Dad JEFFREY STEPHEN RUNYAN has been arrested for aggravated assault over a dead duck. Yes, I typed that correctly. See if you can follow the story below; it's pretty crazy. Seems Runyan is also facing charges of violating a protection order filed by his ex-wife, providing false charges to the police, and abusing his ex-girlfriend's child last March. And by the most interesting of coincidences, this guy's daughter was abducted in August 1982, only to show up dead a month later. Nobody was ever charged in her murder though.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705355116/Father-of-Rachael-Runyan-charged-with-assault.html
Father of Rachael Runyan charged with assault
By Geoff Liesik
Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 6:11 p.m. MST
BRIGHAM CITY — Prosecutors have filed charges against a Corinne, Box Elder County, man who allegedly drove his pickup truck into the side of a dairy office after becoming enraged over the death of a duck.
Jeffrey Stephen Runyan, 55, was charged Wednesday in 1st District Court with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor; and several other misdemeanor traffic offenses.
Runyan is the father of Rachael Runyan, who was 3 years old when she was abducted from a Davis County playground in August 1982. Her body was found near a creek bed in Morgan County nearly a month later. No one has ever been arrested in her death.
Jeffrey Runyan was arrested Dec. 22 after he drove his pickup truck into the office of the Tulieview Dairy, 2800 W. 3000 North, according to a Box Elder County sheriff's report.
Two men inside the office were uninjured, the report states. They told a deputy they exited the office after it was hit and asked Runyan "what his problem was."
"Jeff ranted for a bit, then told them if they wanted some he would give it to them and that he had the guns," the report states.
Based on the threat of a weapon and on past dealings with Runyan, deputies decided to take him into custody at gunpoint. He was found in a nearby field and arrested without incident. He was not armed.
Runyan was transported to a hospital as a precaution and began to "rant" again, the report states.
"Jeff was very upset, not about being arrested but for (the neighbors) running over his daughter's duck and killing it," the report states. "Jeff told me he had been up for days and that having the duck killed was basically the last straw, so he did something about it."
Runyan allegedly told deputies he'd gone to the dairy — which is owned by the neighbor he blamed for the duck's death — with the intention of doing "donuts" in its parking lot. When Runyan couldn't get the truck to spin, he said he rammed the dairy instead, according to the sheriff's report.
In an unrelated incident, Runyan was also charged Wednesday with two counts of violation of a protective order, a class A misdemeanor, and one count of providing false information to police, a class B misdemeanor.
The charges stem from a packet of "Wanted" posters and letters Runyan mailed out to various media outlets including the Deseret News earlier this month, said Brigham City Police Lt. Michael Nelsen. The documents accuse Runyan's ex-wife, a woman who is not Rachael Runyan's mother, of "child abuse and alienation of parental affection."
In addition to the state charges, Brigham City police have also referred the case to the city attorney for a possible criminal defamation charge based on the allegations made by Runyan against his ex-wife, Nelson said.
"He's definitely in need of some sort of help," Nelsen said. "He's definitely having a problem with coping with his life now. We are concerned."
Runyan is already facing two counts of child abuse, a class A misdemeanor, and one count of theft, a class B misdemeanor, based on allegations that he physically abused his 22-month-old son with a former girlfriend in March. Runyan has pleaded not guilty and asked to have the case moved out of Box Elder County.
No defense attorney is listed in any of Runyan's cases. He remains in the Box Elder County Jail.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Dad charged with "malicious wounding" in abuse of 4-month-old son (Prince William County, Virginia)
Dad SONNY MAURICIO RIVAS-LOZA has been charged with malicious wounding in the abuse of his 4-month-old son.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/maria-glod/prince-william-county-father-c.html
Prince William County father charged with child abuse
Prince William police on Tuesday said a man was charged with child abuse after an investigation launched when his injured 4-month-old was brought to a local hospital.
Sonny Mauricio Rivas-Loza also was charged with malicious wounding.
