Driveway Dangers A Warning For All Parents

Posted: May 20, 2015 6:23 PM PST Updated: May 20, 2015 10:10 PM PST

 

It wasn't easy for Brian and Amanda Bayers to talk about how their 18-month-old son, Jackson, died, but they did for one reason.

You often hear warnings about the dangers of leaving children in hot cars or getting into dangerous chemicals around the house, none of which should be taken lightly. But it is not often you hear about what happened to the Bayers - a split-second accident that can change a family's life forever.

There wasn't a single moment of Jackson's life that Brian and Amanda Bayers missed. They captured every precious moment on camera, from the first time he crawled to him just being his happy self. They felt blessed to be his parents.

"It was instant love, love at first sight," Amanda said.

The Bayerses have been married for 8 1/2 years and knew family was what they wanted from the beginning. But it wasn't easy. They struggled for 3 1/2 years to get pregnant.

"When I found out she was pregnant, I (instantly felt) very nervous about everything," Brian said. "How I was going to provide; if I was going to be a good dad."

All the normal feelings, and a sense of protection when Jackson finally came into their arms on Aug. 1, 2013.

"I felt like we had a whole different responsibility in our life that we had a small child that we had to raise," Brian said.

Their little boy was growing - so was his curiosity - as he managed to get his hands on everything.

"I worried every night. I got home - I carry around change in my pocket - I would get down on my hands and knees. I'd look for dimes, pennies I might have dropped," Brian Bayers said.

But it was what they didn't think of that changed their life.

"You always think, ‘This can't happen to me,' but it can," Brian said.

On Feb. 13, 2015 Brian was getting ready to take Jackson to daycare. He remembered Jackson was a little extra loving that morning and they were both enjoying their time together. It was cold, so Brian figured while Jackson was playing he would go warm up the truck and back it up to the house.

"When I got out of the truck, I hopped out of the truck to run to the back door and hopped up on the stoop and the back door was wide open," Brian said.

He ran into the house calling Jackson's name and couldn't find him.

"I went flying out the back door basically to see him on the driveway, and he had already been hit at that point in time, and I had backed over him," Brian said. "I never saw him at any point in time. Jackson was hit by the front wheels of the vehicle backing up. When the front wheels back around, he essentially walked right into the side of the vehicle."

"I was quite hysterical. My son was killed instantly, and I called 911," he said.

Knowing there was nothing he could do to save Jackson, Brian called Amanda, who rushed home from work.

"I immediately wanted to hold him and held him for hours," Amanda said. "I think I just kissed him and rocked him. We took him back to his room. I just kept saying, ‘Why?'"

The pain and the heartache they have been feeling since that day is indescribable. They miss everything about their sweet boy.

"I miss holding him and hugging him and kissing him - just feeling that love," Amanda said.

"I miss seeing him dance with his mom," Brian said. "I miss lying in bed in the morning and hearing him wake up."

Every minute of every day Brian said he can't help but think of what happened to Jackson. How did he open the door, and what he could have done differently to stop him?

"What if I had a back-up camera on my vehicle? What if I had my window rolled down? I think what if I didn't just pick my child up and carry him with me to my car," Brian said. "I worried about all the little things that could have possibly happened and this was one thing that never crossed my mind."

In the United States, at least 50 children are backed over by vehicles every week, and the predominant age of victims is one year old, according to KidsAndCars.org.

Kids and Cars is a non-profit child safety organization dedicated to preventing injuries and death to children in and around motor vehicles.

The Bayerses never knew how common back-over and front-over accidents were until Jackson died. They took the brave step to talk about it, knowing Jackson would be proud of them.

"If we can save one child's life by this and prevent one family from the kind of devastation that we have faced, that will be his legacy," Brian said.

"We know that Jackson is in heaven and he's with God," Amanda said.

Brian and Amanda Bayers say their faith has gotten them through this difficult time and they have received so much support from support groups and church. Both of them love children and they are trying to have more.

The Bayerses want to build on Jackson's legacy. They are raising money to build a park in his honor.

