ALLEGAN COUNTY, Michigan – A decorated Army veteran who’s been fighting an attempted murder charge for the last year is now charged with first degree child abuse. Anthony McFarlane is free on bond, but stands accused of injuring his newborn daughter so severely that police say she will be permanently disabled. McFarlane has documented post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury from his time as a soldier in Afghanistan. READ MORE HERE

As unpleasant and frightening as it may be for parents to think about the possibility of their child being hurt by a predator, it’s crucial that parents talk with their kids about personal safety. Teaching your child how to protect himself against child predators is as important as other measures you use every day to keep him safe, such as making sure he uses a seat belt. By teaching your child how to avoid possible dangers and what to do if he finds himself in a potentially threatening situation, you will empower your child to know what to do in the event you are not there to protect him. Here are some important tips every parent should know about how to keep your child safe. READ MORE HERE

Indictment in missing TN nursing student, Holly Bobo, case

Holly Bobo was 20 when she disappeared on April 13, 2011. Her brother told authorities he saw a man in hunting clothes leading her into the woods around the family home near Parsons, about 100 miles northeast of Memphis. Last week, investigators in the case searched the home of 29-year-old Zachary Adams and he was arrested in an unrelated aggravated assault case Friday. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director Mark Gwyn on Wednesday announced the grand jury indictment against Adams in Bobo’s disappearance. READ MORE HERE

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Missing Holly Bobo: Break In Case As Investigators Arrest A Man & Search Farm Near Home Where She Disappeared

Holly Bobo’s family has been desperate searching for her since she was taken from her home in 2011 and now investigators may finally have a break in the case, having made an arrest that may be related to the case and searching property that is just 15 miles from the home from which she disappeared. The blonde nursing student was last seen in 2011 by her brother walking away from her Tennessee home into the woods with a man wearing camouflage, whom he mistakenly thought was her boyfriend at the time. READ MORE HERE

TBI searches homes nearly 3 years after Holly Bobo’s disappearance

TBI Executes Search Warrants at Home of Meth Dealer Zach Adams In Holly Bobo Kidnapping Case, Zach Adams Had Stalked Holly Bobo.

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UPDATE

DECATURVILLE, TN (WSMV) –The man whose property is at the center of a TBI search in connection with the disappearance of nursing student Holly Bobo had bond set at $1 million Monday in an unrelated aggravated assault charge.  Zachary Rye Adams appeared in Decatur County General Sessions Court on Monday after his arrest on Friday hours after TBI and FBI agents began searching his property. Decatur County General Sessions Judge Rick Woods raised the bail from $250,000 that was set by the county’s judicial commissioner on Friday night.

Adams was upset at a reporter who took a photo of him as he was led from the courtroom after the arraignment. “Don’t take picture of me, man,” Adams said to a reporter from The Jackson Sunnewspaper. “I’m not the one.”

According to reports, the Bobo investigation was not mentioned in court. Authorities have not said whether the assault charge is related to the disappearance of Bobo in April 2011. According to the arrest warrant, Adams held a black revolver to the head of Amber Bray at his Holladay home and threatened to kill her. The affidavit also said that Adams pulled a knife on her while threatening to “gut” her.

Bobo was last seen on the morning of April 13, 2011, where she was seen by her brother being led away from her Darden, TN home. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation began executing search warrants on Adams’ home and property off Highway 69 south of Interstate 40 on Friday afternoon. Adams had been released from the Benton County jail on Feb. 26 on drug charges.

The Jackson Sun reported that Adams did not have a lawyer at the arraignment hearing. He said he needed to contact his grandfather to arrange to hire a lawyer but had not been able to make a telephone call since Saturday night. Decatur County officials transferred Adams to the jail in Chester County. Officials said the Decatur County jail was overcrowded.

 Facebook page of Zach Adams aka Zachary Adams

Zach Adams Arrest Record Released

Documents Reveal Details Leading Up To Zachary Adams’ Arrest

Holly Bobo Case: Zachary Adams Transferred to Chester County

Zach Adams 235 Adams Ln Holladay TN is Dead Ringer For Kidnap Suspect in Heather Sullivan Case Centerville TN and Linked to Holly Bobo Case.

