New York authorities are asking for the public’s help in the search for a missing Bay Shore teen who vanished last Thursday. Brandy Walsh, 15, was last seen at her house on Joselson Avenue around 7 p.m. on July 2. The girl’s family said they believe she had plans to attend the Vans Warped Tour at Jones Beach on July 11. READ MORE HERE
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina man is again facing child abuse charges after photos of the alleged abuse went viral on Facebook. Kyle Christopher Fox is accused of beating Craig and Leigh Hollars’ 2-year-old daughter in October 2013. However, the charges were dropped earlier this week because witnesses did not show up in court. On Wednesday afternoon, Craig Hollars posted photos showing the alleged abuse on Facebook. His post has been shared over 60,000 times in 24 hours. In the post, Hollars explains he and his wife were devastated when charges were dropped earlier this week. READ MORE HERE
ZIONSVILLE, Indiana – FBI agents and Indiana State Police raided the home of Subway restaurant spokesman Jared Fogle on Tuesday, removing electronics from the property and searching the house with a police dog, two months after the then-executive director of Fogle’s foundation was arrested on child pornography charges. FBI agent Wendy Osborne said the agency was conducting an investigation in Zionsville, an affluent Indianapolis suburb, but wouldn’t say whether it involved Fogle or describe the nature of the investigation. Subway said in a statement that it is “very concerned” about the raid, which it believes “is related to a prior investigation” of a former employee of the Jared Foundation, an organization founded by Fogle to raise awareness about childhood obesity. Subway did not immediately say whether that employee was former foundation executive director Russell Taylor. READ MORE HERE
FBI raids home of ‘Subway diet’ spokesman Jared Fogle
Subway’s Jared Fogle target of child porn investigation: Report
WASHINGTON — Hayleigh Wilson, the 14-year-old girl reported missing from Tennessee last month, was found Tuesday morning in Smyth County, Virginia. She was with 41-year-old Benjamin Shook, the known sex offender police believed she ran away with on June 22. Police said the pair was caught when someone called 911 after spotting the man and the teen entering a home Tuesday morning to take a shower.
“At approximately 5 a.m., a citizen called 9-1-1 informing authorities that Shook and the missing Tennessee teen were at her home seeking refuge,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement. “Within minutes, Smyth County officers, who are members of the USMS Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF), arrived at the residence and safely rescued Wilson and arrested Shook, a known sexual predator, without incident.” READ MORE HERE
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MISSING: Hayleigh Wilson, 14, spotted with sex offender, Benjamin Shook, she met via online KIK app
An Amber Alert has been issued for a 14-year-old Tennessee girl who ran away from home to be with a convicted child molester that she met online.
Surgoinsville Police are searching for Hayleigh Wilson, who may be with 41-year-old sex offender Benjamin Shook.
Hayleigh left her home in Surgoinsville in East Tennessee at about 10 p.m. on Monday, June 22.
The Surgoinsville Police Chief said Shook met Hayleigh online, and she stole her father’s truck and met Shook at an undisclosed location.
Hayleigh, who is white, 5’5? and 150 pounds with black hair and hazel eyes, was last seen wearing “a sleeveless Flowery top with dark colored shorts or skirt and boots.”
Shook, who also goes by Ben, is also white and has multiple tattoos. He was wearing “a blue shirt with the letters ‘Ford’ written on it, dark shorts and a camouflage baseball hat.” He is 6’3? tall, weighs 175 pounds, has blue eyes and brown hair.
“If you have any information on Hayleigh Wilson or Ben Shook, contact the Surgionsville Police Department at 423-272-7121 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.”
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Hayleigh was spotted at a Walmart store in Marion, North Carolina, in the early morning hours of June 23. The store is located at 2875 Sugar Hill Road in Marion, which is in the western part of the state.The store is about two hours away from Surgoinsville, Tenneseee, where Hayleigh lives and was reported missing from. Hayleigh and Shook were recorded trying to use Hayleigh’s step-father’s credit card.
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Maryland authorities say a 6-year-old girl was placed on life support after being severely injured by her mother’s boyfriend. Hancock police responded to a residence on July 3 in reference to an unconscious child, according to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. READ MORE HERE
The girl’s family was paid a fee so she’d marry a man 29 years her senior
On Tuesday, Metro released pictures that feature a 35-year-old councillor Ratan Lal Jat marrying a 6-year-old girl in Rajasthan, West India. The wedding is thought to have taken place on June 23 in a secret village temple ceremony. There were 5 witnesses to the event. Among the witnesses was Jumani Bai, local marriage broker known for arranging marriages with child-brides for fees. READ MORE HERE
(BREAKING: AOL NEWS) PHILADELPHIA — Bill Cosby admitted in 2005 that he got quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with, and that he gave the sedative to at least one woman and “other people,” according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press. Cosby’s lawyers insisted that two of his accusers knew they were taking quaaludes from the comedian, according to the unsealed documents. READ MORE HERE
Bill Cosby admits: I got drugs to give women for sex
By Joelle Casteix
It’s July and summer is in full force. Kids have had time to shake off the last remnants of school projects, report cards, and tests, and are now focusing on what’s important: having fun. They are off to camp, playing video games, and running around outside well past dinner. Community pools are at capacity. You’re surrounded by sunburn, bug bites, and bickering.
