New York City – In 1987, Joy White brought her 3-week-old feverish daughter, Carlina, to Harlem Hospital in New York City. Then, every mother’s nightmare happened. Carlina was separated from her mother to receive nourishment through an IV. During that time, a woman dressed in a nurse’s uniform snuck into the hospital. She removed the IV from Carlina’s arm and kidnapped her. The kidnapper, Ann Petty, took Carlina to Connecticut and then Georgia, miles away from her family. READ MORE HERE

BATAVIA, N.Y. –  A woman who prosecutors say lived with her dead baby girl’s body for three months was charged Saturday with murder. Christina Colantonio, 28, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter, Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said. READ MORE HERE

Batavia mother accused of killing daughter released

Batavia mother accused of killing daughter released

Prosecutors on Monday upped the charge against the 20-year-old Lincoln man accused of kidnapping and raping an 8-year-old girl. Cody Riddle already had faced charges of kidnapping with voluntary release, first-degree sexual assault of a child and burglary, which together could get him 21 years to life if he’s convicted. READ MORE HERE

Prosecutors charge man in kidnapping, rape case

Parents of kidnap, rape suspect say they tried for years to get help for their son

7 Ways Childhood Adversity Changes Your Brain

Early emotional trauma changes who we are, but we can do something about it. If you’ve ever wondered why you’ve been struggling a little too hard for a little too long with chronic emotional and physical health conditions that just won’t abate, feeling as if you’ve been swimming against some invisible current that never ceases, a new field of scientific research may offer hope, answers, and healing insights. READ MORE HERE

Deputy saves drowning kids; the dad is arrested

DURHAM, N.C. – A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy says he heard wailing in the darkness and plunged into an apartment complex’s pond at night to rescue two young girls who, police say, had been thrown there to drown by their father. Durham County Sheriff’s Deputy David Earp was off duty and says he rushed out with little more than his department T-shirt, badge and flashlight after the apartment manager called him at home around 9 p.m. Sunday to report some kind of trouble.

“I heard something about children, that they might possibly be in trouble,” Earp said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. “And after I was informed that there were kids involved, instinct took over just to go out there and rescue them.” READ MORE HERE

PLATTE, S.D. — Authorities believe a man fatally shot his wife and four children, set their rural South Dakota house on fire, then turned the shotgun on himself, the state’s attorney general’s office said Tuesday. Preliminary autopsy results show all six members of the Westerhuis family died of shotgun wounds. The bodies of Scott and Nicole Westerhuis and their children Kailey, Jaeci, Connor and Michael were found in the burned ruins of their home in Platte on Thursday. READ MORE HERE

An Olympic gymnastics coach facing child molestation and sexual misconduct charges in Indianapolis was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday night in an apparent suicide, authorities said. The coach, Marvin Sharp, 49, was discovered just after 8 p.m. at the county jail where he was being held, Marion County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Katie Carlson said. Authorities believe he committed suicide, she said. READ MORE HERE

Los Angeles, CA – A man who threw his 4-year-old daughter to her death off a Palos Verdes cliff was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole, nearly 15 years after the murder and following three criminal trials. Cameron John Brown, 53, was sentenced in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for throwing his child Lauren Sarene Key off 120-foot cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes during a hike in November 2000. READ MORE HERE

BOSTON — A mother has been arrested and her boyfriend is charged with murder in the death of a little girl whose body was found inside a trash bag on a Boston Harbor island this summer, a prosecutor said Friday, after a monthslong campaign to learn the child’s identity. Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said he authorized a murder charge for Michael McCarthy, 35, and the girl’s mother, Rachelle Bond, 40, is under arrest for accessory to murder after the fact. “At just shy of three years old, Bella Bond was a true innocent,” Conley said at a news conference announcing the charges. “This child, whose very name means beauty, was murdered,” he said. READ MORE HERE

Mother claims boyfriend punched Bella, causing death

‘Baby Doe’: Girl Found Dead in Boston Identified

‘Baby Doe’ ID’d as ‘Bella,’ Suspect Charged With Her Murder

BABY DOE’S MOTHER AND HER BOYFRIEND:

Tillamook, Oregon – A search is underway for a convicted sex offender who escaped from the Tillamook Youth Facility. Oregon Police are looking for 22-year-old Joshua Garvin. The Oregon Youth Authority says he escaped from the facility sometime after 12pm Saturday. Garvin is from Clackamas County. He is 5’9″, 180 lbs., and has short blond hair. He was wearing a camouflage Duck Dynasty sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. The public is urged not to approach him because he may pose a danger to himself or others. If you see him, call Ann Snyder at 503-551-8294. READ MORE HERE

A registered sex offender in Thurston County faces 45 months in prison for molesting a 10-year-old girl. Antonio Arias, 29, appeared in shackles Monday in Thurston County Superior Court to plead guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree assault with sexual motivation. He was initially charged with first-degree child molestation. Prosecutors are recommending a 45-month sentence with 15 months of probation. Arias will be prohibited from contacting any minors and must undergo psychological treatment. Sentencing is set for Oct. 12. READ MORE HERE

FLORIDA – A woman who says she was sexually abused 40 years ago only remembered it after she moved next door to her alleged abuser in Alachua County, Florida. The woman, whose identity is only revealed as Tracey, told police that she and her husband moved into a trailer on her alleged abuser’s property. Tracey remembered Donald Truluck, now 66, from her childhood – he had been her aunt’s boyfriend and her mother often left her with him – but remembered nothing about the alleged sexual abuse. She only knew she did not want to be alone with the man, although she was helping care for him because he was sick. READ MORE HERE

Recovered Memories of Sexual Abuse

Not unusual to forget childhood sexual abuse

The Reality of Repressed Memories

Recovering Memories of Trauma

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – A former Mayport sailor was sentenced Thursday to life in prison in the killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son in 2010. Nicholas James Rivet, 37, was convicted of second-degree murder in June. He was stationed at Mayport and lived at an off-base housing complex with his daughter, girlfriend and her son, 2-year-old Eddie Robb. READ MORE HERE