Police released few details, but said the investigation began Dec. 15 when Rivas-Loza's son was treated at a hospital for "seizures and other medical emergencies." Rivas-Loza, who was arrested Dec. 17, is accused of abusing the infant for about a two-month period.
-- Maria Glod
By Maria Glod December 22, 2009; 3:35 PM ET
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/maria-glod/prince-william-county-father-c.html
Prince William County father charged with child abuse
Prince William police on Tuesday said a man was charged with child abuse after an investigation launched when his injured 4-month-old was brought to a local hospital.
Sonny Mauricio Rivas-Loza also was charged with malicious wounding.
Police released few details, but said the investigation began Dec. 15 when Rivas-Loza's son was treated at a hospital for "seizures and other medical emergencies." Rivas-Loza, who was arrested Dec. 17, is accused of abusing the infant for about a two-month period.
-- Maria Glod
By Maria Glod December 22, 2009; 3:35 PM ET
DASTARDLY DADS FROM THE ARCHIVES (Sydney, Australia - 2007)
Given all the pious handwringing we're seeing from the fathers rights groups these days regarding the evils of child "abduction" (at least when Mom is doing the "abducting"), it's interesting to note that just two years ago, at least one Australian fathers rights group was advising its members that the Christmas holidays were "an ideal time to take the children without consent because the courts are on a go-slow." A wee bit of hypocrisy?
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/its-parental-kidnapping-season/story-e6freuzi-1111115210417
It's parental kidnapping season
By Clare Masters From: The Daily Telegraph
December 29, 2007 12:00AM
THE number of single parents kidnapping their own children is on the rise with hardline community groups advising fathers that government agencies are slow to act over Christmas.
There are nearly 200 parental abductions cases across the country every year and The Daily Telegraph understands that one single fathers' group is telling its members the Christmas holidays are an ideal time to take children without consent because courts are on a go-slow.
President of child abduction agency, Huko International, Geoff Day condemned the agency and said estranged parents often take children during the holidays - and do not return them after access visits.
Mr Day said custodial parents were frustrated because Australian laws were so outdated that it could take months to set a court date to get a recovery order.
Karen Morris, whose agency Inter-relate runs three of the Federal Government's new Family Relationship Centres, said long court waiting lists were part of the problem.
"The waiting lists in court are, and have been, an issue although they have started to come down," she said.
"Christmas is so emotive. Parents argue a lot over who gets the kids. That combined with (the fact that) some services aren't in full force does elevate the risk."
NSW has one of the highest rates of international child abduction and solicitor Sally Nichols, who deals with a number of these cases, said international cases in particular were a trend - with mothers the common culprit.
"International (abduction) is generally on the increase, and domestically it's chronic at this time of year," Ms Nichols said.
One single mother, who spoke to The Daily Telegraph yesterday, said she was told government agencies could do nothing to retrieve her daughter, who was taken by her father before Christmas, without a copy of the official court order.
But almost two weeks later she still had not seen the order and was unable to find a solicitor to take her case.
"He ended up bringing her back, but if he had not done that he would still have her.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/its-parental-kidnapping-season/story-e6freuzi-1111115210417
It's parental kidnapping season
By Clare Masters From: The Daily Telegraph
December 29, 2007 12:00AM
THE number of single parents kidnapping their own children is on the rise with hardline community groups advising fathers that government agencies are slow to act over Christmas.
There are nearly 200 parental abductions cases across the country every year and The Daily Telegraph understands that one single fathers' group is telling its members the Christmas holidays are an ideal time to take children without consent because courts are on a go-slow.
President of child abduction agency, Huko International, Geoff Day condemned the agency and said estranged parents often take children during the holidays - and do not return them after access visits.
Mr Day said custodial parents were frustrated because Australian laws were so outdated that it could take months to set a court date to get a recovery order.
Karen Morris, whose agency Inter-relate runs three of the Federal Government's new Family Relationship Centres, said long court waiting lists were part of the problem.
