Memorial Wall : victims of child abuse

Moko Rangitoheriri
died on August 10th, 2015

Moko Sayviah Rangitoheriri died on August 10 last year from injuries he received during prolonged abuse and torture. His case shocked, saddened and angered New Zealanders and led to marches in his name against child abuse. He had bite marks on his face, his tummy was protruding unnaturally and he was covered from head to toe in bruises and abrasions.A post-mortem examination was carried out and established that the Tokoroa toddler died as a result of "multiple blunt force traumas". There was evidence the toddler had been smothered. Tania Shailer, 26, and David William Haerewa, 43, plead guilty to manslaughter and ill treating a child. Moko had been left in their care while his mother was dealing with the serous illness of another of her children

Madeline Layla Samaan-Fay
died on August 14th, 2011

Toddler Madeline Layla Samaan-Fay were found dead on Saturday alongside her father Mounrad Samaan who shot her before turning the gun on himself. Samaan sparked a week-long manhunt when ran away with Madeline after receiving notification that the girl's mother, Marcia Ann Fay, 46, had been awarded full custody of their daughter, ending a joint custody arrangement.

Alycia Mesiti
died on August 15th, 2006

14yo Alycia from California, USA, loved Shakira, horses, and her pet chihuahua. She had a younger brother and mom and dad in the middle of a divorce/custody battle. Dad was violent and drank too much. Mom was depressed, hit Alycia's younger brother, and couldn't support the children. The judge felt there were "no good options" in this case, and Alycia and her brother went to live with their dad, who at least had the financial means to support them, after he completed an anger management class. The kids had a court appointed lawyer, who wrote in her report, "I am deeply concerned about both minors, especially Alycia," because the children were often hungry, subject to abuse, and unable to contact their mom despite her court-ordered visitation and contact rights.

14yo Alycia disappeared in August of 2006. Her dad said she had run away and that he was receiving phone calls from her, so the police wasn't searching for her, despite her mom's alarm. They said, "She'll come home, she'll come home." Two and a half years later they finally sent cadaver dogs to the house where Alycia disappeared from, and discovered her remains. The girl was molested and murdered. Her father is held on bail, still pending trial as of 2016, ten years after Alycia's death. "I couldn't even pick up her personal effects," Alycia's mother said. "There was nothing. There's just nothing left of her."

Mason Scott
died on August 16th, 2008

Mason was a 6yo mildly autistic boy from Alabama, USA, who died in a house fire the day. His mom exited the house unharmed and fully dressed, removed jewelry and some expensive paintings from the house beforehand, and has taken out several life insurance policies on Mason, one only the day before the fire. Mom was convicted of capital murder and is currently on death row, but that doesn't bring Mason back...

Breonna Nichole Loftin
died on August 17th, 2011

Breonna was 4 years old when she died of blunt force trauma. She had bruises, burn marks, broken ribs and other signs of physical and sexual abuse on her body, according to authorities. Witnesses said the child was spanked, kicked, thrown across a room and forced to stand barefoot on water bottle caps. Both parents are facing trial for capital murder.

Lakesha Victor
died on August 20th, 2006

A special education teacher saw signs that something was wrong with 10-year-old Lakesha Victor. She was skinny, and sometimes the girl's diaper stayed dry all day, suggesting she was underfed. Her wheelchair was sometimes caked in ice, as if it had been left outside in the harsh northern Minnesota winter. The teacher's lingering questions were answered three years later, when authorities charged Ludusky Sue Hotchkiss, 29, with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the 2006 death of her disabled daughter. Lakesha weighed just 31 pounds when she died, and prosecutors allege her mother let her die by not feeding her enough for as long as four months.

Jayden-Lee Green
died on August 21st, 2011

23-month-old Jayden-Lee from UK died of methadone overdose. His parents were addicted to crack cocaine and heroin and wouldn't cooperate with drug agencies, midwives, housing officials, health visitors, and social workers. They regularly missed appointments and weren't home when visits were made. There were bags of rubbish lying around their one-bedroom ground-floor rented flat, as well as drug paraphernalia kept in cupboards and crack pipes under the sink. A rolled-up cigarette was found in a child's cot. "What was lacking was the authoritative challenge to this lack of co-operation," the report on Jayden-Lee's death stated. "There was a lack of enforcement of consequences. There was a lack of challenge by practitioners across the range of agencies. (...) The only way that [Jayden-Lee's] death would definitely have been prevented was if he had been placed away from his parents. The opportunity to do this was lost due to the failure to follow through on the initiation of care proceedings."

Zahree Thomas
died on August 22nd, 2012

Mom of 2yo Zahree from New Jersey, USA, struggled with mental health issues and drug addiction. When he was 10 months old, she left him in a locked car and told CPS she was smoking "wet" (combination of street drugs) and didn't remember where she left her baby. She lost custody but gained it back. Neighbors said she was nice but kept to herself, though they saw her walking around, cursing to herself, and sitting on her front steps topless. On August 22nd she called 911 and said that she has hurt her son. Her speech was incoherent, but the police went to check on her and Zahree. Zahree was decapitated, and his mom slashed her throat right after placing the 911 call.

Ho Yan Hui
died on August 23rd, 2013

5yo Ho Yan Hui from Malaysia was beat to death by her mother. They lived in a poor neighborhood, and it's culturally acceptable there to hit children for misbehaving, even with a cane. However, Ho Yan Hui had over 100 wounds, including one on her head. She didn't scream or fight while getting beat by her mother, but developed fever, fell into coma, and died 11 days later. The mother was found guilty of manslaughter and child abuse; the judge said, "That the child is naughty and difficult to control coupled with the stresses of life cannot be an excuse to be beaten to death as one needs to find alternatives to handle such a matter. Injuries sustained by the victim showed she died a slow and painful death."

Carter Lizar
died on August 24th, 2015

Carter's mom was a meth addict, and all of her previous 5 children were taken away from her by child protective services. On August 22nd she left Carter with a couple she used to do drugs with, and went to Kansas City to get meth. She returned two days later, and all three of them got high, with Carter still in the house. She went to a convenience store, and when she returned, Carter was dying from having been violently shaken by one of her acquaintances. It was his first birthday.