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Local Child Abuse Related News
Child abuse is a real and ever-present issue in our country, the state of Kansas and our community. As more awareness is brought to this issue, our community can better understand ways to help combat it. Here are the recent headlines.
National Commission to End Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities Final Report
March 20, 2016 - Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities
CECANF Releases Final Report, Within Our Reach: A National Strategy to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalitiespresents recommendations for actions that the Commission believes will be most effective in ending these tragic deaths, today and into the future. Check out page 70 of the report to see what the Wichita Coalition for Child Abuse Prevention is doing to try to reduce child fatalities.
Holton child, 2, that was awarded nearly $110M survives abuse, struggles for higher quality of life
December 17, 2015 - Topeka Capitol Journal
Romeo has brain damage, is blind, suffers seizures and must have care 24 hours a day for the rest of his life, according to court documents. Romeo, who always will need a feeding tube, was 7 months old when he was injured on April 18, 2014, at a Holton apartment complex.
Research highlights “gray cases” in child abuse
December 08, 2015 - Yale Daily News
Each year, more children in the U.S. die from child abuse and neglect than pediatric cancer. Last month, Yale-New Haven Hospital pediatrician Barbara Chaiyachati published the paper “Gray Cases of Child Abuse: Investigating factors associated with uncertainty” with the aim of identifying just these cases, based on the nature and context of children’s injuries as well as their family’s social and medical history
Birth Match, Tool to Prevent Abuse and Neglect, Slow to Spread in U.S.
December 01, 2015 - The Chronicle of Social Change
The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF) has heard from experts and stakeholders around the country and has prepared a draft of its recommendations. Among them is the suggestion that states expand a practice called “birth match,” which can identify at birth children who are at risk of child abuse and neglect.
DCF rule change eases blacklisting process
November 26, 2015 - McPherson Sentinel
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be the victim of sexual abuse before his or her 18th birthday.
90 percent of sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator.
23.4 percent of children under the age of five are in some form of organized child care arrangement, which includes day care centers, nurseries, and preschools.
3,799 Kansas children were placed in foster care in 2015, for an average of 317 children per month.
Kansas agency to lower evidence standard in child abuse claims
November 20, 2015 - KAKE.com
This will make it easier for the agency to get individuals accused of abusing or neglecting a child onto a state registry.
Size of Kansas foster care population up 18 percent
November 15, 2015 - KSNT.com
Children are usually removed from their homes because of neglect, and leave the foster care system when they rejoin their families, are adopted or reach age 18. State data shows that the 2009 fiscal year is the last time more children were exiting the system each month, 312 on average, than were entering, 260 on average. Since then, the numbers have gradually flipped, with 317 children entering the system on average each month in FY 2015, which ended June 30, and 286 leaving the system.
Tackling neglect is ‘everyone’s responsibility’: how services can safeguard children
November 14, 2015 - The Guardian
Experts tell us what can be done on one of the most pressing challenges facing practitioners, policymakers and families
Effects of child abuse and neglect, if untreated, can last a lifetime, study finds
November 04, 2015 - Washington Post
In the first major study of child abuse and neglect in 20 years, researchers with the National Academy of Sciences report that the damaging consequences of abuse can not only reshape a child’s brain but also last a lifetime.
Child Abuse Files Alarmingly Common
November 02, 2015 - IT-Online
The “NetClean Report 2015: Eleven Unbelievable Truths” shows that three in four police officers (76%) say that they have worked on cases involving child sexual abuse material on work computers within the private sector. In comparison, over half of investigators (58%) found similar material on work computers in the public sector.
Editorial: Consistent care
November 02, 2015 - Topeka Capitol Journal
According to state figures, Kansas has about 6,500 children in its foster care system at any one time, and, since 2011, more children have been coming into the system each month than have been exiting. One can’t help but wonder if children are lingering in the system longer because of the high turnover in case managers — a situation that would be detrimental both to the children and to state taxpayers.
Foster care families in short supply in southwest Kansas
October 23, 2015 - Garden City Telegram
There is a need for foster families in southwest Kansas, and one area foster care official believes much of the shortage is driven by misconceptions about foster care.