 

Copyright 2015 Tucson News Now and WAVE3. All rights reserves

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/29119678/driveway-dangers-a-warning-for-parents

AP IMPACT: Abused kids die as officials fail to protect

Posted: Dec 17, 2014 10:50 PM Updated: Dec 18, 2014 12:31 AM

By HOLBROOK MOHR and GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press

BUTTE, Montana (AP) - At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in plain view of child protection authorities - many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger, The Associated Press has found.

To determine that number, the AP canvassed the 50 states, the District of Columbia and branches of the military - circumventing a system that does a terrible job of accounting for child deaths. Many states struggled to provide numbers. Secrecy often prevailed.

Most of the 786 children whose cases were compiled by the AP were under the age of 4. They lost their lives even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of protective services because of previous instances of neglect or violence or other troubles in the home.

Take Mattisyn Blaz, a 2-month-old Montana girl who died when her father spiked her "like a football," in the words of a prosecutor.

Matthew Blaz was well-known to child services personnel and police. Just two weeks after Mattisyn was born on June 25, 2013, he came home drunk, grabbed his wife by her hair and threw her to the kitchen floor while she clung to the newborn.

Jennifer Blaz said a child protective services worker visited the day after her husband's attack, spoke with her briefly and left. Her husband pleaded guilty to assault and was ordered by a judge to take anger management classes and stay away from his wife. Convinced he had changed, his wife allowed him to return to the home.

She said the next official contact between the family and Montana child services came more than six weeks later - the day of Mattisyn's funeral.

The system also failed Ethan Henderson, who was only 10 weeks old but already had been treated for a broken arm when his father hurled him into a recliner so hard that it caused a fatal brain injury.

Maine hotline workers had received at least 13 calls warning that Ethan or his siblings were suffering abuse. The caseworker who inspected the family's cramped trailer six days before Ethan died on May 8, 2012, wrote that the baby appeared "well cared for and safe in the care of his parents."

Many factors can contribute to the abuse dilemma nationwide: The child protective services system is plagued with worker shortages and a serious overload of cases. Budgets are tight, and nearly 40 percent of the 3 million child abuse and neglect complaints made annually to child protective services hotlines are "screened out" and never investigated.

Also, insufficient training for those who answer child abuse hotlines leads to reports being misclassified, sometimes with deadly consequences; a lack of a comprehensive national child welfare database allows some abusers to avoid detection by moving to different states; and a policy that promotes keeping families intact can play a major role in the number of deaths.

Because no single, complete set of data exists for the deaths of children who already were being overseen by child welfare caseworkers, the information compiled over the course of AP's eight-month investigation represents the most comprehensive statistics publicly available.

But the number of abuse and neglect fatalities where a prior open case existed at the time of death is undoubtedly much higher than the tally of 760.

Seven states reported a total of 230 open-case child deaths over the six-year period, but those were not included in the AP count because the states could not make a distinction between investigations started due to the incident that ultimately led to a child's death and cases that already were open when the child received the fatal injury.

The data collection system on child deaths is so flawed that no one can even say with accuracy how many children overall die from abuse or neglect every year. The federal government estimates an average of about 1,650 deaths annually in recent years; many believe the actual number is twice as high.

Even more lacking is comprehensive, publicly available data about the number of children dying while the subject of an open case or receiving assistance from the agencies that exist to keep them safe - the focus of AP's reporting.

"We all agree that we cannot solve a problem this complex until we agree it exists," said David Sanders, chairman of the federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, whose members are traveling the country studying child deaths under a congressional mandate.

States submit information on child abuse deaths to the federal government on a voluntary basis - some of it comprehensive, some of it inaccurate. In some cases, states withhold information about child deaths in violation of the terms of federal grants they receive.

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services says all states receiving grants under a prevention and treatment program must "allow the public to access information when child abuse or neglect results in a child fatality," unless those details would put children, their families or those who report abuse at risk, or jeopardize an investigation.

