Chinese girl, 11, had mouth stitched up with fishing cord and head dipped in boiling water

An 11-year-old girl found wandering alone and disoriented in China was the victim of horrifying abuse at the hands of her father, it has emerged. The young girl’s mouth had been stitched up with fishing cord and her head submerged in boiling water, her skin had been pierced with sewing needles, and she had been hung upside down and beaten, according to reports. The girl, named as Xiao Li, who is now recovering in hospital, has scars all over her body and chunks of hair are missing from her scalded scalp. READ MORE HERE

Scalding head with boiling water, sewing mouth with fishing line, pricking fingers with needles… When such cruel torture that can only be seen in Red Crag are put to use on an 11-year-old little girl’s body, what kind of thoughts would you have Xiao Li of Jingsha county Shichang town Goupi village has suffered this kind of abuse for 5 years, the perpetrator being her own father. After receiving the report, the local police station arrested Xiao Li’s father, while a Xiao Li covered with injuries was admitted to the hospital for medical care. At present, the relevant investigation is undergoing. READ MORE HERE

On the photo-sharing app Instagram, search the keywords #Fairfax, #Rockville or #DC and up pops hundreds of photos from children. Among them, until recently, were many from Kyle, a 12-year-old. His full name, Gaithersburg middle school and favorite Montgomery County hangouts were on public display before his parents put a stop to it. Technically, Kyle was not supposed to be on Instagram, the mobile app owned by Facebook. The company’s policy sets the minimum age at 13. But Kyle said he was able to join easily, no questions asked. Within minutes of setting up his account this past fall, he was uploading “selfies” of his cherubic face and blond mop top and tagging photos of friends with their names. READ MORE HERE

Mom in NM Chases Down Child Abductor; Girl Safe

A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt, Albuquerque police said Thursday. The young girl was playing in her yard at an apartment complex in Albuquerque’s North Valley when a group of teenagers saw the kidnapping and ran to alert the girl’s mother. READ MORE HERE

National Missing Children’s Day is May 25. News of abducted children frightens us all, but there are precautions we can take to protect our kids. Child safety is a team effort between parents, caregivers, attentive adults and the children themselves. Consider these steps to improve your child’s safety:

Talk to Your Kids

Talk to your kids about potentially dangerous people and situations. Don’t wait for the “perfect moment;” instead, choose casual moments, such as dinner or during an evening walk, to have these discussions. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, Take 25 is a national safety initiative formed to help prevent child abductions. The idea is to take 25 minutes to talk to children, neighbors and friends about child safety. Visit NCPC.org or Take25.org to learn more about organizing a Take 25 rally to raise awareness in your community.

Teach Home Safety

Being safe at home goes beyond staying away from sharp objects and the stove. Teach children to keep the door locked and to answer it only for people they know. If you have a security system, teach your child how to use it. Many systems go beyond burglary prevention and offer monitoring packages that include sensors designed to detect fire, freezing and flooding, according to SecurityCompanies.com. Others allow remote access, meaning you can check in on your kids from your smartphone, laptop or tablet.

Take Precautions Online

Children should never give out their personal information online. Strict privacy settings help, but all it takes is a “copy paste” for private information to become public. Children shouldn’t arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they’ve met online, either. A friendly “13-year-old girl” could be a 50-year-old sex offender or a 30-year-old identity thief.

Keep Pictures and Records Current

Have a photo taken of your child every six months and check to see if your local police department endorses a fingerprinting program for children—this would aid in potential search efforts. You can also use a personal identification kit at home; the McGruff Safe Kids Identification kit includes an ID card and fingerprinting kit, as well as kid-friendly information about potential dangers and tips on being safe.

Keep medical and dental records current. If you’re separated or divorced, and you are the custodial parent, know where there is a copy of your custody arrangement. If a child is taken by someone he or she knows, this information assures your home is recognized as the place your child belongs.

No Name Tags

Many parents put a child’s name and address on their clothes or backpacks in case they get lost. But just like it is important to protect a child’s identity online, it is important to do so offline as well. Child predators will often read a name off a necklace or piece of clothing in order to gain a child’s trust and lure them away. Instead, put this information on the inside flap of a backpack or on the bottom of your child’s shoe.

