsy showed the child's tracheal tube was, "...completely clogged, obstructing the child's airway."

Police say Karen Kirkwood left Christopher unattended for long periods of time and that she, "...opted to disregard the care orders of the doctors and the training she received..."

It was also learned Kirkwood never used a monitor given to her to track her son's breathing and heart rate, something that would have alerted her to the blocked tracheal tube.

The child's grandmother said he was burned by a space heater. The woman said the family was in the process of moving so he was placed on a pile of clothes to sleep. Because the home's heater did not work, a space heater was put next to the clothing and a fire started.