Still, no state has ever been found in violation of disclosure requirements and federal grants have never been withheld, according to Catherine Nolan, who directs the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, a sub-agency of HHS.

The information that states send the federal government through the voluntary system also is severely lacking.

A 2013 report showed that 17 states did not provide the federal government with a key measure of performance: how many children had died of child abuse after being removed from their homes and then reunited with their families within a five-year period.

When President Richard Nixon signed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act into law in 1974, it was seen as a sign of federal commitment to preventing child abuse through state-level monitoring.

But in 1995, a board reviewing the subsequent progress issued a scathing report calling or better information and transparency and flagging "serious gaps in data collection."

Nearly 20 years later - 40 years after Nixon signed the act - the AP found that many such problems persist.

The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate@ap.org

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/27657200/ap-impact-abused-kids-die-as-officials-fail-to-protect

Mother of newborn baby found in trash arrested

Posted: Aug 26, 2014 7:27 PM Updated: Aug 26, 2014 7:57 PM

 

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer). Police walk near garbage cans where a baby was found Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014, in Kearns, Utah.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer). A unidentified woman is escorted from a home by a police officer after a baby was found in a garbage can in Kearns, Utah on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer). A unidentified woman is escorted from a home by a police officer after a baby was found in a garbage can in Kearns, Utah on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014.

• critical condition Tuesday after her 23-year-old mother left her in a neighbor's trash can in Utah, a state that allows mothers to drop off newborns at hospitals without consequences, police and health officials said.

Authorities arrested Alicia Marie Englert Tuesday night on suspicion of attempted murder, Unified Police in Salt Lake City said in a statement.

A woman heard what she thought was a kitten meowing in the trash bin in the Salt Lake City suburb of Kearns on Tuesday morning and found the baby, Unified Police Detective Jared Richardson said.

Richardson says the girl was airlifted to a hospital in Salt Lake City, where she's now on a ventilator and fighting for her life.

Police say she was born Monday, and they don't think she has received any medical care or food.

Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder, who oversees the Unified Police Department, said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference that investigators did not have any information about where the mother gave birth or why she may have left the baby in the trash can.

The mother told officers she had left the baby about an hour before the child was found, authorities said.

"We had a young lady make a very, very terrible decision," Winder said.

There were no visible injuries to the child and no information about the child's father, Winder said.

At the news conference, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and health officials listed resources available for expectant and new mothers, including a crisis hotline and the state's safe haven law, which allows mothers to leave newborns at hospitals, no questions asked.

A handful of infants are dropped off at Utah hospitals under the safe haven law every year, said Al Romeo with the Utah Department of Health.

It's not common for a mother to abandon a child in a trash can or other unsafe place, but there have been a few cases over the past 10 years, he said.

Romeo cited the discovery in April of seven dead newborn babies in the garage of a home in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Police believe the mother killed six of the infants after giving birth to them over a decade. A seventh baby is believed to have been stillborn.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Arizona man gets prison term for child abuse

Posted: Aug 22, 2014 3:14 AM Updated: Aug 22, 2014 3:14 AM

PHOENIX (AP) - A man has been sentenced to 8 ½ years in federal prison for injuring an infant he was babysitting on the Gila River Indian Community.

Federal prosecutors say 41-year-old Christopher Earl Terry also was sentenced Thursday to three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Terry previously pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse.

Prosecutors say Terry seriously injured the baby boy at a residence within the reservation west of Phoenix.

Details weren't immediately disclosed by prosecutors in the case.

In deciding the sentence, U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa rejected Terry's contention that he injured the child during rough play.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26344503/arizona-man-gets-prison-term-for-child-abuse

Mesa mon convicted in her daughter's 2011 death

Posted: Aug 13, 2014 1:59 PM Updated: Aug 13, 2014 2:00 PM

PHOENIX (AP) - A Mesa woman has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of her 4-year-old daughter.

Maricopa County prosecutors say jurors also found 30-year-old Crystal Carimbocas guilty Wednesday on two counts of child abuse.

She's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18.