"The waiting lists in court are, and have been, an issue although they have started to come down," she said.
"Christmas is so emotive. Parents argue a lot over who gets the kids. That combined with (the fact that) some services aren't in full force does elevate the risk."
NSW has one of the highest rates of international child abduction and solicitor Sally Nichols, who deals with a number of these cases, said international cases in particular were a trend - with mothers the common culprit.
"International (abduction) is generally on the increase, and domestically it's chronic at this time of year," Ms Nichols said.
One single mother, who spoke to The Daily Telegraph yesterday, said she was told government agencies could do nothing to retrieve her daughter, who was taken by her father before Christmas, without a copy of the official court order.
But almost two weeks later she still had not seen the order and was unable to find a solicitor to take her case.
"He ended up bringing her back, but if he had not done that he would still have her.
Dad charged in motor home fire than endangered child (Carolina Beach, North Carolina)
I don't even get this. Why did dad MICHAEL DAVID GOENS set fire to the Winnebago when his daughter was inside? So SWEET of him to help her get out after the fact, but what the f***? And where is the mom? Is this a single dad?
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091229/ARTICLES/912299964/1004
Man charged in motor home fire that endangered child
Michael David Goens, 36, was arrested Dec. 15 and charged with burning property and misdemeanor child abuse because his daughter was in the Winnebago when the fire was set.
Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 10:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 10:00 p.m.
Carolina Beach A man was arrested this month and charged with setting fire to the motor home where he lived in Carolina Beach in October, officials said.
Michael David Goens, 36, was arrested Dec. 15 and charged with burning property and misdemeanor child abuse because his daughter was in the Winnebago when the fire was set, said Chief William Younginer of the Carolina Beach Police Department.
No one was injured in the fire, which caused about $5,000 in damage to the vehicle.
Younginer said Goens got his daughter out of the trailer, and that authorities don’t allege he was trying to hurt her.
He also said police aren’t certain of a motive for the crime and that the trailer was not insured.
On Oct. 23, at 7:30 a.m., authorities went to a mobile home park on North Lake Boulevard, Younginer said.
Goens told police he saw someone run from the Winnebago, Younginer said, but other witnesses didn’t see anyone. A police K-9 couldn’t find anyone to track.
The vehicle belonged to Goens’ father, who does not want to pursue the case, Younginer said. The fire brought out an emergency response, could have endangered other vehicles in the trailer park and led to hours of investigating, Younginer said.
– David Reynolds
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091229/ARTICLES/912299964/1004
Man charged in motor home fire that endangered child
Michael David Goens, 36, was arrested Dec. 15 and charged with burning property and misdemeanor child abuse because his daughter was in the Winnebago when the fire was set.
Published: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 10:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 10:00 p.m.
Carolina Beach A man was arrested this month and charged with setting fire to the motor home where he lived in Carolina Beach in October, officials said.
Michael David Goens, 36, was arrested Dec. 15 and charged with burning property and misdemeanor child abuse because his daughter was in the Winnebago when the fire was set, said Chief William Younginer of the Carolina Beach Police Department.
No one was injured in the fire, which caused about $5,000 in damage to the vehicle.
Younginer said Goens got his daughter out of the trailer, and that authorities don’t allege he was trying to hurt her.
He also said police aren’t certain of a motive for the crime and that the trailer was not insured.
On Oct. 23, at 7:30 a.m., authorities went to a mobile home park on North Lake Boulevard, Younginer said.
Goens told police he saw someone run from the Winnebago, Younginer said, but other witnesses didn’t see anyone. A police K-9 couldn’t find anyone to track.
The vehicle belonged to Goens’ father, who does not want to pursue the case, Younginer said. The fire brought out an emergency response, could have endangered other vehicles in the trailer park and led to hours of investigating, Younginer said.
