Post by tillions on Oct 22, 2009 11:30:16 GMT -5
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-children-abused-killed-102209,0,1608638.storyBoiling water was poured over Jariel Alexander's face. Janessa Sandoval was strangled with a bra. Ashley Diaz was bitten all over her body. Roosevelt Bradley III was hit so hard that his tiny skull turned to mush.
These Central Florida children, all 2 or younger, were brutally killed in recent months.
The Department of Children and Families has investigated 17 potential child homicides, in which the suspect is a caregiver, so far this year in the 16-county region — one fewer than last year. Although deaths have not increased, officials say the crimes seem to be becoming more violent.
"There is a perception from the field that the severity of the injuries that these children endured prior to the death have increasingly grown," DCF spokeswoman Carrie Hoeppner said. "Some of the circumstances are horrific. ... They absolutely borderline on torture."
This month, 2-year-old Jariel died after being beaten by his mother's teenage boyfriend for wetting his pants, police said.
"They lose their temper and have no self-control," said Dr. Tod Burke, a criminal-justice professor at Radford University in Virginia. "They take it out on vulnerable victims. Sometimes it's a spouse, and sometimes it's the children. In this case, it's the children."
A national study released Wednesday shows that five children die each day as a result of child abuse or neglect in the U.S., according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Every Child Matters. The report analyzed 2007 law-enforcement data and found 1,760 children died of abuse that year — 153 in Florida.
Local DCF investigators find that the suspects tend to be young, poor, uneducated, out of work and frustrated, according to the 2008 Child Abuse Death Review published by DCF. The suspects in each of the four recent cases seem to fit that profile.
Jariel
Jariel Alexander had a serious head injury and was severely burned when he arrived at a hospital Oct. 11.
Jonathan Alicea, 19, told Kissimmee police he shoved the boy so hard in the head that the child lost consciousness and stopped breathing.
The boy's mother, Silkia Mateo, left Jariel and his 6-year-old brother alone with Alicea while she was at work. Later, according to police, Alicea admitted injuring the boy in a fit of anger and then dumping a pot of boiling water on the toddler's face in an effort to revive him.
Alicea is charged with murder and is being held without bail at the Osceola County Jail. He has pleaded not guilty.
Roosevelt
Roosevelt Bradley III died Aug. 7 after suffering abuse while alone with his father, Orange County deputies said. The 8-month-old twin was rushed to the hospital with a head injury. His twin sister was not injured.
During recent court testimony, the boy's skull was described as "mushy," and the back of his head was like a balloon.
Roosevelt Bradley II, 28, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Bradley, who worked in restaurants, was denied bail and is being held at the Orange County Jail. He entered a not-guilty plea.
Janessa
Janessa Sandoval's mother told Casselberry police she used a bra and her hands to strangle the 2-year-old girl Sept. 26.
Nioshka Bello's toddler was unconscious when medical personnel arrived at the apartment the two shared with Bello's mother and stepfather. Janessa was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Bello, 22, attempted to commit suicide by taking several pills while her stepfather was on the phone with police, reports show.
Bello is charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bail at the Seminole County Jail. She has pleaded not guilty. Her lawyers requested a mental-health evaluation to determine whether she is competent.
Ashley
Ashley Diaz was unconscious when her mother called for help Aug. 10. Doctors discovered that the 4-month-old infant's body was covered in what looked like human bite marks. Ashley died the following day.
Her mother, Katie Furtaw, admitted to Orlando police she bit the infant out of frustration when the baby would not stop crying, according to reports.
"She said the victim would keep crying after being fed and being given diaper changes, and she did not know how to deal with it. She admitted to biting the victim out of frustration between 5 and 10 times," the police report said.
DCF already was investigating the family at the time of Ashley's death.
Furtaw was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse but later released on $5,000 bail. The State Attorney's Office has not formally filed charges against the 21-year-old unemployed woman. Family members said she is mentally disabled from lead poisoning.
Henry Pierson Curtis of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Bianca Prieto can be reached at 407-420-5620 or bprieto@orlandosentinel.com.
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel
I am totally speechless right....