Missing and murdered children cases seem to have been popular in 2011, and as the year ends it’s time to recap some of the more prominent and heartbreaking cases. From missing Baby Lisa Irwin and the attempted copycat/homicide case of Tyler Dasher to the disappearances of Ayla Reynolds and Jhessye Shockley, the past year has been heartbreaking and disturbing for many people.  READ MORE HERE

BILLINGS – A Northern Cheyenne woman in her 60s filed a lawsuit Friday in which she says she was repeatedly molested and raped as a young girl by the Rev. Emmett Hoffmann, a revered and popular priest at the St. Labre Mission School in Ashland. The woman, who is not named in the suit, filed the action Friday in Cascade County District Court in Great Falls, home of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, which has jurisdiction over the St. Labre Mission.  READ MORE HERE

CRESTVIEW  –  A father and his fiancé are behind bars accused of criminal child abuse that led to the death of a two year old boy. Crestview police say the autopsy of Logan Sherwin shows obvious signs of abuse across the child’s body. Bill Pearson explains how angry local parents are by this case of alleged neglect and abuse.  READ MORE HERE

TUCSON, Ariz. — A father is in trouble after his three young children were found abandoned along a Tucson road. Police say a resident called 911 Thursday evening after she heard crying coming from her front yard. She discovered two boys and a girl, who ranged in age from 6 months old to 2 ½ years old. The smallest child was in a car seat and a diaper bag had been left with the children.  READ MORE HERE

An Oklahoma Cityman was charged Friday with child abuse after doctors treating his 7-month-old son for malnourishment found multiple injuries, including broken ribs and bleeding on the brain. Samuel Keith Webber III, 24, is accused of abusing the child between April 1 and 21, according to a probable cause affidavit.  READ MORE HERE

DOCTORS CHARGED WITH FETAL HOMICIDE

BALTIMORE – Two doctors have been charged with murder after an investigation into a botched abortion uncovered 35 fetuses in a Maryland clinic’s freezer, authorities said on Friday, calling the case the first of its kind in the state. The doctors, Steven Chase Brigham, 55, and Nicola Irene Riley, 46, were arrested on fugitive warrants on Wednesday, police in Elkton, Maryland said.  READ MORE HERE

HURON, S.D. — The shots of alcohol and mixed drinks began flowing in the early morning hours. Three friends — two 14-year-olds and a 12-year-old — were supposed to be babysitting over a Saturday night. Instead, police say, they met up with a bar owner, who drove them to his closed tavern and began pouring them drinks — vodka shots, orange juice and vodka, vodka and coke and energy drinks. Two of the girls say they got sick, and all three say they either passed out or fell asleep at the bar.  READ MORE HERE

Man arrested, charged in connection with death of 29-month-old girl

NEWARK — A 25-year-old Newark man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death earlier this week of a 29-month-old baby girl, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said this afternoon. Tyrail Jones, formerly of East Orange, was living with mother of the child, Alexis Robinson, but was not the child’s father, Katherine Carter.  READ MORE HERE

The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice, is a cooperative effort between jurisdictions hosting public sex offender registries (“Jurisdictions”) and the federal government and is offered free of charge to the public. These Jurisdictions include the 50 states, U.S. Territories, the District of Columbia, and participating tribes. The Website provides an advanced search tool that allows a user to submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders; a listing of public registry Web sites by state, territory, and tribe; and information on sexual abuse education and prevention.

SEX OFFENDER DEFINITIONS

943.0435  Sexual offenders required to register with the department; penalty.—

(1)  As used in this section, the term:

(a)  “Sexual offender” means a person who meets the criteria in subparagraph 1., subparagraph 2., or subparagraph 3., as follows:

1.a.  Has been convicted of committing, or attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit, any of the criminal offenses proscribed in the following statutes in this state or similar offenses in another jurisdiction: s. 787.01, s. 787.02, or s. 787.025(2)(c), where the victim is a minor and the defendant is not the victim’s parent; chapter 794, excluding ss. 794.011(10) and 794.0235; s. 796.03; s. 796.035; s. 800.04; s. 825.1025; s. 827.071; s. 847.0133; s. 847.0135; s. 847.0137; s. 847.0138; s. 847.0145; or ¹s. 985.701(1); or any similar offense committed in this state which has been redesignated from a former statute number to one of those listed in this sub-subparagraph; and

b.  Has been released on or after October 1, 1997, from the sanction imposed for any conviction of an offense described in sub-subparagraph a. For purposes of sub-subparagraph a., a sanction imposed in this state or in any other jurisdiction includes, but is not limited to, a fine, probation, community control, parole, conditional release, control release, or incarceration in a state prison, federal prison, private correctional facility, or local detention facility;