– David Reynolds
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
"Christmas Boy" released from hospital; boy beaten by dad's GF during visitation (Cottonwood, California)
So daddies just can't get visitation, huh? Then why did these two people got to "visit" with this 7-year-old child? Daddy JAVIER IBARRA LOPEX, who's going to prison for failing to appear on an "unrelated" felony assault charge, and his psycho girlfriend, who apparently didn't like the boy's mom, so she nearly beat the child to death. And why is Dad not being held accountable for psycho girlfriend's actions? Moms are blamed all the time ("failure to protect") for the actions of their husbands and boyfriends.
And maybe I'm missing something, but why is this child going into foster care if Mom had nothing to do with the injuries? How can you be blamed when you weren't even there? Oh right, it's always Mom's fault, even when it's not.
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/dec/30/christmas-boy-released-from-hospital-into-foster/
'Christmas Boy' released from hospital into foster care
By Jim Schultz
Posted December 30, 2009 at midnight
A 7-year-old Cottonwood boy who nearly died from injuries allegedly suffered in a beating by his father's girlfriend, has been released from UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and placed into foster care, a Shasta County Sheriff's Office sergeant said Tuesday.
Sgt. Lisa Shearman confirmed that the child, nicknamed Junior by his family, has been discharged from the hospital and placed into foster care, but said she could not provide any further details.
She referred all other questions to Detective Billy Cobb, who could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the boy's father, Javier Ibarra Lopez, 29, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty last week to failure to appear in court on a felony assault charge that was unconnected with the boy's alleged beating.
Lopez had been tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on that charge Tuesday, but that hearing was canceled after he pleaded guilty on Dec. 23 and was immediately sentenced to prison, according to Superior Court records.
Lopez was never arrested or charged with any crime in connection with his son's alleged beating.
Nicknamed "The Christmas Boy" by two Shasta County women who established a fund for him, Junior had been hospitalized since deputies took him from his home on Dec. 11.
Rachel Limon, Lopez' girlfriend, told sheriff's investigators that she had beaten the boy as an act of revenge against the child's biological mother.
Limon, 27, remains in custody in Shasta County jail on charges of attempted murder, torture, aggravated mayhem, child abuse and four related enhancements. Her bail is set at $1.5 million.
Limon's 22-year-old brother, Gregory Matthew Limon, who is accused of child abuse, being an accessory and obstructing or delaying an officer, is due to be arraigned on Jan. 29.
Both were arrested on Dec. 11 when sheriff's deputies went to their Rhonda Road residence after receiving an anonymous call saying there was a severely abused child there.
Gregory Limon refused to let officers into the home, saying the boy wasn't there, although deputies entered the residence anyway and found the injured boy in a bedroom, Shearman has said.
It's believed the boy would have died within 24-hours without medical treatment, a Shasta County sheriff's investigative report says.
That report, which was released earlier this month, shows that the boy suffered six broken ribs, a collapsed lung and other injuries in the alleged assault.
"Rachel admitted to punching the victim over the course of approximately a week for various reasons," the report said. "The main reason for the abuse was out of revenge due to problems between Rachel and (Melissa) Radford."
Radford, 27, is the boy's biological mother.
The sheriff's report said that Limon, too, has a child with Lopez, which is a source of tension.
Rachel Limon is facing several life sentences if convicted and Gregory Limon faces about six years, eight months in prison if convicted, Senior Deputy District Attorney Ben Hanna said.
And maybe I'm missing something, but why is this child going into foster care if Mom had nothing to do with the injuries? How can you be blamed when you weren't even there? Oh right, it's always Mom's fault, even when it's not.
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/dec/30/christmas-boy-released-from-hospital-into-foster/
'Christmas Boy' released from hospital into foster care
By Jim Schultz
Posted December 30, 2009 at midnight
A 7-year-old Cottonwood boy who nearly died from injuries allegedly suffered in a beating by his father's girlfriend, has been released from UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and placed into foster care, a Shasta County Sheriff's Office sergeant said Tuesday.
Sgt. Lisa Shearman confirmed that the child, nicknamed Junior by his family, has been discharged from the hospital and placed into foster care, but said she could not provide any further details.