Authorities say Anays Chenal Carimbocas was taken to a Mesa hospital in May 2011 with fatal injuries that her mother's boyfriend said incurred when the girl fell into an apartment complex's pool.

Prosecutors say the pool was closed for renovation on the day of the incident.

They also say an autopsy revealed injuries that occurred long before the day of the girl's death including skull fractures, a lacerated liver, broken ribs and numerous bruises.

Crystal Carimbocas and her 24-year-old boyfriend, Jose Gonzalez-Dominguez, were tried separately in the case.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26273395/mesa-mon-convicted-in-her-daughters-2011-death

Mesa preschool employee pleads guilty to abuse

Posted: Aug 14, 2014 1:36 PM Updated: Aug 14, 2014 1:36 PM

PHOENIX (AP) - A Mesa preschool employee accused of child abuse after police found a 2-year-old girl restrained in a sleeping area has changed her plea to guilty.

Maricopa County prosecutors say 22-year-old Lauren Miller pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of child abuse. Her sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 18.

Miller was arrested last October on suspicion of two counts of child abuse and two counts of unlawful imprisonment and pleaded not guilty.

She was accused of wrapping the girl in a blanket and tying the ends of the cloth so tightly that the toddler couldn't move.

A co-worker at the Cholla Montessori child-care facility took photos of the tied-up girl and sent them to Mesa police.

Authorities say the toddler didn't need medical attention and was turned over to her parents.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26283523/mesa-preschool-employee-pleads-guilty-to-abuse

Mesa man convicted in death of girlfriend's child

 

Posted: Aug 14, 2014 5:12 PM Updated: Aug 14, 2014 5:12 PM

PHOENIX (AP) - A Mesa man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter.

Maricopa County prosecutors say 24-year-old Jose Luis Gonzalez-Dominguez also was found guilty Thursday of five counts of child abuse. The trial's aggravation phase begins Aug. 19.

Authorities say Anays Chenal Carimbocas was taken to a Mesa hospital in May 2011 with fatal injuries that Gonzalez-Dominguez said occurred when she fell into an apartment complex's pool.

The county Medical Examiner's Office ruled the girl's death was from blunt force trauma. An autopsy revealed previous injuries that included skull fractures, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and numerous bruises.

The girl's mother, 30-year-old Crystal Carimbocas, was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse Wednesday. She's scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26285583/mesa-man-convicted-in-death-of-girlfriends-child

Goodyear woman accused of trying to drown her baby

 

Posted: Aug 19, 2014 12:48 PM Updated: Aug 19, 2014 12:48 PM

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say a Goodyear woman is in custody for allegedly trying to drown her baby daughter.

Goodyear police say 28-year-old Phoeteama Janiece Neal is being held on a $1 million bond on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder.

Officers say a possible drowning at a home was reported about 1:35 p.m. Monday.

The 20-month-old girl was taken to a Phoenix hospital, where she remains in extremely critical condition.

Detectives say Neal learned earlier Monday that her daughter was to be relinquished to the baby's father at the end of this month.

It was unclear Tuesday if Neal has a lawyer yet.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Phoenix grandma, daughter accused of abusing girls

Posted: Aug 18, 2014 1:39 PM Updated: Aug 18, 2014 1:39 PM

PHOENIX (AP) - A woman is accused of child abuse for allegedly spanking her two grandchildren with a belt in front of the children's mother, who also has been arrested.

Phoenix police say 43-year-old Stacy Hamby and 24-year-old Laura Hamby both are being held on two counts of felony child abuse.

Their bond was set Monday at $25,000 apiece at their initial court appearance. Neither woman has a lawyer yet.

Police say they were called by authorities at the girls' elementary school after a nurse found bruises on the children's buttocks and thighs Wednesday.

The girls- ages 6 and 8 - say they were punished by their grandmother for not going to sleep at their apartment.