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PREVIOUS STORIES:

• Dec. 16, 2013: Holly Bobo’s mom re-structures fliers for daughter’s return
• June 12, 2013: Man accuses Ind. cop of killing missing nursing student Holly Bobo
• May 17, 2013: Local TV station criticized by TBI in Holly Bobo investigation
• April 19, 2013: TBI: Found purse did not belong to Holly Bobo
• April 19, 2013:  Search suspended for Holly Bobo after purse found
• April 18, 2013: TBI searches area near Holly Bobo’s home after purse found
• April 10, 2013: Weekend rally planned for missing nursing student Holly Bobo
• Feb. 11, 2013: Holly Bobo’s family holds onto hope 22 months later
• Jan. 14, 2013: Nurse offers $100K reward for Holly Bobo’s abductor to turn self in
• Oct. 12, 2012: Friday marks Holly Bobo’s 22nd birthday
• Oct. 8, 2012: Chick-fil-A to donate portion of sales to Holly Bobo fund
• Sept. 27, 2012: Water bottle campaign launched to find Holly Bobo
• Sept. 21, 2012: Local church members to search for Holly Bobo
• Aug. 17, 2012: Holly Bobo’s family renews effort to find missing daughter
• July 14, 2012: Hundreds gather to continue search for Holly Bobo
• April 12, 2012: Holly Bobo’s parents plea for daughter’s safe return
• April 6, 2012: ‘Friends of Holly Bobo’ kick off week long remembrances
• Feb. 1, 2012: Reward increased to $250,000 in Holly Bobo case
• Jan. 6, 2012: Search warrant issued in connection with Holly Bobo case
• Dec. 28, 2011: Holly Bobo’s church to honor missing children on New Year’s Eve
• Dec. 8, 2011: Community helps keep Holly Bobo search alive
• Oct. 13, 2011: Middle school students release balloons in honor of Holly Bobo
• Oct. 12, 2011: Family of missing nursing student holds birthday observance
• Sept. 9, 2011: Friends, family to hold fundraiser for Holly Bobo
• Aug. 31, 2011: Annual ‘Darden Day’ to honor Holly Bobo
• Aug. 13, 2011: Holly Bobo search marks 4 months
• Aug. 5, 2011: Sex offender to be questioned in Holly Bobo case
• Aug. 3, 2011: Hard Rock Cafe to host benefit for Holly Bobo
• Aug. 1, 2011: Paragliders join search for missing nursing student
• July 25, 2011: Missing nursing student’s family continues search each day
• July 12, 2011: Holly Bobo’s family hopes decal helps find missing loved one
• July 10, 2011: Holly Bobo’s family vows never to give up
• June 25, 2011: Hundreds continue to raise awareness for Holly Bobo
• June 23, 2011: Motorcycle ride to raise awareness for missing Holly Bobo
• June 21, 2011: Motorcycle ride to raise awareness for missing Holly Bobo
• June 9, 2011: Spokesperson says Holly Bobo’s family remains hopeful
• June 2, 2011: TBI says group hindering Holly Bobo investigation
• April 26, 2011: Investigation narrowed in nursing student search
• April 25, 2011: Search finds item likely linked to missing west Tenn. woman
• April 22, 2011: Search continues for missing west Tennessee woman
• April 20, 2011: Vigil held for missing Decatur Co. woman
• April 19, 2011: TBI, volunteers continue search for Decatur Co. woman
• April 18, 2011: Reward increased to $75,000 in missing woman case
• April 17, 2011: Woman’s abduction consumes western Tenn. community
• April 15, 2011: Items of abducted Tenn. woman found
• April 15, 2011: Bad weather to affect search for missing woman
• April 14, 2011: Search resumes in west Tenn. for missing woman
• April 13, 2011: TBI: Missing woman feared to be victim of kidnapping

How to Keep Your Child Safe

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: A child is snatched from the playground in broad daylight never to be seen or heard from again. And it feels like it’s happening all the time. But while it may seem like we are in the midst of a kidnapping epidemic, the truth is much less scary. According to data from the U.S. Justice Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), kidnappings are on the decline. Each year, between 200 and 300 kids are taken in “stereotypical” kidnappings (i.e. grabbed from their homes or playgrounds and then murdered or held for ransom), and 50 to 150 are murdered. Officials expect this year’s total number to dip to near 100, hopefully dragging down the murder rate accordingly. And despite what you might reasonably think after hearing the terrible stories of Elizabeth Smart (who was returned safely home more than nine months after her abduction) and Samantha Runnion, the specter of kidnapping by strangers should not be parents’ primary concern; parents themselves perpetrate more than 98 percent of all kidnappings, according to the DOJ. While about 700,000 missing children reports were filed in 2001, only a tiny percentage of those cases were non-family abductions. And here’s one piece of positive news: 94 percent of kidnapped children are returned to their parents. READ MORE HERE

10 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe

Jim Higley: 25 Tips to Keep Kids Safe from Abductors 

Dr. Phil.com – Advice – Top Five Ways for Parents to Protect Children

Is a Code Word Enough to Keep Your Child Safe from Strangers?