She referred all other questions to Detective Billy Cobb, who could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the boy's father, Javier Ibarra Lopez, 29, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty last week to failure to appear in court on a felony assault charge that was unconnected with the boy's alleged beating.
Lopez had been tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on that charge Tuesday, but that hearing was canceled after he pleaded guilty on Dec. 23 and was immediately sentenced to prison, according to Superior Court records.
Lopez was never arrested or charged with any crime in connection with his son's alleged beating.
Nicknamed "The Christmas Boy" by two Shasta County women who established a fund for him, Junior had been hospitalized since deputies took him from his home on Dec. 11.
Rachel Limon, Lopez' girlfriend, told sheriff's investigators that she had beaten the boy as an act of revenge against the child's biological mother.
Limon, 27, remains in custody in Shasta County jail on charges of attempted murder, torture, aggravated mayhem, child abuse and four related enhancements. Her bail is set at $1.5 million.
Limon's 22-year-old brother, Gregory Matthew Limon, who is accused of child abuse, being an accessory and obstructing or delaying an officer, is due to be arraigned on Jan. 29.
Both were arrested on Dec. 11 when sheriff's deputies went to their Rhonda Road residence after receiving an anonymous call saying there was a severely abused child there.
Gregory Limon refused to let officers into the home, saying the boy wasn't there, although deputies entered the residence anyway and found the injured boy in a bedroom, Shearman has said.
It's believed the boy would have died within 24-hours without medical treatment, a Shasta County sheriff's investigative report says.
That report, which was released earlier this month, shows that the boy suffered six broken ribs, a collapsed lung and other injuries in the alleged assault.
"Rachel admitted to punching the victim over the course of approximately a week for various reasons," the report said. "The main reason for the abuse was out of revenge due to problems between Rachel and (Melissa) Radford."
Radford, 27, is the boy's biological mother.
The sheriff's report said that Limon, too, has a child with Lopez, which is a source of tension.
Rachel Limon is facing several life sentences if convicted and Gregory Limon faces about six years, eight months in prison if convicted, Senior Deputy District Attorney Ben Hanna said.
Child abuse soaring due to "unemployment." Why? Because unemployed dads drafted into childcare, that's why (Florida)
This article succinctly explains what I have been saying for months. It's not the "bad economy" as such that's leading to child abuse. It's the growing number of unemployed clueless fathers enlisted to do infant and toddler care (because Mom is now the sole family breadwinner). Regular Dastardly readers already know about all the "triggers" mentioned--crying, dirty diapers, potty training. Regular Dastardly readers also know that many of these dads have histories of drug abuse, domestic violence, or crime in general--yet somehow we think (with a good dose of magical thinking) that they'll be good parents. If a guy mugs a senior citizen on the streets, there's no way he's going to be good with a 3-month-old baby. People need to show some sense.
1) We need job programs to get these guys to work. Let's stop being politically correct. While some guys are just dandy with babies and young children, most--for a variety of physiological and cultural reasons--are not. And they have no desire to be with them all day either.
2) We need decent maternity leaves for the moms, so moms--statistically the safest infant caretakers--can take care of their babies. Not Dad, not the babysitter down the street who's making ends meet by taking in 15 kids in an unlicensed home.
3) For the dads who are abusers, moms need decent protection from these guys (jail with no bail for domestic violence) so they are able to leave in safety. And for gawd's sake, don't give these guys unsupervised visitation with babies. They're as good at managing "visitation" as they are at babysitting while mom's working.
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20091230/NEWS01/912300312/1010
Child-abuse deaths soar in Florida
State sees 20-percent increase over 2007
By Kelli Kennedy • the associated press • December 30, 2009
About 200 children were fatally abused in Florida in 2008, a roughly 20 percent increase over 2007. Unemployment rates and drug use also increased in the state — a factor in many of the deaths, according to a preliminary report.