Stacy Hamby reportedly told police she was upset at the girls' behavior and was under some stress.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26308808/phoenix-grandma-daughter-accused-of-abusing-girls

Trial date set in Arizona child poisoning case

 

 

Posted: Aug 04, 2014 7:18 AM Updated: Aug 04, 2014 8:18 AM

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) - A Casa Grande mother charged with killing her teenage daughter and trying to poison her three other children last Christmas Day will go on trial for murder next year.

The Casa Grande Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1ANkIpd) that a trial date of July 6 has been set in Pinal County Superior Court for 36-year-old Connie Villa.

Judge Rudy Georgini has set aside eight weeks on the court calendar for the proceedings.

Villa has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including one count of first-degree murder in her 13-year-old daughter's death and four counts of attempted murder of her three younger kids and ex-husband.

Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles plans to seek the death penalty.

According to Casa Grande police, the 36-year-old Villa didn't want her ex-husband to have custody of the children.

Information from: Casa Grande Dispatch.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26189628/trial-date-set-in-arizona-child-poisoning-case

Missing child's body found buried in backyard; mom & dad behind bars

 

Posted: Jul 10, 2014 9:02 PM Updated: Jul 10, 2014 9:05 PM

By Dan Marries - bio | email

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -  Dan Marries here in the Tucson News Now newsroom where we're working on a number of stories for Fox 11 News at 9:00 and KOLD News 13 at 10:00. One police department's loss is another one's gain. It's been a tough year for police agencies all across Arizona with budget cuts and hiring freezes and that can make it tough to keep good cops on the streets. On KOLD News 13 at 10:00, Sonu Wasu takes a closer look at the challenges some department's face as they fight to compete with better pay and more incentives. 
A gruesome discovery for law enforcement officers in eastern Arizona; they uncovered the body of a little girl buried in the backyard of a home. At 10:00, how a tip from the missing girl's own siblings led police to the burial sight and what investigators have to say about her parents. 
Our recent monsoon storms have brought much needed moisture to southern Arizona and that has prompted forest officials to lift fire restrictions. This is great news for anyone who might be going camping this weekend. Christine Pae will have more details in a live report at 10:00pm and Kevin Jeanes will have our First Alert Forecast to let us know what kind of weather we'll have. 
And on my Facebook page you can watch the video where I've been called out for the Cold Water Challenge by a Tucson Fire Department firefighter. Tomorrow I'll be getting doused with ice cold water all in the name of charity.

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/25992951/missing-childs-body-found-buried-in-backyard

2,100 Arizona families to get child care help

 

Posted: Jul 14, 2014 3:14 AM Updated: Jul 14, 2014 3:14 AM

PHOENIX (AP) - Officials say thousands of needy Arizona families who have been waiting for state child care assistance don't have to wait any longer.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security says newly available funds have made it possible to release 4,000 children from a priority waiting list for child care.

The department made the announcement Friday.

The funds were made available through the signed legislation that created the new Arizona Department of Child Safety.

Families on the list who are classified as "special circumstances" because they live in a homeless or domestic violence shelter will be released first.

Officials say these families can contact the Child Care Administration office to get financial assistance once they've confirmed their eligibility.

The child care assistance programs target low-income families and teen parents in high school.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26009725/2100-arizona-families-to-get-child-care-help

Body of girl, 3, found buried in Arizona backyard

Posted: Jul 11, 2014 11:02 AM Updated: Jul 11, 2014 11:53 AM

THATCHER, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say the body of a 3-year-old girl has been found buried in the backyard of a southeastern Arizona home.

State Department of Child Safety spokeswoman Jennifer Bowser-Richards said Friday an investigation of two young brothers left alone in a Thatcher motel led to the discovery.

KGUN-TV reports (http://bit.ly/VTYAJG) a Graham County probation officer found the boys June 26.

The officer had been looking for 23-year-old Joshua Matthew Cisneros, who is dating the boys' mother, 28-year-old Anna Marie Sanchez.

Authorities say the investigation found the boys have a sister who has been missing since March 2012. They are investigating whether the body belongs to her.

Authorities found the remains Wednesday and are awaiting autopsy results. They are treating the case as a homicide.

Cisneros and Sanchez are being jailed on unrelated charges.

