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2 children trapped in foster care, as adults still debate how sibling died 4 years later

Police found no crime was committed in the death of 4-year-old Geovannti, but DFCS and the medical examiner still have questions. Four years later the case is unresolved and the family is still torn apart.

Normally when we talk about our child welfare system, we are asking why the Division of Family and Children Services and the courts didn’t do more to protect an abused child. As a community, we ask why the child wasn’t taken out of the home -- and kept out of the home.

CPS worker defies gag order, exposes violent child sex ring in state foster system

Abusers job or title:: Foster Father

Sierra Vista, AZ — While many think that the state taking children from parents is a noble gesture to protect the child, all too often, the state removes kids from a bad situation and throws them into a situation akin to a horror film. Many times the children are taken from caring parents, who happened to hit a rough patch in their lives, and thrown into torturous and outright sadistic situations where they end up raped, tortured, and even murdered.

Beth Breen, a former employee of Arizona DCS recently broke her gagging order and went on Northwest Liberty News where she detailed the horrifying treatment suffered by a young girl named Devani at the hands of the state foster system.

According to Breen, she is not supposed to speak about the case because of the gag order, but is anyway because the information is vital and the order unconstitutional.

Breen explained that she was a driver for a 5-year-old girl whose stay in foster care ended with her being permanently disfigured and fighting for her life in ICU because of her bureaucratic ‘protection’ within the system. The child, who is referred to as Jane Doe in a lawsuit, but whose real name is Devani, was taken from her parents because they had substance abuse issues.

Abuser Name or Alias:: David Frodsham
Abusers Organisation:: Fostercare System
Type of Abuse:: Sexual, Death
Matter Resolved?: No

Teen, 14, beats tot boy so badly his small intestine explodes. He’ll now face adult charges for murder & abuse: Police

 

A Virginia teenager accused of beating a young boy to death has been officially charged as an adult, court officials confirmed.

ABC 13 reports that according to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, 14-year-old Robert Bolsinger-Hartshorn is facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with the 2018 death of Larkin Carr, 4. The suspect is the son of Hank Smith’s girlfriend, Catherine Louise Seals. Hank Smith is Larkin’s father.

Larkin and his younger brother, 3, were staying with their father, Smith, on a trial basis in his Norfolk home when the alleged abuse began. After temporarily living in foster care, the boys moved in with their dad and Seals in July 2018. Bolsinger-Hartshorn and Seals’ toddler daughter also lived in the home.

Bolsinger-Hartshorn waived his preliminary hearing on Wednesday after Norfolk Juvenile Domestic Relations Court Judge Robert Smith III ruled the teen would face charges as an adult. The suspect is also facing charges as an adult for strangulation, malicious wounding, and child abuse.

 
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Larkin’s cousin, Margie Thomas, told CrimeOnline she was relieved to learn that if convicted, the teen would likely get a lengthier sentence.

“I am overwhelmed with joy knowing he is being held accountable and charged as an adult. He took the life of my sweet baby cousin and knowing this gives us peace. We promised to be Larkin’s voice and this is the first step to justice.”

How do you protect your children from predators? Join Nancy Grace and a team of world-class experts for the online course ‘Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here’.

“Absolutely Nothing” Done to Stop the Abuse: Prosecutors

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Bolsinger-Hartshorn is accused of beating, kicking, slapping, starving, and torturing Larkin, who passed away in November 2018. Seals is accused of doing “absolutely nothing” to stop the abuse, according to court documents filed at the Norfolk Circuit Court.

Bolsinger-Hartshorn called his mother on November 12, 2018, and said Larkin was unresponsive. Seals, who said she was not at home when her son contacted her, called 911.

Detective Matthew Nordan said earlier this year that he spoke to Seals several times following Larkin’s death. The detective said Seals changed her story multiple times, but ended up admitting she witnessed Larkin throwing up throughout an entire weekend before he died.

Seals allegedly admitted she saw a “brown-reddish substance” in the boy’s vomit, according to The Virginian-Pilot. She reportedly claimed she didn’t take Larkin in for medical help because he didn’t have a fever and had slowly started eating again.