Kansas man sentenced for 3-year-old girl’s death from abuse
October 23, 2015 - Kansas City Star
A suburban Kansas City man was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for the abuse death of a 3-year-old girl.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article39322116.html#storylink=cpy
Mother, boyfriend plead guilty to lesser charges in 3-year-old girl’s death
October 23, 2015 - The Wichita Eagle
A Wichita mother and her boyfriend accused of abusing and killing a 3-year-old girl last year pleaded guilty this month to charges that will likely put each in prison for LESS THAN 14 years.
Screening injured kids for abuse could reduce ongoing harm
October 06, 2015 - examiner.com
Routinely screening children with sentinel injuries – visible or detectable injuries that occurred before a doctor’s visit or hospital admission – for child abuse, would identify more children before further harm could take place, a new study reveals.
Why the family told Govi’s story
October 04, 2015 - Kansas City Star
Cases of severe abuse and neglect happen all too often and rarely do we know what becomes of the victims.
Parents were a factor in many child homicides in 2015
September 10, 2015 - KMBC News
Wichita biker groups stress community, charity
June 03, 2015 - kwch.com
A group of Wichita bikers met Thursday to emphasize their role in the community.
This after a deadly shooting in Waco, Texas that left 9 bikers dead and nearly 170 people in custody.
The group had members from ABATE Kansas, Christian Motorcyclist Association, STAR Touring and Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA).
Wichita police investigating sexual abuse case; 13-year-old arrested
June 03, 2015 - kansascity.com
Wichita police said they are investigating a possible sexual abuse that involves eight children ranging from 2 to 9 years old.
Infant hospitalized, brother in protective custody
June 03, 2015 - kansas.com
A 5-month-old girl is hospitalized and her older brother in protective custody as Wichita police investigate a possible case of child abuse.
Kansas man gets 8 life sentences for sexually assaulting 3
June 02, 2015 - emporiagazette.com
A 41-year-old Wichita man with a long history of sex crimes has been given eight life sentences without the possibility of parole for sexually assaulting three underage girls.
From birth to death: Questions of neglect
May 22, 2015 - Springfield News-Leader
Four days after 8-pound Jasmine Miller came into this world in Wichita, a representative from the Kansas Department for Children and Families came to check on her well-being.
And over the next six years of her life, child welfare workers in Kansas and Missouri continued to check on her health and safety, never finding enough evidence to conclude that she had — as alleged by hotline calls — lived among cockroaches or maggots or that she had been abused or neglected by those entrusted with her care.
That evidence for neglect was found only after she was killed in Branson.
House uneasy with controversial child-custody bill
May 21, 2015 - cjonline.com
The House ground to a halt on child-custody legislation Thursday while struggling with details of a plan offering parents the option of avoiding entanglement in the state’s foster care system by temporarily designating another person to care for their children.
Commission seeking a national child abuse solution looks to Utah for answers
May 19, 2015 - http://www.deseretnews.com/
A federal commission efforting a national strategy to combat child abuse deaths is looking to Utah for ideas.
The 12-person Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities convened its latest in a series of public meetings in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, traveling across the country to learn about research into child abuse deaths as well as efforts to prevent tragedy.
Wichita man arrested for alleged rape twin daughters
May 12, 2015 - kake.com
A Wichita man has been arrested, accused of raping his 5-year-old twin daughters.
Child abuse survivors urge people to report suspicions
April 30, 2015 - kmbc.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —There were more than 133,000 reports of child abuse in Kansas and Missouri in 2014, and as Child Abuse Prevention Month begins, officials said 2015 isn't off to a good start.
High-profile cases of abuse have made headlines in the Kansas City area since the year began.
The first homicide of 2015 was the death of a toddler. Police said a man with previous child abuse convictions, Mirsad Hamidovic, shook and body-slammed the little boy he'd been asked to watch. A mother has been charged with causing the death of a 2-year-old girl and serious injuries to another child. Two women have been charged with starving a 10-year-old boy and locking him in the basement.
Child abuse a bigger problem than some realize
April 30, 2015 - mcphersonsentinel.com
Samantha was 5 or 6 years old when she was first molested.
It happened at a day care she and her brother attended while their divorced mother worked. Between eight and ten children were at the day care on a typical day.
While playing a chasing game, a teenage boy working at the day care cornered Samantha in a garage and told her to lift up her dress.