2.  Establishes or maintains a residence in this state and who has not been designated as a sexual predator by a court of this state but who has been designated as a sexual predator, as a sexually violent predator, or by another sexual offender designation in another state or jurisdiction and was, as a result of such designation, subjected to registration or community or public notification, or both, or would be if the person were a resident of that state or jurisdiction, without regard to whether the person otherwise meets the criteria for registration as a sexual offender; or

3.  Establishes or maintains a residence in this state who is in the custody or control of, or under the supervision of, any other state or jurisdiction as a result of a conviction for committing, or attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit, any of the criminal offenses proscribed in the following statutes or similar offense in another jurisdiction: s. 787.01, s. 787.02, or s. 787.025(2)(c), where the victim is a minor and the defendant is not the victim’s parent; chapter 794, excluding ss. 794.011(10) and 794.0235; s. 796.03; s. 796.035; s. 800.04; s. 825.1025; s. 827.071; s. 847.0133; s. 847.0135; s. 847.0137; s. 847.0138; s. 847.0145; or ¹s. 985.701(1); or any similar offense committed in this state which has been redesignated from a former statute number to one of those listed in this subparagraph.

(b)  “Convicted” means that there has been a determination of guilt as a result of a trial or the entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld. Conviction of a similar offense includes, but is not limited to, a conviction by a federal or military tribunal, including courts-martial conducted by the Armed Forces of the United States, and includes a conviction or entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere resulting in a sanction in any state of the United States or other jurisdiction. A sanction includes, but is not limited to, a fine, probation, community control, parole, conditional release, control release, or incarceration in a state prison, federal prison, private correctional facility, or local detention facility.

(c)  “Permanent residence” and “temporary residence” have the same meaning ascribed in s. 775.21.

(d)  “Institution of higher education” means a career center, community college, college, state university, or independent postsecondary institution.

(e)  “Change in enrollment or employment status” means the commencement or termination of enrollment or employment or a change in location of enrollment or employment.  READ MORE ON SEX OFFENDER DEFINITIONS HERE

SEARCH FOR REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS HERE

Sandusky, Paterno Child Sex Abuse Scandal

UPDATES:

11th Victim Comes Forward with Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Sandusky

Paterno Admits to Knowing About Abuse

Sandusky Waives His Right to a Preliminary Hearing

Sandusky Posts Bail After Spending A Night in Jail On New Charges

Sandusky Gives First Interview Since His Arrest

Sandusky Charity Settles Up With Alleged Sex Abuse Victim

Victim Suing; Claiming Over 100 Rapes by Sandusky

List of Fifteen Adults Who Knew About Sandusky’s Pedophilia and Sexual Abuse and Did Nothing

Sandusky’s Newest Accuser Is His 5-Year Old Grandson

Two New Cases of Child Abuse Against Sandusky

NCAA Will Investigate Penn State

New Judge Appointed for Penn State Abuse Hearing

Police Say NO Record of McQuery Report Found

Victim Agrees To Testify Against Sandusky

Original Judge assigned to Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal Donated to Sandusky’s Charity

Sandusky Rumored to Have ‘Pimped’ Out Young Boys to Rich Donors

Sandusky Built Children’s Charity with Support From Sport Stars, Politicians, Public Leaders

A Long History in Penn State Child Sex Abuse Case

Eight Victims Have Come Forward Alleging Child Sex Abuse by Sandusky

Penn State Coaches, Administration Had Moral Duty to Report Child Abuse

Shock Continues Over Penn State Scandal

Preventing & Reporting Child Abuse: Questions Raised by Penn State Scandal

Paterno Gone, But Questions At Penn State Remain

Penn State Tries to Pick Up Pieces In Abuse Fallout

Sandusky, Paterno Being Investigated

Penn State Campus Reaction

SUMMARY: A former Penn State defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was charged Nov. 5 with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year stretch. Two university officials stepped down after being charged with perjury in the case. Neither Joe Paterno, the longtime football coach, nor Graham B. Spanier, the university president, was charged, but questions were raised about whether they and an assistant, Mike McQueary, did as much as they could have done to stop the suspected assaults. Paterno and Spanier were fired last week, and McQueary was put on administrative leave.

STATE COLLEGE, PA – In a massive shakeup, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and school president Graham Spanier were fired Wednesday night by the board of trustees amid the growing furor over how the school handled child sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach. The longtime coach, the winningest in major college football, was ousted at the end of day that began with his announcement to retire at end of the season, his 46th. It was not to be.

READ MORE HERE:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57321984/paterno-fired-over-penn-st-child-abuse-scandal/

SEE A COPY OF THE Grand jury report of the Penn State sexual assault investigation HERE:
http://cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/20111107_sandusky_grand_jury_presentment.pdf