Author: Peter Henry

Moms charged after ‘abandoning children aged 6 and 8 with stranger at the beach

Two mothers have been charged with cruelty after leaving their children at a beach bar to go on a Mother’s Day booze cruise, police said. Billie Jean Williams, 27, and 28-year-old Mary Joyce Daffron were arrested after their children, aged eight and six respectively, went up to staff at Gator Joe’s Bar and Grill in Ocklawaha, Florida and said that their mothers had gone. The mothers allegedly left their children in the care of a man they had just met while they went on a booze cruise on Lake Weir on Sunday. READ MORE HERE

FROM BRIGHT, HAPPY CHILD, TO LOST SOUL

A classroom swot, Girl A was  a ‘bright and happy child’ from a  loving home. Then, aged 12, she turned into a ‘lost soul’. Within a few short months, she was playing truant, self-harming and going missing for days on end. Her bewildered parents begged her to tell them what was wrong, and why she had cigarette burns on her arms and blood stains on her underwear. Their once-diligent daughter  simply shrugged off their questions. Whenever she failed to come home, her father wandered the streets of Oxford bearing her photo as he searched in vain in pubs, nightclubs and cinemas. Her mother said she felt a failure, and recalled: ‘There was no emotion left in her whatsoever. She didn’t laugh. She didn’t cry.’ READ MORE HERE

POLICE SEARCH FOR BOLD KIDNAPPER

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA – Investigators with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department need help finding a man who grabbed a 7-year-old girl while she was out for a walk with her mom in south Sacramento on Saturday. The girl managed to escape and is OK. Witnesses described the abductor as between 25 and 35 years old with light-brown skin, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, with black, shoulder-length hair worn either in braids or dreadlocks. READ MORE HERE

A bullied autistic boy is the target of a horrible prank. In Brisbane, Australia, Michael Boggan, a 15-year old autistic boy, lost almost all of his fingers to a home-made explosive disguised as a golf ball. A local boy handed Michael the golf ball, which exploded when it was turned upside down. Several other children were hurt and a set of patio furniture was demolished. READ MORE HERE

Cedar Hill, TX  – Marlena Mints, a 31-year-old health teacher at Bessie Coleman Middle School, has been jailed after she allegedly had sex with at least two students. According to police, an investigation was launched in late April after a coach at the same middle school reported that a 13-year-old student was overheard bragging about having sex with Mints. As the investigation unfolded, detectives learned that Mints allegedly had sexual contact with several students. READ MORE HERE

Manchester, N.H. – Erin Upham, a 20-year-old New Hampshire woman, was jailed last Thursday after she allegedly molested a 3-year-old girl, took photographs of the assault, then sent the images to an Air Force officer stationed in Japan. According to Manchester Police, an investigation was launched late last month after the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations informed them that a service member had received sexually explicit photographs of a young girl. READ MORE HERE

SHANE FRANKLIN MILLER

WANTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MURDERING HIS WIFE AND TWO YOUNG DAUGHTERS

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is currently seeking Shane Franklin Miller on a warrant charging him with a triple murder. Deputies report that Miller allegedly murdered his wife, Sandy, 34, and daughters, Shelby, 8, and Shasta, 5 in Shingletown, California. He then fled the scene and deputies found his pickup truck abandoned about 200 miles away near Petrolia, California. READ MORE HERE

Sex assault suspect: “This time I’m not admitting it”

WEST HAVEN, Conn.  — A West Haven man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, police said. Police began investigating in September 2012 after the girl’s mother reported that her daughter confided that she believed she had sex with a family friend who was living with the family. Police said forensic examinations and medical evaluations determined that the child had injuries consistent with a sexual assault. READ MORE HERE

Doctor found guilty of 1st-degree murder in PA abortion case

A Philadelphia abortion provider who killed babies by cutting their spinal cords with scissors was found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday. The conviction on three counts of first-degree murder means Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, could be sentenced to death. Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore sobbed after the verdict in the high-profile case was announced. Gosnell appeared shocked. He let out a sigh and shook his head back and forth. Defense attorney Jack McMahon told CNN it’s too soon to tell whether he will appeal the conviction. READ MORE HERE

Stuart Hazell should hang for killing Tia Sharp, her father said yesterday. Steve Carter broke down in tears when Hazell dramatically changed his plea to guilty midway through his murder trial. Outside court Mr Carter said: ‘The four days of trial here were very hard to deal with, hearing the vile things Hazell did to Tia.  ‘He should serve his time and then be hung. ‘I do not see today’s events as justice for Tia, merely a legal conviction.’ Hazell suffocated the 12-year-old during a sex attack after months of trawling vile internet pornography sites and filming her as she slept. READ MORE HERE