The following Monday, as Seals dropped her daughter off in Virginia Beach, Bolsinger-Hartshorn called her about Larkin. She then decided to call 911 for assistance.

 
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Larkin was subsequently taken to the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters (CHKD). Doctors noticed the boy had a black eye and bruises all over his body. He died in the hospital on the same day.

According to court documents, an autopsy noted Larkin had blunt force trauma to his head and abdomen. He had around 70 to 90 bruises on his body, according to WAVY. The autopsy indicated Larkin also had 10 welts on his scalp and a blow so severe that his small intestine ruptured.

 

Larkin Carr [Family Handout]
When authorities questioned Bolsinger-Hartshorn, he said his mother left him in charge of the two boys on November 9. He reportedly admitted to punching Larkin repeatedly, slamming a chair into his stomach, and holding his head down that day. A few days later, Larkin passed away.

 

Father and his Girlfriend Charged

Smith said he typically left his two boys with Seals while he worked. Seals then left the boys in the teen’s care on numerous occasions, according to court documents.

Seals was initially charged with felony child abuse and neglect in connection with the boy’s death, but her charges have since been upgraded to homicide. Smith has been charged with child abuse and neglect.

Larkin’s trip to the hospital in November marked the second time he’d been taken in with injuries. In September 2018, Larkin and his brother were brought into CHKD with noticeable injuries.

 
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Patterns of Abuse and Lies: Prosecutor

Initially, the boys’ father and the teen told authorities that the little boys harmed each other while playing, but medical experts said the injuries weren’t caused by young children their age.

 

Catherine Seals [Police Handout]
Prosecutors said the teen consistently abused both boys while watching them over a span from July to November. He’s accused of pushing them, taking away their toys, beating them, and making them hang from pull-up bars.

“Larkin would tell me that the 14-year-old would hit him,” Larkin’s mother, Tracy Quiñones, told CBS 17. “It was told to me that what Larkin was saying wasn’t true and everything was fine.”

Quiñones noticed bruising on both boys during previous visitations with them. She said she reported the incident to Norfolk Child Protective Services, but nothing ever came of it. Quiñones said CPS visited Larkin’s home and determined “everything was OK.”

“When they had checked the home and checked everything out, they had told me that everything was OK,” Quiñones said.

On January 30, Seals’ defense lawyer argued that her bail should be reduced since she wasn’t home at the time boy died, but still called emergency services to get him help. Judge Lauri D. Hogge, who said she was “speechless” after reviewing graphic images of Larkin’s tiny bruised body, denied the woman’s bond.

“I may go vomit,” the judge said.

Both Seals and the teen remain behind bars without bond. Bolsinger-Hartshorn’s case is scheduled to go before a grand jury on October 24. Seals’ trial is scheduled to start on November 13 at the Norfolk Circuit Court.

Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.  Here is a related episode. 

Source : https://www.crimeonline.com/2019/10/10/teen-14-beats-tot-boy-so-badly-his-small-intestine-explodes-hell-now-face-adult-charges-for-murder-abuse-police/

Foster mom pleads guilty in death of 3-year-old girl in Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Foster mom pleads guilty in death of 3-year-old girl in Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Sherrie Dirk pleaded guilty on Friday to unintentional murder for the girl's death.

A foster mother has admitted to her role in binding a three-year-old girl with sheets, leading to her death in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota in 2017.

 

Thirty-four-year-old Sherrie Dirk pleaded guilty Friday to unintentional murder for the death of the girl. Her husband, Bryce Dirk, also pleaded guilty to charges connected to the girl's death last month.

According to prosecutors, on November 6, 2017, Sherrie Dirk immobilized the girl by binding her with three sheets and left her alone in her room with the door closed for hours. Neither foster parent checked on the girl during that time, until four hours later when Bryce finally went in and found the three-year-old child wasn't breathing. Prosecutors say one of the sheets was found around her neck.