Kansas removes more children from homes for abuse than non-abuse reasons
April 30, 2015 - cjonline.com
The state of Kansas is removing children from homes for abuse and neglect far more often than for other reasons — a departure from the past few years.
Statistics from the Department for Children and Families show that, when it takes a child from a home, 59 percent of the time during the current fiscal year it has been because of abuse and neglect. Non-abuse and neglect reasons account for the remaining 41 percent.
That’s different than the past several years. In 2014 abuse and neglect accounted for 51 percent of removals. Non-abuse removals accounted for 51 percent of removals in 2013. And in 2012, abuse and neglect removals were evenly matched with non-abuse and neglect removals.
Kansas deputy charged with murder, child abuse
April 30, 2015 - KAKE.com
JETMORE, Kan. (AP) -- A sheriff's deputy in western Kansas man has been charged with killing his 2-month-old son.
The Kansas attorney general's office announced Friday in a news release that 30-year-old Kody Lee Hanson has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse. Bond has been set at $250,000 cash or surety.
Kansas mother held on child abuse charge
April 30, 2015 - newspressnow.com
ATCHISON, Kan. — A 22-year-old rural Muscotah, Kan., mother is in jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond following her arrest on a felony warrant Tuesday for child abuse.
Heidi Pace faces felony charges that include abuse of a child and aggravated battery in connection with life-threatening injuries inflicted on her infant son.
The complaint filed Tuesday in Atchison County District Court alleges that on April 7 Ms. Pace knowingly tortured or cruelly beat her 3-month-old son causing permanent brain injury, which constitutes felony abuse of a child.
Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie said authorities from the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case following an alert from Children’s Mercy Hospital officials.
CASA volunteers help foster kids find a voice
April 19, 2015 - kansascity.com
At age 3, Makaila Gay was adopted by parents who would turn out to be abusers.
She was slammed against walls for not doing her chores correctly. She was yelled and cursed at with words that no one should have to hear. She had medication jammed down her throat. One night she was banned from the house to spend the night in the garage. If it’s so bad, then leave, her parents would tell her. Gay was stumped. She felt powerless.
“I was too scared,” said Gay, now 17. “This was my life. This is what I knew.”
The Conversation: Our best response to child abuse may be to just understand
April 19, 2015 - kansascity.com
Ann Thomas of Olathe is vice president of program administration at the Children’s Place, a therapeutic preschool and outpatient treatment center for children under the age of 8 who have experienced abuse neglect or trauma; the organization also offers support groups for parents. Thomas, who earned a master’s in social work from the University of Kansas and is a licensed clinical social worker and adjunct professor in play therapy at MidAmerica Nazarene University, also counsels children and parents. Because April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, I wanted to talk to Thomas about the recent debate over whether spanking is OK; how we should respond when we see parents behaving abusively toward a child in public, and how stressed parents can keep their cool.
One-year-old daughter dead; mom charged
April 19, 2015 - http://www.kshb.com/
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A 19-year-old Kansas City mother has been charged with abuse and assault of her one-year-old daughter.
Donniesha Lasha Lee was charged with child abuse and domestic assault in the first degree today by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
Lee is accused of repeatedly hitting her child in the chest, asking the child to be quiet. Multiple individuals who witnessed it requested Lee to stop and give them the child. Court records also say at least one witness attempted to physically take the child away from Lee.
Pinwheels planted to symbolize child abuse
April 19, 2015 - wibw.com
A rally at the Statehouse Thursday served as a way to remember April as Child Abuse Awareness month.
Members of the Kansas Children's Service League joined with Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Governor Sam Brownback to speak on the issues of child abuse in Kansas.
"Unfortunately, the numbers are not good on what's happening on child abuse," said Brownback.
Kansas deputy accused of killing his 2-month-old baby
April 19, 2015 - www.kibw.com
JETMORE, Kan. — A western Kansas sheriff's deputy was arrested in connection with the death of his two-month-old son, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). The baby died in a Wichita hospital last week.
Thirty-year-old Kody Lee Hanson was booked on the 1st Degree Murder and Felony Abuse of a Child. He is being held in the Ford Co. detention center.
Amid meth’s grim toll on Kansans, a case of hope
April 19, 2015 - kansas.com
The woman has been off methamphetamine for four months now. She is literally pregnant with motivation.