The number of kids fatally abused who had involvement with the state child welfare agency also increased 20 percent, the State Child Abuse Death Review Committee determined in a report obtained by The Associated Press. In 2008, 79 children were killed who had some type of involvement with the Department of Children and Families in the past five years, compared with 66 children who died in 2007.
"The numbers should be a call for careful scrutiny and accountability, especially when so many of the children were already known to the department or the hotline," said Andrea Moore, child advocate and Broward County attorney who represents foster children.
The investigation verified 198 child-abuse deaths in 2008 and six deaths from previous years that weren't verified until 2008. That's an increase from 163 child deaths in 2007.
At least one of the child-abuse deaths in 2008 occurred in the Big Bend. One-month-old Tameha Bines of Tallahassee was an apparent victim of shaken baby syndrome. Her father, Darren Bines, faces first-degree murder charges.
Florida has one of the highest per-capita rates of child deaths reported to the state abuse hotline in the country, partly because its figures count such events as car accidents, drownings and suicides, which aren't included in most other states.
Twelve of the children died while in foster care, the Department of Children and Families said. Eighty-six percent of the deaths could have been prevented by a state agency like DCF or a caretaker. Seven percent were not preventable, according to the report.
But DCF officials said most of the children came into state custody as a result of abuse or with a pre-existing illness that led to their death, not because they were abused while in state care.
"The more I know about child abuse and domestic violence the more convinced I am that the roots are in substance abuse and mental health," DCF Secretary George Sheldon told The Associated Press. The agency has begun focusing more resources on treating those problems in adults and educating caseworkers on recognizing the symptoms.
Experts say the sour economy also contributed to the problem. Florida's unemployment rate jumped from 4.1 percent to 6.2 percent in 2008, accounting for the loss of about 339,600 jobs.
Unemployed men between 18-30 who watch the children while the mother is at work are the most common abusers, according to the report. Crying, toilet training and feeding are the most common triggers of physical abuse in young children.
"The fact that many of these males are unattached, non-biological fathers contributes to their inability to cope with crying and they very often lack appropriate knowledge of child development and parenting skills," the report says.
Many of the men also have criminal records and histories of substance abuse and domestic violence.
Among the deaths was a 3-month old boy who was thrown out a car window by his mother's irate boyfriend in Tampa in May. Jasmine Bedwell told caseworkers Richard McTear Jr. beat her on two occasions and threatened to harm her son. DCF determined caseworkers didn't take the threats seriously because she promised to get an injunction against him.
Sheldon said he's troubled by an increase in the number of violent child deaths, especially shaken baby deaths. He gets an e-mail alert on his Blackberry every time there's a report of a child dying from abuse.
The number of traumatic injuries increased from 45 physical abuse deaths in 2007 to 59 deaths in 2008.
About 465 deaths were reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline in 2008. Of those, 201 were verified as child abuse or neglect, according to the report.
The report comes after a newspaper investigation showed thousands of calls to the hotline each month aren't forwarded for investigation. Agency records show DCF screened out allegations of physical or sexual abuse, medical neglect and inadequate supervision of very young children. Calls from judges, social workers, school counselors and hospital workers are among those that have gone without investigation, according to The Miami Herald.
DCF has said they would review referrals from the hotline to prevention workers within 24 hours among other changes.
Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Doug Blackburn contributed to this story.
1) We need job programs to get these guys to work. Let's stop being politically correct. While some guys are just dandy with babies and young children, most--for a variety of physiological and cultural reasons--are not. And they have no desire to be with them all day either.
2) We need decent maternity leaves for the moms, so moms--statistically the safest infant caretakers--can take care of their babies. Not Dad, not the babysitter down the street who's making ends meet by taking in 15 kids in an unlicensed home.
3) For the dads who are abusers, moms need decent protection from these guys (jail with no bail for domestic violence) so they are able to leave in safety. And for gawd's sake, don't give these guys unsupervised visitation with babies. They're as good at managing "visitation" as they are at babysitting while mom's working.
