Dad, girlfriend on trial for burning 10-year-old daughter (Corpus Christi, Texas)

Another case where a father (in this case PALANCO TATMAN) and his girlfriend are on trial for child abuse. Where is the mother of this child? Once again, we don't know if the mother is alive or dead. Whether dad had custody or just visitation. Logically, it would have to be one or the other. But we're not told how this poor girl came to live with these animals. There's just silence. Notice that the child went to CPS, and not to her mother.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.caller.com/news/2010/nov/30/two-trial-burned-child-case/

Two on trial in burned child case
Girl suffered burns on more than 20 percent of body
By Mary Ann Cavazos
Posted November 30, 2010 at 3:02 p.m.

CORPUS CHRISTI — The father of a 10-year-old girl and his girlfriend are on trial this week related to allegations that they intentionally burned the girl with a scalding hot shower.

Palanco Tatman, 30, and Crystal Robinson, 27, each face seven felony counts of injury to a child.

The girl, who also was bruised and covered in blisters, was brought to Driscoll Children's Hospital on June 15. She was flown that same day to a specialized burn unit in Galveston for treatment of burns on more than 20 percent of her body.

The couple also are accused of waiting four days to seek medical treatment for the girl, who was later placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Dr. Carlos Jimenez, who helped treat the girl in Galveston, said her burns weren't consistent with the claim that she was accidentally burned because of the burn pattern. Jimenez said that instead it seemed the girl was held in scalding water that caused first, second-and third-degree burns that have left her disfigured.

Photos shown to the jury showed the girl's bloody and burned back along with the bruises on her body. Jimenez said the bruises the girl had weren't related to the scalding water and that it seemed odd that she told him she didn't remember how she was burned.

Candace Tovar, a social worker for the local hospital, said Tatman told her that the girl hadn't wanted to go to a hospital and that he tried to treat her himself with gauze and burn gel.

Tovar said Tatman also told her he hadn't known about his daughter's bruises and that she had told him she was fine.

The trial is being held in 214th District Judge Jose Longoria's court.