But summer is about more than just hot weather. Children are relishing the new freedoms summer offers. Without the constant watchful eyes of teachers, kids can interact freely, test new boundaries, and have the ability to be far more self-sufficient and creative with their time. When they aren’t complaining about being bored, of course.
With this freedom comes challenge. No one wants to think about bullying and child sexual abuse when we should be focusing on swimming and lemonade stands. But anytime your child is out in the world, he or she can encounter people and situations that are scary.
If you armor and prepare your child with real tools, self-esteem, and decision-making skills, your child will do much more than have fun. Your child will blossom and grow. By the time fall rolls around, you will send a more mature and confident child off to school.
Here are five things you can do to help your child have a safer summer:
1) Teach your child to have strong body boundaries. Do not force very young children to hug or kiss adults. Tell your children that they have power over their own bodies and must show respect for their own and other people’s bodies and space. For older children, reinforce the fact that no one is to ever touch them anywhere if they don’t want it. Tell them that “no means no” when it comes to wrestling, tickling, hugging, etc. Encourage your child to take a self-defense class. Tell your children that no one if to look at, touch, or take pictures of their genitalia, and vice versa.
2) Show your children the importance of following their “gut.” Summertime is full of new people, situations, locations, and events—many of which will be totally unfamiliar to your child. Fortunately, your child has a special weapon: the gut instinct. Even scientists call the gut our “second brain,” with capabilities to harbor emotions, reactions, and instinctual decision-making capabilities. Talk to your child about his or her gut feelings. Discuss times when you or your child didn’t follow that “gut instinct” and ended up in trouble. Show that when your child’s gut tells says it’s a bad idea, it probably is.
3) Explain sleepover and overnight camp rules. Now that your child has stronger body boundaries and understands how to use his or her gut, talk about sleepovers and overnight camp rules. Make sure your child knows that he or she is never to be behind a closed door with an adult. Reinforce that an adult should never ask a child to keep a secret—especially if someone is hurt or there may be abuse involved. Tell your child that it’s always okay to report suspicious or bad behavior, even if someone threatens them if they do. Tell your child that it’s okay and safe to tell you anything, even if your child has done something wrong or against the rules.
4) Empower your child against bullies. Most children will be bullied at some time in their lives. Summertime is no exception. Tell your child that it is okay to stand up to aggressors if they see or experience bullying. Show them that it is safe to report bullying. Help prevent cyber bullying by requiring that all internet-enable technology remain in common areas of your home. Teach your child Internet safety and monitor your child’s use of the Internet. Do not be afraid to step in and respond if your see bullying behavior at the beach or playground. Do not tolerate or condone aggressive, bullying behavior in your child. If your child is bullied at a camp or organized activity, report immediately and demand action.
5) Communicate, communicate, communicate. The most important weapon in your child safety arsenal is open communication with your child. Encourage frank and honest conversations with your children. Ask open-ended questions (questions that require more than a yes or no answer). Answer their questions as honestly as you can. Spend time together. Time with you is the best gift you can give your child and the best thing you can do to prevent child sexual abuse.
A former journalist, educator, and public relations professional, Joelle Casteix has taken her own experience as a victim of child sex crimes and devoted her career to exposing abuse, advocating on behalf of survivors, and spreading abuse prevention strategies for parents and communities. She has presented to hundreds of audiences all over the world, including on the TEDx stage, on subjects such as abuse prevention, victim outreach, victims’ rights in the civil justice system, and parenting safer children. She is a regular speaker for the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma and The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
Casteix’s blog, The Worthy Adversary, is one of the leading sources for information and commentary on child sexual abuse prevention and exposure. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed graduate work in education at the University of Colorado, Denver. A wanna-be ski bum, she lives in southern California with her husband and young son.
Her new book The Well-Armored Child: A Parents Guile to Preventing Sexual Abuse will be available on Amazon.com on September 15, 2015 as well as at other fine booksellers. To learn more visit: www.WellArmoredChild.com, or visit her on Facebook.
DREAMCATCHERS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN, INC. is an official non-profit 501(c)3 child abuse & neglect organization. Our mission is to educate the public on all aspects of child abuse such as symptoms, intervention, prevention, statistics, reporting, and helping victims locate the proper resources necessary to achieve a full recovery. We also cover areas such as bullying, teen suicide & prevention, children\'s rights, child trafficking, missing & exploited children, online safety, and pedophiles/sex offenders.
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