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20091230/NEWS01/912300312/1010
Child-abuse deaths soar in Florida
State sees 20-percent increase over 2007
By Kelli Kennedy • the associated press • December 30, 2009
About 200 children were fatally abused in Florida in 2008, a roughly 20 percent increase over 2007. Unemployment rates and drug use also increased in the state — a factor in many of the deaths, according to a preliminary report.
The number of kids fatally abused who had involvement with the state child welfare agency also increased 20 percent, the State Child Abuse Death Review Committee determined in a report obtained by The Associated Press. In 2008, 79 children were killed who had some type of involvement with the Department of Children and Families in the past five years, compared with 66 children who died in 2007.
"The numbers should be a call for careful scrutiny and accountability, especially when so many of the children were already known to the department or the hotline," said Andrea Moore, child advocate and Broward County attorney who represents foster children.
The investigation verified 198 child-abuse deaths in 2008 and six deaths from previous years that weren't verified until 2008. That's an increase from 163 child deaths in 2007.
At least one of the child-abuse deaths in 2008 occurred in the Big Bend. One-month-old Tameha Bines of Tallahassee was an apparent victim of shaken baby syndrome. Her father, Darren Bines, faces first-degree murder charges.
Florida has one of the highest per-capita rates of child deaths reported to the state abuse hotline in the country, partly because its figures count such events as car accidents, drownings and suicides, which aren't included in most other states.
Twelve of the children died while in foster care, the Department of Children and Families said. Eighty-six percent of the deaths could have been prevented by a state agency like DCF or a caretaker. Seven percent were not preventable, according to the report.
But DCF officials said most of the children came into state custody as a result of abuse or with a pre-existing illness that led to their death, not because they were abused while in state care.
"The more I know about child abuse and domestic violence the more convinced I am that the roots are in substance abuse and mental health," DCF Secretary George Sheldon told The Associated Press. The agency has begun focusing more resources on treating those problems in adults and educating caseworkers on recognizing the symptoms.
Experts say the sour economy also contributed to the problem. Florida's unemployment rate jumped from 4.1 percent to 6.2 percent in 2008, accounting for the loss of about 339,600 jobs.
Unemployed men between 18-30 who watch the children while the mother is at work are the most common abusers, according to the report. Crying, toilet training and feeding are the most common triggers of physical abuse in young children.
"The fact that many of these males are unattached, non-biological fathers contributes to their inability to cope with crying and they very often lack appropriate knowledge of child development and parenting skills," the report says.
Many of the men also have criminal records and histories of substance abuse and domestic violence.
Among the deaths was a 3-month old boy who was thrown out a car window by his mother's irate boyfriend in Tampa in May. Jasmine Bedwell told caseworkers Richard McTear Jr. beat her on two occasions and threatened to harm her son. DCF determined caseworkers didn't take the threats seriously because she promised to get an injunction against him.
Sheldon said he's troubled by an increase in the number of violent child deaths, especially shaken baby deaths. He gets an e-mail alert on his Blackberry every time there's a report of a child dying from abuse.
The number of traumatic injuries increased from 45 physical abuse deaths in 2007 to 59 deaths in 2008.
About 465 deaths were reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline in 2008. Of those, 201 were verified as child abuse or neglect, according to the report.
The report comes after a newspaper investigation showed thousands of calls to the hotline each month aren't forwarded for investigation. Agency records show DCF screened out allegations of physical or sexual abuse, medical neglect and inadequate supervision of very young children. Calls from judges, social workers, school counselors and hospital workers are among those that have gone without investigation, according to The Miami Herald.
DCF has said they would review referrals from the hotline to prevention workers within 24 hours among other changes.
Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Doug Blackburn contributed to this story.