Bryce Dirk will be sentenced for his role in the case next month.

Investigators found the girl was severely dehydrated and malnourished. Since arriving in the Dirks household, she had also lost weight, dropping from the 98th percentile in weight for her age to 5th shortly before her death.

Sherrie Dirk is expected to serve between 25 and 35 years in prison when she is sentenced on December 3. Bryce Dirk is expected to face 12.5 years behind bars when he is sentenced next month.

3-year-old twin girls in foster care found dead in hot car

Abusers job or title:: Fostercarers

(CNN) — Twin 3-year-old girls in foster care were found dead Sunday in a hot vehicle in Georgia, according to a statement by the city of Hinesville.

Preliminary autopsy results released by the Liberty County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday said the cause of death was heatstroke.

The temperature was around 92 degrees at the time, according to CNN weather.

Abuser Name or Alias:: Unknown Fostercarers
Abusers Organisation:: Georgia Child Protection Services
Type of Abuse:: Physical, Neglect, Death
Matter Resolved?: No, Ongoing

Why is fostercare so dangerous and are kids more likely to die there?

The short answer is YES without a doubt, but just to give you the facts, please keep reading  

There were 73 million children in america in 2017.

In 2017, non-parents were responsible for 15.2 percent of child fatalities.

https://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables/pop1.asp

In 2017, 690,000 children were in fostercare. Foster Care - Children's Rights

A total of 1720 children died of neglect or abuse in 2017.

258 children were in fostercarer when they died. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/fatality.pdf

Therefore 1,462 children who died in 2017 were NOT IN fostercare when they died.

This means that one child per 2,674 died in fostercare in 2017, and 

72,310,000 children were not in fostercare in 2017 when they died. 

And this means that one child per 49,459 who died were not in fostercare in 2017.

Therefore children are over twenty times more likely to die in fostercare, than with their family.

This is exactly why fostercare should only EVER be a very last and final resort.

2-year-old taken away from parents because they used marijuana, killed by foster mother

Abusers job or title:: Fostercarer

Houston Press.

Joshua Hill told Texas child welfare investigators that he smoked after the child was in bed at night.  A case worker determined that the father’s marijuana use and the mother’s medical condition (frequent seizures) warranted removal from the home.

The toddler had appeared healthy and happy with her parents, but she was placed into the foster care system in early 2013.

On Tuesday Alex’s foster mother, Sherill Small, was sentenced to life in prison for the July 2013 death of the little girl, who would have turned four on Friday.

Abuser Name or Alias:: Sherill Small
Abusers Organisation:: Cameron, Texas CPS
Type of Abuse:: Physical, Neglect, Death
Matter Resolved?: No, Ongoing

JUST IN: Court suppresses evidence seized in foster child murder case

The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday tossed out some incriminating evidence against Henry County foster parents charged with murdering a 2-year-old child in their care.

Senate finds 86 children died in care of giant for-profit foster care firm

Two-year-old Alexandria Hill was murdered by a foster mother recruited and trained by the US's largest for-profit foster care company, The Mentor Network.Two years after a BuzzFeed News investigation, the Senate introduces the Child Welfare and Accountability Act to track foster care contractors.

Two-year-old Alexandria Hill was murdered by a foster mother recruited and trained by the US's largest for-profit foster care company, The Mentor Network.

At least 86 children died in a 10-year period while in the custody of a giant for-profit foster care company, according to an investigation by the US Senate Committee on Finance. In only 13 of those deaths did the company, The Mentor Network, conduct an internal investigation, the committee found.

The Senate committee said the company “falsely” claimed that its child death rate was in line with the fatality rates in the overall foster care system.

The Senate probe started in part because of a series by BuzzFeed News that profiled problems at the company, which was the largest for-profit foster care provider in the country. In one case a 2-year-old girl who was placed at a home run by Mentor was murdered by her foster mother. In another case, a series of boys were sexually abused by a Mentor foster father, whom Mentor paid as a foster parent for years despite a series of red flags. He had requested that he be sent boys who were “male, white, any age.”

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