The 26-year-old, in recovery at a Wichita residential treatment center, expects to give birth to a son soon. In the struggle against one of the most destructive drugs, she is winning so far, a day at a time. Four months is the longest she has stayed sober while in recovery. It gives her hope, after the drug caused her to give up two other children.
KAKE TV meteorologist joins Tri-County CASA team
April 09, 2015 - http://www.butlercountytimesgazette.com/
Meteorologist Frank Waugh recently joined the Tri-County CASA Inc. team.
Waugh joined the KAKE First Alert Weather team in September of 2013.
“Frank has accepted our invitation to become Honorary Spokesman for the Tri-County CASA, Inc.
Judge seals trial portion of ‘girl in need’ child-in-need-of-care case
April 09, 2015 - kansas.com
A Sedgwick County judge has sealed the trial portion of a child-in-need-of-care case involving the alleged abuse of a 14-year-old who's been diagnosed as a victim of child torture. The decision means the public will not know the outcome of the case.
The Eagle began following and writing about "The Girl in the Basement" as part of its "In Need of Care" series...
"The Girl in the Basement" article can be found here: http://www.kansas.com/news/special-reports/in-need-of-care/article1145001.html
Puppet show helps abuse victims
April 03, 2015 - kwch.com
The Junior League of Wichita puts on a puppet show for area children to help them better understand child abuse.
Police say 4 kids test positive for meth at a Wichita home
April 03, 2015 - KAKE.com
Four siblings all under the age of 13 have tested positive for meth, according to Wichita police. One of those kids is just 2 years old.
On Tuesday, officers removed the kids from a home in the 2700 block of South Bennett. They're now in protective custody at the Wichita Children's Home.
Meanwhile, the state will investigate how they could have been exposed to meth, and whether it's safe for them to return to their parents.
Technology to close distance between foster children, therapists in rural Kansas
March 29, 2015 - kansascity.com
Foster mom Tina Tracy sees young children come into her Kansas home who are scared and confused and don’t understand why they can’t see their moms or dads.
But many families live, as the Tracys do, 30 or more miles from the nearest counselor. Or their busy schedules make it difficult to get to an immediate appointment. Some may have to wait to visit a therapist.
Technology, though, is about to change that for hundreds of foster parents in Kansas.
Child-abuse awareness program to give out signs Wichita garden stores
March 29, 2015 - kansas.com
A grassroots child-abuse awareness program run by local grandmothers will be giving out yard signs and bracelets on Saturday, says Lily Hill, one of the organizers.
The signs say: "Be aware! Child abuse can be anywhere! Call 911."
Sex trafficking exists, here in America
March 29, 2015 - CNN
Melissa was sold into the sex trade by a family member when she was only 12 years old.
Her life became a prison: Chained to a bed in a warehouse, she endured regular beatings, rapes and once was even set on fire by her captors as she was forced to serve 5 to 30 men every day. The experience was enough for her to wish she was dead.
And this all took place in Texas -- right here, in our own country.
El Dorado man sentenced with toddler’s death
March 29, 2015 - KWCH
A Butler County judge handed down the maximum sentence allowed to a man convicted in the death of his ex-girlfriend's daughter.
Justin Edwards was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for the 2012 death of 18-month-old Jayla Haag.
The girl's injuries included a broken jaw, missing teeth that had been forcibly removed, severe head injuries and multiple bruises. She also was malnourished and tested positive for methamphetamine.
Oklahoma toddler killed while in foster care
March 29, 2015 - KWCH
An Oklahoma mother talks about how her child was killed while he was in foster care.
"They gave my child to someone who killed him," she said.
Parents speak openly about frustrations leading to child abuse
November 18, 2014 - kwch.com
Most honest parents will admit there are times their child will push them to the breaking point. It can be shocking to read, and uncomfortable to talk about.
"I guess it just builds up and after everything, after so much and you just finally just snap," said parent Nicollete Daniels.
Daniels is talking openly, as we asked her share the emotions, and what leads to a parent abusing their child.
Last year, 533 Kansas children were physically abused and taken from their homes.
418 deaths of Kansas children in 2012, annual report says
October 06, 2014 - Kansas.com
More than 400 Kansas children died in 2012, the most recent report from the state’s child death review board shows.