Dad charged with 1st-degree murder in death of 2-month-old daughter (Lockport, Illinois)
Dad MARK TRUBIANO has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 2-month-old daughter. The baby died from head injuries due to blunt force trauma--apparently from being violently shaken.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/12/trubiano-charges-will-county-lockport-aggravated-battery-to-a-child-grundy.html
Family defends dad accused in baby's death
December 30, 2009 4:39 PM
Even as murder charges were filed today, the wife and family of a Lockport man accused of fatally shaking his 2-month-old daughter have no doubt he is innocent, his attorney said.
The family posted the $100,000 needed to free Mark Trubiano, 38, on an aggravated battery charge just hours after his firstborn child Storey Trubiano was declared dead at 12:37 a.m. at Children's Memorial Hospital from head injuries she apparently suffered Monday.
The infant, who was already brain-dead on Tuesday, died of cerebral injuries due to blunt-head trauma from child abuse, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Trubiano was in the process of being bonded out when prosecutors upgraded the battery charge to one count of first-degree murder. Judge Robert Livas then increased Trubiano's bond from $1 million to $5 million.
Trubiano slumped into his chair, his hands shackled in front of him, after the judge's decision.
Donald DeWilkins, the family's Orland Park attorney, said Trubiano's "whole family" is supportive of the lifelong Lockport resident.
"He's a grieving father who is being unfairly condemned," DeWilkins said outside the courtroom. "It's a rush to judgment."
The family told him their statements to investigators were "coerced" and twisted to bring charges against the girl's father, he said.
"They took the family in a time of weakness and basically forced him (to make a statement)," DeWilkins said.
Two days after Christmas, paramedics were called to the Trubianos' Lockport home around 7:40 p.m. after receiving a report that an infant wasn't breathing, said Lockport police Lt. Dave Draksler.
The baby was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet and then to Children's Memorial, he said.
On Monday, a team of investigators was sent to the hospital after Lockport police were told the infant had suffered injuries consistent with "that of a shaken baby," he said.
Authorities declined to comment on the complaints aired by the family's attorney.
DeWilkins declined to say whether the infant had prior health problems or give the family's account of what occurred.
-- Steve Schmadeke
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/12/trubiano-charges-will-county-lockport-aggravated-battery-to-a-child-grundy.html
Family defends dad accused in baby's death
December 30, 2009 4:39 PM
Even as murder charges were filed today, the wife and family of a Lockport man accused of fatally shaking his 2-month-old daughter have no doubt he is innocent, his attorney said.
The family posted the $100,000 needed to free Mark Trubiano, 38, on an aggravated battery charge just hours after his firstborn child Storey Trubiano was declared dead at 12:37 a.m. at Children's Memorial Hospital from head injuries she apparently suffered Monday.
The infant, who was already brain-dead on Tuesday, died of cerebral injuries due to blunt-head trauma from child abuse, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Trubiano was in the process of being bonded out when prosecutors upgraded the battery charge to one count of first-degree murder. Judge Robert Livas then increased Trubiano's bond from $1 million to $5 million.
Trubiano slumped into his chair, his hands shackled in front of him, after the judge's decision.
Donald DeWilkins, the family's Orland Park attorney, said Trubiano's "whole family" is supportive of the lifelong Lockport resident.
"He's a grieving father who is being unfairly condemned," DeWilkins said outside the courtroom. "It's a rush to judgment."
The family told him their statements to investigators were "coerced" and twisted to bring charges against the girl's father, he said.
"They took the family in a time of weakness and basically forced him (to make a statement)," DeWilkins said.
Two days after Christmas, paramedics were called to the Trubianos' Lockport home around 7:40 p.m. after receiving a report that an infant wasn't breathing, said Lockport police Lt. Dave Draksler.
The baby was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet and then to Children's Memorial, he said.
On Monday, a team of investigators was sent to the hospital after Lockport police were told the infant had suffered injuries consistent with "that of a shaken baby," he said.
Authorities declined to comment on the complaints aired by the family's attorney.
DeWilkins declined to say whether the infant had prior health problems or give the family's account of what occurred.
-- Steve Schmadeke
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