Information from: KGUN-TV, http://www.kgun9.com/news/

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/25997755/body-of-girl-3-found-buried-in-arizona-backyard

Stepmom in custody after missing Detroit boy found in basement

Posted: Jun 26, 2014 6:51 AM Updated: Jul 03, 2014 6:51 AM

A father discovers during live TV interview that missing son was found in his basement. (Source: CNN)

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DETROIT (CNN) -The stepmother of a missing Detroit boy is now in police custody after the boy was found in his father's basement Wednesday.

According to WXYZ in Detroit, Monique Dillard-Bouthell has been taken into custody for a bench warrant out for her arrest in an incident unrelated to this case.

The other children in their home have been removed by Child Protective Services, and Detroit police are now investigating the possibility of child abuse.

Detroit police say Charlie Bothuell V, 12, was found behind a makeshift barricade.

The father was told during a live TV interview with Headline News' Nancy Grace that his son was found alive in his basement.

"We are getting reports that your son has been found in your basement," Grace said. "Sir? Mr. Bothuell?"

A bizarre revelation, live on the air, the father  - who is also named Charlie Bothuell - was apparently shocked to find out his missing son is alive.

"We're getting that right now," Grace said. "How could your son be alive in your basement?"

"[EXPLETIVE] I have no idea," said Charlie Bothuell IV.

Questions are swirling around the discovery of the young Charlie. The father has now gotten a lawyer and not making any comments late Wednesday.

What should have been a happy ending to a missing child case is now shrouded in mystery.

Charlie Bothuell IV says that it's impossible for his son to have been in the basement for the nearly two weeks he was missing.

"Sir, did you check your basement?" Grace said.

"I checked my basement, the FBI checked my basement, the Detroit police checked my basement, my wife checked my basement. I've been down there several times. We've all been checking," Charlie Bothuell IV said.

Detroit police confirm that investigators saw no signs of Charlie Bothuell after searching the home four times, including once with a cadaver dog.

"The FBI searched, Detroit police searched, we all searched, they brought dogs, everything, everybody has searched. Oh my God, my son," Charlie Bothuell IV said.

According to the police, Charlie Bothuell was found barricade behind boxes and a large 55-gallon drum, raising suspicions as to whether someone might have hidden him.

"There's no way he could have erected this makeshift area of concealment. It would be hard for me sit here and tell you that someone didn't know that Charlie was there," said Chief James Craig, Detroit Police.

In an impromptu press conference held as Charlie Bothuell IV arrived home from Nancy Grace's show. He vehemently denied having any knowledge of his son's whereabouts.

"For anybody to imply that I somehow knew my son was in the basement is absurd and wrong. I love my son. I'm glad that he's home. Man I thought my son was dead," Charlie Bothuell IV said.

Charlie has been released from the hospital after a mental evaluation, according to clickondetroit.com. He says investigators would like to speak with him before he has contact with his family.

Young Charlie is now in the custody of his biological mother.

Copyright 2014 WXYZ, HLN'S NANCY GRACE, via CNN. All rights reserved.

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/25877524/dad-told-on-live-tv-missing-son-found-alive

Arizona court to rule on child placement cases

Posted: Jul 13, 2014 1:08 AM Updated: Jul 13, 2014 1:08 AM

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Supreme Court rules Monday on how much authority that state child-welfare officials have in deciding how and when to return children in state custody to their parents.

The Pima County case involves five children taken into state custody on grounds that the parents were using drugs and that the children were being neglected.

A judge ruled that the plans were in complete or full compliance with state officials' plans to reunite the family. However, the children's appointed lawyer objected to giving state officials discretion to gradually transition the children to their parents' home.

The children's lawyer contended that formal court proceedings are needed to return the children, but the judge ruled the child-welfare officials have discretion for transition and placement of the children with their parents.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26005514/arizona-court-to-rule-on-child-placement-cases

Phoenix man pleads guilty in nephew's 2012 death

 

Posted: Jul 11, 2014 1:42 PM MST Updated: Jul 11, 2014 1:42 PM MST

PHOENIX (AP) - A Phoenix man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of his infant nephew in 2012.

