On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Domestic Violence on Thursday, April 23, 2015.
By far one of the most important and meaningful areas of family law is defense and protection from domestic violence. National awareness of domestic violence has been rising, but Missouri law has always treated domestic abuse very seriously. When most people think of domestic abuse, they think of a man beating his wife or girlfriend in a drunken rage, but we know that this is not always the case. Anyone in any household can be a victim of domestic violence, sadly, even infants.
Recently in Missouri, a woman called police claiming that her daughter was unconscious after being bitten by a spider. When officials arrived on the scene, they found the baby girl with bruises covering her body and severe injuries on her neck and her face. It appeared she had been dead for hours. The girl’s mother insisted she had no idea what had happened, but officials say that the little girl’s body was so battered that it appeared to have been in a car wreck.
EMS personnel pronounced the child dead, claiming that she had likely died several hours prior. A three-year-old boy was also discovered with bruises and a broken leg in the house. He has been given to Missouri’s division of family services. The woman who placed the call was taken into custody, and she is likely going to face formal charges.
This is a tragic and disturbing case that shows just how serious and traumatizing domestic abuse can be. Of course it is awful to hear about men and women who are mistreated by spouses or significant others, but we must also remember the children who are beaten by their parents. These children have nowhere to go for help and often nobody to turn to. If you suspect that a child is being abused in his or her home, please contact the authorities immediately to get the child some form of legal protection if it turns out to be necessary.
Source: CBS 4, “Baby beaten to death, mother tries to pass it off as spider bite,” Kylee Wierks, April 20, 2015