The Kansas State Child Death Review Board’s annual report, released last week by Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office, shows 418 children died in 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. That’s one less than in 2011. The report covers deaths of children from birth to age 17.
Eighty-nine of the children were Sedgwick County residents.
Standing up for those being bullied
October 01, 2014 - Winfieldcourier.com
October is Bullying Prevention Month. In the 2014 Kansas Communities That Care Survey, more than 13,000 Kansas students stated they were bullied between one and two times per week, and approximately 2,500 students disclosed being bullied each day.
In Need of Care: Hearing in abused child case postponed again
October 01, 2014 - Kansas.com
The preliminary hearing for the parents of a 14-year-old Sedgwick County girl diagnosed by a doctor as a victim of child torture has been continued a fourth time.
Kansas man gets 21 years in sexual abuse case
September 08, 2014 - Hayspost.com
A Hutchinson man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for sexually abusing a pair of 13-year-old girls.
Parental substance abuse main reason Kansas children removed from their homes
September 04, 2014 - Kansas.com
The 11-year-old girl begged her mom to stop using drugs.
She told her she didn’t want to end up in foster care like her cousins.
But her pleas didn’t work. Earlier this month, police put her and her younger sister in protective custody.
Kansas uses more rigorous evidence standard for child abuse than other states
August 24, 2014 - Kansas.com
Kansas is the only state in the country that requires clear and convincing evidence to substantiate an allegation of child abuse or neglect.
That standard could be putting children at risk, some in the child welfare field say.
In Need of Care: Reports of girl’s abuse deemed ‘unsubstantiated’ by DCF
August 24, 2014 - Kansas.com
When someone reported that the adoptive mother of a 14-year-old Sedgwick County girl had hit her with a bat, the Kansas Department for Children and Families found there was not “clear and convincing” evidence that abuse had occurred.
In Need of Care: Child neglect easy to miss, affects development, safety
August 12, 2014 - Kansas.com
They hadn’t taken a bath or brushed their teeth in a month.
That’s what a 12-year-old Wichita girl told social workers recently after she and her siblings got cleaned up at the Wichita Children’s Home. They had been living without electricity or water, court documents say, because their parents hadn’t paid the utility bills.
Man sentenced to life in death of Kansas child
July 30, 2014 - KAKE News
A Salina man convicted of killing his girlfriend's 18-month-old daughter was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 20 years.
Twenty-eight-year-old Troy Love was sentenced Wednesday for felony murder and child abuse in the April 2012 death of Bre'Elle Jefferson. He was sentenced to 55 months in prison for the child abuse conviction. The sentences will run consecutively.
Girl, 5, hospitalized with head injuries
July 30, 2014 - Kansas.com
A 24-year-old woman was arrested late Tuesday night, suspected of injuring her 5-year-old stepdaughter, police said.
The girl’s father brought the child to Via Christi Hospital St. Joseph shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with what a police document described as “facial injuries.” But an examination at the hospital revealed injuries too severe for the cause provided by the stepmother.
Junior League donates $300,000 to Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County
July 01, 2014 - Kansas.com
The Junior League of Wichita has donated $300,000 to the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County.
The donation, which was formally announced at City Hall Tuesday morning, will be used by center officials to build the training and education wing of their new state-of-the-art facility to help victims of child abuse. The wing will be named after the Junior League.
Mother, boyfriend face murder charges after death of young girl
June 05, 2014 - KAKE News
Murder charges are expected to be filed against a mother and her boyfriend following the death of a young girl.
Monica Krueger, 24, and 23-year-old Evan Schuessler are now facing felony first degree murder charges in the death of 3-year-old Emma Krueger, who died last night.
In Need of Care: Helpless in the face of violence
May 31, 2014 - Kansas.com
“Good job, guys. They’re taking you into state custody. I hope you’re happy.”
That’s what a mother of four said to her children just before police took them into protective custody Feb. 7, she acknowledged later in court testimony.
In Need of Care: The girl in the basement
May 31, 2014 - Kansas.com
The girl said she knew parents must discipline their children.
But the way the people who fostered and then adopted her allegedly punished her was not discipline, according to a doctor’s diagnosis introduced in court.