Maricopa County prosecutors say Manuel Antonio Gonzalez entered his plea Friday. He's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 5.

Phoenix Fire Department crews responded to a drowning call at a home in October 2012.

They reported finding 21-month-old Xavier Becerra Martinez hurt, but his injuries didn't appear consistent with a drowning.

Fire crews called Phoenix police and then transported the boy and Gonzalez to a hospital, where the toddler later died.

Police say homicide investigators discovered Gonzalez was watching his two small children and his nephew.

He told police that Xavier was playing with a hose and drowned in a puddle of water.

Authorities said the injuries were more consistent with child abuse.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/25999083/phoenix-man-pleads-guilty-in-nephews-2012-death

Arizona court to rule on child placement cases

Posted: Jul 13, 2014 1:08 AM MST Updated: Jul 13, 2014 1:08 AM MST

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Supreme Court rules Monday on how much authority that state child-welfare officials have in deciding how and when to return children in state custody to their parents.

The Pima County case involves five children taken into state custody on grounds that the parents were using drugs and that the children were being neglected.

A judge ruled that the plans were in complete or full compliance with state officials' plans to reunite the family. However, the children's appointed lawyer objected to giving state officials discretion to gradually transition the children to their parents' home.

The children's lawyer contended that formal court proceedings are needed to return the children, but the judge ruled the child-welfare officials have discretion for transition and placement of the children with their parents.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/26005514/arizona-court-to-rule-on-child-placement-cases

Phoenix mom accused of injecting child with drugs

 

PHOENIX (AP) - A Phoenix woman is in custody on allegations that she injected her 5-year-old daughter with methamphetamine and amphetamine.

Police say 30-year-old Jacqueline Trousdale is being held on suspicion of child abuse and endangering the life and health of a minor.

A family member called authorities in October, saying Trousdale was doing drugs in front of her two daughters, ages 5 and 6.

Authorities say the girls told police their mother had injected them with drugs, and state Child Protective Services took custody of the children.

Police say a urine sample from the 5-year-old girl last week came back positive for drugs in her system.

Trousdale was found in the Phoenix suburb of Tolleson and arrested.

She was arraigned on the charges Wednesday in a Tolleson court and does not yet have an attorney for the case.

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Gilbert woman sentenced for abusing adopted son

 

Posted: May 31, 2013 1:37 PM Updated: May 31, 2013 1:37 PM

PHOENIX (AP) - A Gilbert woman has been sentenced to 13 ½ years in prison and lifetime probation for abusing her adopted son.

Maricopa County prosecutors say 40-year-old Jennifer Barnes was sentenced Friday.

Court paperwork showed the victim was physically and sexually abused by Barnes, who was arrested in September 2011 when the boy was 10.

The boy told police that Barnes allegedly put feces in his mouth and taped it shut, burned sensitive areas of his body with a lighter and curling iron and violated him with a toothbrush.

Police say the boy described multiple incidents of abuse so severe it caused him to bleed and a physical exam discovered scarring consistent with his account of the abuse.

Barnes reportedly was the child's only caregiver during the time of the alleged abuse.

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Youngtown man gets prison for abusing his baby boy

 

Posted: May 30, 2013 4:48 PM Updated: May 30, 2013 4:48 PM

PHOENIX (AP) - A Youngtown man accused of child abuse after his infant son suffered multiple broken ribs has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Maricopa County prosecutors say 19-year-old Benjamin Joseph Cooper also was sentenced Thursday to 18 years of supervised probation.

Cooper was arrested last October after he told authorities that he squeezed his crying child while trying to swaddle him in a blanket, then heard a popping sound.

Authorities say Cooper also told them that he accidentally dropped the 5-week-old boy in a bassinet and the infant hit his head on the crib.

A social worker at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center notified authorities after the infant was treated for dehydration and a bruise on his cheek. Medical staffers say they saw the broken ribs on X-rays.

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