The Best Ways In Keeping Children Safe

How to keep your child safe from predators

How Can I Keep My Kids Safe Without Making Them Fearful

Keeping Children Safe – Polly Klaas Foundation

How to Keep Your Child Safe from Abduction

Keeping Your Child Safe on the Internet – Parenting.com

Two arraigned in Saginaw, MI child abuse case; boy dies of injuries

Saginaw, Michigan — Aki Dillard, 39, and his wife, Mio Dillard, 30, were arraigned today in the 70th District Court in Saginaw in connection with a child abuse investigation. Their 6-year-old son, Elijah Dillard, died of his injuries on Saturday. Dillard was charged with assault with intent to commit murder, torture and first degree child abuse and Mio Dillard was charged with first degree child abuse. READ MORE HERE

Mother who sexually abused her young daughter, burnt her with a light bulb and hit her fingers with a hammer is jailed for six years

A mother who sexually abused her own young daughter, burning her with a lightbulb, forcing her to drink salt water and hitting her fingers with a hammer was jailed today. The girl was just five-years-old when her mother’s campaign of abuse started, and was only able to escape the torment when she ran away from home at 12.  She broke down in tears at Liverpool Crown Court today, sobbing uncontrollably as a judge told her mother that she ‘robbed her of her childhood’ by her persistent abuse, and sentenced the older woman to six years and eight months in prison. READ MORE HERE

‘Scared to death’: Woman who was raped and abused by her police chief father died from asthma attack as he was about to be freed from prison

A woman who was raped as a child by her police chief father died from fear that he was about to be released from prison, it has been claimed. Sarah Wright, who died aged 39 in November last year, was abused over a ten-year period by former chief superintendent, Alec Alexander, at their home in Hull, East Yorkshire.  He started to assault her on her seventh birthday, before raping her in 1992 when she was 17.  Alexander, who worked for Humberside Police, was jailed for ten years, aged 61, in 2008 after being found guilty of raping and indecently assaulting his daughter. READ MORE HERE

A British man who was caught by an undercover agent posing as the father of an underage girl has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Shuhel Mahboob Ali told the ‘father’ online that he wanted to have sex with her and raise a ‘daughters-only’ family so that he could carry out a sick incest fantasy. Ali believed that the agent was arranging for him to be set up with his daughter, and Ali told how he wanted to ‘settle down with a girl and raise a couple of daughters for “the lifestyle,”‘ according to the criminal complaint. READ MORE HERE

BELLEFONTE, CENTRE COUNTY – 33 year-old Eric Crader, from Pleasant Gap, is charged with 1,278 crimes, including rape of a child, statutory sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault of a child. The criminal complaint details a disturbing scenario in which two children were repeatedly raped by Crader. According to court documents, the sexual abuse began in 2011 and continued through May 2013. Police say the abuse was discovered after one of the victims told a school guidance counselor about the alleged incidents. According to the criminal complaint, the child “did not want to be hurt anymore.” READ MORE HERE

At least 18 persons including 14 minors were rescued during a a raid at a circus in Margao town and the circus owner along with his aide was arrested for raping a 14-year-old girl, police said today. Besides the 40-year-old owner of the circus, Abdul Khan from Assam, the joint team of Goa women’s police station and district police also arrested three other persons on various charges. “Six minor girls, eight minor boys and four adults who were employed by the circus owner when they were minors, have been rescued during the raid conducted this morning. Local forest department and labour department were also roped in,” Deputy Inspector General of Police O P Mishra told reporters. READ MORE HERE

Bullying: Experts share advice for parents, students

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that every seven minutes a child is bullied. Bullying became a household term in the 2000’s after the issue rose to national prominence in the wake of tragic stories of children and teenagers who had taken their lives because they were being picked on in school. Bullying is defined as repeated unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance, according to StopBullying.gov. Although countless nonprofit organizations and school programs have sprouted up to tackle the issue, it seems bullying is not going away. READ MORE HERE

MORE ARTICLES ON BULLYING ADVICE:

Bullying: The advice you got is wrong. Here’s what really works 

Helping Kids Deal With Bullies – KidsHealth

Anti-bullying advice

Dr. Phil.com – Advice – Dealing with Bullies

Bullying Advice – Bullystoppers.com

Expert Advice on Bullying – Parents.com

Stepfather found guilty in ‘Kilah’s Law’ child abuse case

A girl who was sexually abused by a man and later told by police they did not have enough evidence to take him to court persuaded her attacker to confess – and recorded him on tape. Adam Reeves, 45, from Waddesdon, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, today started an eight-year prison sentence after a judge listened to his confession. The young woman was so upset when detectives told her they were dropping the case against the deeply religious Reeves that she embarked on the mission to record his confession. READ MORE HERE

DOUGLASVILLE, Georgia — Officials say they have arrested a Douglasville elementary school principal as part of a multi-agency child exploitation sting this past week. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that John McGill, 56, of Villa Rica, was arrested for the electronic possession of child pornography during this week’s Operation Broken Heart. The Douglas County School District says that McGill has been suspended from his duties as principal at Mt. Carmel Elementary School. In a statement sent to FOX 5 on Sunday, the district said the “system is cooperating fully with law enforcement”. READ MORE HERE