Memorial Wall : victims of child abuse
Joylynne Giebel
died on June 5th, 2015
2yo Joylynne from Arizona, USA, lived with her two older brothers, mom, and stepfather. Their mom felt that he was "loving, caring," and said, "Our relationship was awesome. His relationship with the kids was awesome. (...) He never hit me, he never hurt the kids. We never hurt the kids, we love the kids." However, there were at least 5 reports to the Department of Child Safety alleging the adults were dealing drugs and the kids were physically abused and drugged. A caseworker visited the house, but no one was home; she left a business card on their door and didn't follow up.
Joylynne died after her stepfather was "rough housing" with her and "smacked her on the head" to "discipline" her. Joylynne's 4yo brother said 'daddy had hit [her] in the face real hard'. Her head was covered in bruises. Both parents were arrested, the stepfather for manslaughter and the mother for failure to protect her child from abuse and to call for an ambulance while Joylynne was dying. "I sit in my room and cry," said the mother. "I get my bible out, and I pray to God that some light will shine, so that people who know me come forth and tell everybody what a mom I am."
Suhair Al-Bataa
died on June 9th, 2013
13yo Suhail from Egypt died of FGM, Female Genital Mutilation, a practice that 90% of Egyptian girls are subjected to, that consists of partial or full surgical removal of external genitalia. Suhail's dad took her to a clinic for this procedure, and she died during it. Her grandfather said, "It is God's will. We are not angry with the doctor. The doctor does not want to kill anyone. We are all sorry, and definitely we regret this." While her uncle said, "It has been done in the countryside for a long time. People here are used to it. Without circumcision, girls are full of lust."
Sophia ONeil
died on June 10th, 2015
Baby girl Sophia died at the hands of a violent man lacking the temperment to care for a child, even though he was in a position of trust. After savagely beating her, because she wouldn't stop crying, he attempted to give her a bath as she was slipping away. When he finally went to get help 911 it was too late. Feran-Baum was always tearful about his crime and had no words to express how sorry he is. As we know, apologies cannot bring back the dead... and now the world has lost another child so valuable and full of promise, and loved.
Kami Ring
died on June 10th, 2013
10yo Kami from Maryland, USA, was a straight-A student who loved to laugh, sing, and dance. "She loved everything about life," her godmother said. On the first weekend of her school break, Kami attended a local carnival and was staying the night at the home of people she considered her grandparents. She disappeared from her bedroom in the middle of the night, and her body was found the next day just 60 yards in front of their home. Kami was raped, beaten, and strangled to death by their relative who was living in the house at the time. "They would never have even had Kami around him if they knew he was this sick," her godmother said. "We have taught her to scream at the top of her lungs if something ever happened," her stepdad said. "Kami's a model 10-year-old. She was staying somewhere she felt safe."
Christian Pearson
died on June 11th, 2017
Friends, family and his former teachers gathered Saturday night with hundreds of others in Chino Valley's Memory Park to remember Christian Pearson a 10-year-old boy. Christian died on Sunday, June 11, 2017, after being taken off life support. Initial reports indicate he died from injuries associated with multiple cracks to his skull and severe burns to his body. His former teachers describe Pearson as a smart boy who had an infectious smile. And as a sponge, eager to soak up all the learning they could dish out. He was very good at math, his favorite subject. So good that his fourth-grade teacher had to call him out into the hall and tell him to quit shouting out all the answers to questions...to let the other students have a try once in a while. Christian's mother, Juliana Moreno, and her boyfriend, Daniel Terry, have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Maleeya Marie Murley Avalon
died on June 11th, 2011
17-month-old Maleeya from Tennessee, USA, lived with her mom and visited with her dad. During one of the visits she was raped, bitten, and thrown against the table by her dad's girlfriend; dad was not involved in any of it. Maleeya died of brain injury.
Carly Sawyer
died on June 11th, 2009
Carly was a 5yo girl from Virginia, USA, whose parents fought for her custody for 2.5 years. At the end Carly stayed with her dad and stepmom. They punished her for bed wetting by spanking, withholding food, tying her hands (so that she couldn't get food from the fridge while they weren't looking), and keeping her tied up in a cardboard box. Carly died of blunt-force trauma with contributing factors that included starvation, ligature restraint and medical neglect. Her dad set up an obituary where he referred to Carly as "God's newest angel," and the stepmom said that Carly caused herself the brain injury by throwing herself on the floor because she was upset. Both pleaded guilty to first degree murder.