How to spot & report signs of abuse
May 06, 2014 - KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
Wichita Police are investigating the case of a one-year-old found left alone in an apartment closet Tuesday with no air conditioning.
Wichita school district safety supervisor charged with multiple child sex crimes
March 25, 2014 - Kansas.com
Prosecutors charged Wichita school district safety supervisor Alex Robinson with multiple child sex crimes, stemming from a decade-old case reported to Wichita police more than a year ago.
Robinson, 51, faces two counts of criminal sodomy, three counts of aggravated indecent liberties, one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. The charges involve three victims, who ranged in age from 11 to 14 at the time of the alleged crimes, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.
Children placed in protective custody after reporting abuse
March 25, 2014 - Kansas.com
Two children were placed in protective custody by police Monday night after they reported being beaten with a belt, according to a police document.
A 14-year-old girl reported shortly after 9 p.m. Monday that her mother and her mother’s boyfriend had used a knife to cut her clothes off, a police report said. She also said she had been beaten with a belt.
Court records: shooting victim twice sought protection
March 25, 2014 - KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
A Wichita woman who was shot late Monday, along with two of her children, had twice sought legal protection from her alleged attacker.
Sedgwick County court records reveal Pettix McMillan's had threatened to kill her and harm "everybody in the house" as recently as two months ago.
Voting angry helped Wichita Children’s Home win $15,000
March 17, 2014 - KAKE
Wichita State University Coach Gregg Marshall won $15,000 for the Wichita Children's Home.
Marshall was in the Final Four of the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge. The online voting competition lasted from January 6th to March 16th.
Wichita man charged with human trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation of child
March 14, 2014 - Kansas.com
A 54-year-old Wichita man this week was charged with aggravated human trafficking and three counts of commercial sexual exploitation of a child.
A complaint filed in Sedgwick County District Court accuses Shailesh D. Bhakta of trafficking a 16-year-old between Oct. 26 and Nov. 7, then offering or receiving sex acts from the teen in exchange for valuables. He is also accused in the documents of allowing property he had an interest in to be used to sell sex acts with the 16-year-old during that same nearly two-week stretch.
EmberHope receives grant to combat human trafficking
January 30, 2014 - Kansas.com
EmberHope of Wichita is one of a handful of victims service providers in Kansas to receive Human Trafficking Victim Assistance grants from the Kansas Attorney General’s office.
“As we continue to combat human trafficking in Kansas, more trafficking victims are being identified and are in need of support,” Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a prepared statement. “These funds will help local organizations provide those services to victims in their time of need.”
7 children in protective custody; no arrests
December 27, 2013 - John Wright, KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
Wichita Police took seven children in protective custody after a home was found to be in poor living conditions.
An eighth child was hospitalized because of a third-degree burn on her thigh.
Police said SRS officials were originally sent to the 5100 block of East Pawnee to check on a girl who suffered burns earlier this month. The mom failed to take child for a checkup, police said.
The children range in age from 3 to 11 years of age. Police know who the mother is, but there have been no arrests.
Sisterly Love: ‘I Knew That We Had Each Other’
November 08, 2013 - NPR Staff
Ten days after a court verdict found a man guilty of sexual assault, two of his victims — his 14- and 15-year-old nieces — stepped into a StoryCorps booth.
"He was a police officer," the older sister said. "This big SWAT man with all the badges and the uniforms, and he couldn't keep his hands to himself. He sexually assaulted me when no one was around. I felt like I was on pause my whole childhood. A prisoner — dead. And I didn't say a word to anybody for seven years."
Nightmare in Missouri town: Teens’ sexual encounter ignites a firestorm against family
October 13, 2013 - Dugan Arnett, Kansas City Star
There wasn’t much left by the time she arrived, just a burnt-out structure and the haze of smoke that lingered around it.
The siding and gutters had melted. The roof was gone. Inside, piles of ash filled the rooms that had once bustled with the pleasant sounds of a family.
Child abuse cases on the rise in Kansas
September 20, 2013 - Pilar Pedraza, KWCH 12 Eyewitness News
Another child neglect case in Wichita and the experts say it's part of a trend, not just in the city but across the state.
This latest case involves a child found in conditions the police called 'deplorable', a home full of bed bugs and roaches and a child with flu-like symptoms.