Florida mother hospitalized after killing her 6-mo son in murder-suicide bid she warned about on Facebook

A 20-year-old Florida woman is in a critical condition in hospital after turning a gun on herself moments after shooting dead her six-month-old baby. Melanie Reyes, of Ocola, is thought to have told a relative she was going to attempt the murder-suicide on Facebook, according to The Orlando Sentinel.  But when they alerted local police it was already too late. Officers found Reyes in her parents home on Friday morning in a critical condition from gunshot wounds alongside the body of her six-month-old son, Jonah Mendoza. READ MORE HERE

Guilty on 3 Counts Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor

What would make a teacher think “hey, this is a good idea”? Megan Denman, 30, of Hoover, CA, was sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation after she pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. According to the Fresno Bee, Denman had been a teacher at Hoover High School when she engaged in a sexual relationship with a teenage boy just 16-years of age. READ MORE HERE

PROSECUTION OF CHILD ABUSE

The National District Attorneys Association is the oldest and largest professional organization representing criminal prosecutors in the world. Its members come from the offices of district attorneys, state’s attorneys, attorneys general, and county and city prosecutors with responsibility for prosecuting criminal violations in every state and territory of the United States.

Its purposes are:

• to foster and maintain the honor and integrity of the prosecuting attorneys of the United States in both large and small jurisdictions by whatever title such attorneys may be known
• to improve and to facilitate the administration of justice in the United States;
• to promote the study of the law and legal research, the diffusion of knowledge and the continuing education of prosecuting attorneys, lawyers, law enforcement personnel, and other members of the interested public by various means including, but not limited to, arranging conferences and fostering periodic meetings for the discussion and solution of legal problems affecting the public interest in the administration of justice;
• to cause to be published and to distribute articles, reports, monographs, and other literary works on legal subjects or other related subjects;
• to provide to state and local prosecutors the knowledge, skills and support to ensure that justice is done and the public safety and rights of all are safeguarded.

READ MORE HERE

What Can NCPCA Do For You?

200 Arrested in Child Porn Ring Bust ~ 100 Children Saved

WASHINGTON – More than 200 adults have been arrested in an international investigation of child pornography, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday. The agency’s director, John Morton, said 123 child victims were identified during the five-week investigation, which ended in early December. ICE and local authorities found 110 victims in 19 U.S. states, while the others were living in six countries elsewhere. READ MORE HERE

A vicious case of arson left three family members dead and another fighting for his life. Chicago resident Nariyah Beller doused his two young children and their mother in gasoline before setting the house on fire. The blaze killed Beller, Taniya Johnson, and their 4-year-old daughter, while their 9-year-old son remains in the hospital with severe injuries. READ MORE HERE

PETITION: Strengthen Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Child Abusers

We ask the Federal government to increase the offense level for all child related crimes and to help us raise awareness of this growing epidemic spreading across our country. We are planning a march to Washington DC April 22, 2013 and we would like the President to march with us to raise awareness about child abuse.

OCEAN CITY, MD – Ocean City police have filed charges against a former Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a child in the resort town more than 30 years ago. Bruno Michael Tucci, 70, of Salisbury, was arrested in December and charged with fourth-degree sex offense and child abuse: custodian. READ MORE HERE

When Julianne Hough was 10 years old, she lived in London, away from her parents in Utah, studying dance.  That’s when the abuse began, she says.  “I was abused, mentally, physically, everything,” she says in Cosmopolitan‘s February issue, on newsstands Jan. 8.  While attending the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Arts, she says the adults around her took advantage of her being without parental supervision: “I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer.” READ MORE HERE

He was one of two men held today as part of Operation Yewtree, the police investigation into the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal and others

Comedian Jim Davidson “vigorously denies” allegations made against him after his arrest on suspicion of sexual offences, his solicitor said tonight. The 59-year-old was one of two men held today as part of Operation Yewtree, the police investigation into the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal and others. Former Generation Game host Davidson was arrested in west London at around midday and taken into custody. READ MORE HERE

‘I’d forgive his kidnapper’: Ben Needham’s dad desperate for answers on missing son

Tormented Simon Ward is still desperate to discover what happened to tot Ben who disappeared in 1991

Ben Needham’s dad has said he could forgive a childless couple if they had abducted his son. Tormented Simon Ward, 42, is still desperate to discover what happened to tot Ben who disappeared in 1991. Simon said: “It sounds strange but if Ben was abducted for a childless couple and they have him, I’d feel some sympathy. “They obviously wanted a child to love, so I’d understand that. READ MORE HERE

An Indiana special education teacher has been fired for allegedly slapping a student. The teacher, 42-year-old Gail Marie Huff, was fired from Attica Elementary School after a unanimous vote by the five-member school board to cancel her employment contract. Huff says she did nothing wrong. READ MORE HERE

LAS VEGAS — Prosecutors brought a murder charge against a 50-year-old woman accused of stabbing a young girl to death in an undeveloped Las Vegas-area housing tract and later slashing a casino co-worker while that woman dealt blackjack at a Las Vegas Strip resort.  READ MORE HERE

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VICTIM, JADE MORRIS (Below)

JUST RELEASED: This report presents national data about child abuse and neglect known to child protective services agencies in the United States during federal fiscal year 2011. Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment.For FFY 2011, a nationally estimated 1,570 children died from abuse and neglect.The number of reported child fatalities due to child abuse and neglect has fluctuated during the past 5 years, from 1,608 in 2007 to a high of 1,685 in 2009, and a low of 1,545 in 2011. READ MORE  HERE

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Duane John Charged With DUI Manslaughter For Crash That Killed 5 Children, One Adult In Mississippi

Duane John was charged with six counts of DUI?manslaughter Monday in the deaths of his five children and an adult in a wreck that occurred early Saturday morning, according to Neshoba County Sheriff Tommy Waddell. John, 34, was released from Neshoba County General Hospital Monday morning and charged by the Sheriff’s Office in the afternoon, Waddell said. John was in the county jail on a $150,000 bond, said Waddell.

The victims, all members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, were trapped inside. The five children who died are: Dasyanna John, 9; Duane John, 8; Bobby John, 7; Quinton John, 4; and 18-month-old Kekaimeas John. Dianne Lewis Chickaway, 37, also died.  READ MORE HERE