Phoenix Sinclair
died on June 11th, 2005
Phoenix was a 5yo girl from Manitoba, Canada, who was murdered by her mom and stepdad. When she was born, both of her parents had a history with Child Protective Services, and initially she was removed from them right after birth, as they were deemed unprepared to care for a baby. They were allowed to visit with her, and six months later they took her home. There was domestic violence in the household, and Phoenix' little sister died of respiratory infection, but Phoenix wasn't removed from the house. Her parents broke up, she stayed with dad, and there were multiple abuse and neglect reports; for example, once Phoenix was taken to a hospital because she had a piece of styrofoam in her nose for three months, and the doctors weren't sure her dad would consistently give her antibiotics to cure the resulting infection; she mostly stayed with a family friend. When Phoenix was four, her dad moved to another province, and soon her mom took her from the family friend. Her mom had a new husband by then, with one child they had together and two more children the man had from a previous marriage. A year later Phoenix died of physical abuse and neglect. She was made to sleep in a cold basement, was given very little food, forced to eat her own vomit, shot with a BB gun, and played a "game" with, in which her stepdad strangled her till she passed out. On the day Phoenix died, the man was beating her continuously for over 15 minutes while her mom looked on. When the couple finally left the house, Phoenix' 12yo brother checked if she was OK, and discovered she was dead. The couple didn't report her death, and continued to claim her welfare benefits for another 8 months; they were arrested when they tried to pass another girl as Phoenix, after the boy reported her death to police.
Tyler Gene McMillan
died on June 12th, 2008
13yo Tyler from North Carolina, USA, enjoyed reading, fishing, karate, playing outdoors with his cousins, being a Boy Scout and watching Professional Wrestling. He was homeschooled by his dad and stepmom (after his mom died of cancer several years prior). On June 11th Tyler's dad died him to a tree in the backyard, with his hands and feet restrained by zipties, because Tyler was "being disobedient". He released him the next morning, but tied him back to the tree again a few hours later. According to local news, it was 90 degrees outside, and "the area was blanketed in dense, acrid smoke from the Pocosin Lakes wildfire to the east. State officials had warned residents to stay indoors because of the smoke's health threat." Tyler died of cardiac arrest.
Adrianna Maria Cram
died on June 13th, 2005
4yo Adrianna from Oregon, USA, was removed from her mom's home due to neglect when she was one year old. Her mom was only 17 at the time, and struggled with a drug addiction. Adrianna spent three years in foster care, and then sent to her paternal aunt and uncle in Mexico, weeks before her fourth birthday. Adrianna was beat and tortured to death. Both adults were sentenced for the murder.
Kelsey Jeter
died on June 15th, 2009
Parents of 12yo Kelsey and 13yo Kiersten divorced, and the girls stayed with their dad. On the first visitation with mom, mom said she had a surprise for them. She took them to an abandoned house and slashed their throats. Kiersten was critically injured, but survived. Kelsey died. Their dad said this must have been about the custody; mom felt that killing both girls was the best way around, if she couldn't have the custody. She plead guilty to get life in prison instead of capital punishment, and to spare Kiersten the trauma of having to testify.
Jaidyn Leskie
died on June 15th, 1997
One yo toddler Jaidyn Leskie was kidnapped and murdered in 1997. Despite leads, and the arrest and trial of a prime suspect, Jaidyn's murder remains unsolved. The inability to move forward with what some believe to be new evidence due to the double jeopardy laws in place in Victoria have led his mother to join a coalition asking for reform of these laws. Almost ten years after Jaidyn's death, a kit to assist parents choose safe babysitters was released in his memory.
Lillian Abigail Eyman
died on June 17th, 2009
6yo Abby from Arkansas, USA, loved competing in beauty pageants, cheerleading, fishing, and playing barbies. She was shot in the back by her mom, who then committed suicide.
Twins Chris and Cru Kahui
died on June 18th, 2006
Chris and Cru Kahui were 84 days old when it happened. Someone close to them - someone who should have been protecting and loving them - either picked them up and hit or threw them against a hard surface or shook them violently. The boys suffered traumatic brain injuries, the result of severe impact forces to their tiny heads. They died later that week after all efforts to save them were exhausted. To this day nothing more despite an extensive investigation and trial it is still not proved how the twins sustained their fatal injuries or why.
Anthony Avalos
died on June 21st, 2018
10yo Anthony from California, USA, lived with his mom, her boyfriend, and eight siblings ranging in age from 11 months to 12 years. Department of Children and Family Services responded to 12 different complaints about Anthony's welfare, including physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse by a grandparent when Anthony was 4. He was removed from home for 8 months, but eventually was sent back.
On June 20th Anthony's mom called 911 to report that he had been inured in a fall. Paramedics found him unresponsive and not breathing, and he died the next day. His step dad was arrested on suspicion of murder. "I'm mad, because there was multiple reports done," Anthony's aunt said. "There were phone calls, and nobody did anything. I don’t know why they thought that was OK for them to go back with their mother."
