ST. LOUIS, MO – Police have been able to thwart a terrifying plot by a deranged St. Louis teenager to kidnap his friend’s 10-year-old sister in the middle of the night, then allegedly smother her to death and rape her dead body, authorities say. John Thomas Classen, 17, is now in custody after breaking into his classmate’s home in O’Fallon around 12.40am Thursday, using a window he deliberately left unlocked two days earlier, and hiding in the basement for over four hours.  He then went up to the main level of the house, where the young girl – who he was reportedly in love with – was asleep on the couch, put his hand over her mouth and threatened to kill her if she screamed. READ MORE HERE

ILLINOIS – A convicted sex offender who had been on the run for two months was found in a hidden room that he apparently built at his wife’s Illinois home. Shawn Lipsey, a 40-year-old father, was convicted in November of six counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecent solicitation of a child. He was released on bail but failed to appear at a January sentencing hearing. READ MORE HERE

52-year-old man has not been in classroom since 2003

MONROE, Michigan – A local substitute teacher is charged with five counts of possession of sexually abusive material of children after police say child pornography was found in his home. David William Huntley, 52, was arraigned Friday afternoon in Monroe. His bond was set at $1 million cash. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for March 26. The prosecutor said he is seeking more serious charges. READ MORE HERE

Monroe man arrested on child porn charges

Former substitute teacher faces child porn charges in Monroe

Erin Merryn was just six-years-old when she was molested and later raped by a friend’s uncle. She was 11 when her teenage cousin began sexually abusing her. Both crimes (which were ongoing) first occurred during sleepovers at other people’s homes. After years of silently enduring the abuse and shame, Merryn finally spoke up—in a major way. The Illinois native has written three books about her experience and in 2010, she created Erin’s Law, which encourages schools to teach sexual abuse prevention (20 states have passed it; 21 are voting this year). Now 30, and a new mom to a six-month-old daughter named Abigail, Merryn opens up to Yahoo Parenting about how her dark past is shaping the way she parents. READ MORE HERE

Fugitive Added to ICE’s Most Wanted

SAN JOSE, California — A Sunnyvale man who absconded following his indictment on federal child pornography charges is the latest fugitive to be profiled on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) smartphone app, seeking public tips on at-large and unknown child predator suspects.

Jose Alberto Centurion-Cruz, aka Jose Alberto Cruz, 30, was indicted by a federal grand jury in northern California in January 2013 for possession and distribution of child pornography. When ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents searched Centurion-Cruz’s Sunnyvale residence in connection with the probe, they found more than 100 sexually explicit videos of minors on his laptop computer and other digital media. Centurion-Cruz was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Jose last month, but failed to show up for his hearing. On March 18, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Centurion-Cruz is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Investigators believe Centurion-Cruz, who is a Salvadoran national, may have fled to his native country. READ MORE HERE

One of the prime areas of focus on this website is providing environmental education for our children. In doing so, we would be remiss if we did not provide alarms to both children and parents concerning internet safety. KidsHealth, the most-visited site on the Web for information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years, recently posted a short article that addresses the disturbing and sometimes tragic effects associated with cyberbullying. READ MORE HERE

Bullying Statistics

Cyberbullying Statistics

Social Media Safety

Facebook’s New Anti-Bullying Tools

Whitehouse Conference for Bullying Prevention

Man Facing Allegations Of Choking, Biting And Duct-Taping Diaper To Child

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City father is accused of a disturbing case of child abuse. This week, prosecutors arrested the suspect for the crime which included broken bones, repeated chokings, and even humiliation in front of others. The alleged abuse happened more than once. Court records show the suspect abused his kids repeatedly over the last 5 years. It all happened inside a home in Del City, as well as at another home in Midwest City, and at a third home in Enid. READ MORE HERE

Sprague, Washington – A frightening attempted kidnapping was caught on tape in Washington state and the suspect remains at-large. The incredible video from a a grocery store in Sprague shows a man running down the street with a toddler in his arms. The child’s older sister and brother are then seen following right behind, trying to rescue 22-month-old Owen. Witnesses said they could hear the young girl screaming for the suspect to stop. Two teenage boys heard the girl and joined the pursuit.  The suspect then abandoned the toddler in an empty lot before fleeing.  READ MORE HERE

Midday Kidnapping Attempt Caught on Video in Small Town

Authorities search for man caught on video attempting to kidnap a Washington state toddler

911 tapes released in attempted child abduction (see video below)

KULR-8 Television, Billings, MT

POLICE NEED YOUR HELP!! If you recognize this child abductor, or have any information pertaining to this kidnapping attempt, please contact the Lincoln (WA) County Sheriff at (509) 725-3501 (suspect description below)

Washington – Police in Lake Stevens, Washington, have released shocking video detectives took of the horrible conditions three small children, ages 7, 3, and 11 months, were living in. Mark Dorson, 32, the father of the 11-month-old, and Amanda Foley, 32, the mother of all three children, have been charged with three counts of criminal mistreatment and three counts of abandonment of a dependent person. READ MORE HERE

Grandma cut 9-mo toddler’s throat with power saw 

CHICAGO, Illinois – A 9-month-old girl has died after reportedly having her throat cut with a power saw in a Chicago home, authorities said. A 52-year-old woman related to the baby is in police custody at a hospital. Authorities said the woman cut the girl’s throat with a circular saw, apparently because she wouldn’t stop crying, the Chicago Tribune reported. The woman then tried to kill herself and was found by another relative, the newspaper reported. READ MORE HERE

Woman cut baby’s throat with power saw because of her cries

Chicago PD: Infant dead after throat cut with power saw

Baby’s throat cut with power saw, grandmother in custody

A nanny in Argentina is facing child abuse charges after she was secretly filmed hitting a baby and then stealing his food. The footage shows 25-year-old Eve Mantaras slapping and backhanding the cowering two-year-old, who is sat in his high chair. She then takes a plate of food that is meant for him and sits down to eat it in front of the hungry boy. The toddler’s mother Cristina Ceril had installed the secret camera in the family home in the city of Parana in the north east of Argentina and linked it to her smartphone. It came after she discovered a series of bruises on the youngster. READ MORE HERE

BRITAIN – Hundreds of dangerous sex offenders who are supposed to be closely monitored by police have been missing for up to 14 years, figures revealed yesterday. Police across Britain have lost track of 396 registered sex offenders, including rapists and pedophiles. The sex attackers are meant to be kept under close surveillance after being released from jail because many pose a ‘risk of serious harm to the public’. READ MORE HERE

Mother of dead child now facing murder charges

ROXBORO, North Carolina — The mother of a 2-year-old Roxboro boy who was accused of extreme child abuse after her son’s death last summer, is now facing murder charges. WTVD reported that officials in Person County released an autopsy report Friday that stated the toddler – Donte Joseph Diven – had a significant amount of pain medication in his system when he died. Investigators said the case began July 30, 2014 when Person County deputies went to a call about a child in cardiac arrest. READ MORE HERE

Father accused of severely injuring 3-month-old

BRENTWOOD, N.H. —A Newmarket man accused of beating his 3-month-old son and breaking several bones is being held on $100,000 bail. Jose Orta-Santana was charged with felony first- and second-degree assault. Investigators said the boy was taken to Exeter Hospital on Saturday after suffering a seizure. He was then airlifted to Boston, where doctors found evidence of two skull fractures and 17 broken bones, from his ribs to his toes, police said. READ MORE HERE