HUNTINGTON BEACH — A 30-year old man was sentenced Friday to 65 years to life in state prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled 7-year-old girl. Daniel Vlas Flores was convicted in April of kidnapping to commit a sexual offense, sexual intercourse, sodomy and sexual penetration of a child 10-years-old or younger, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.  READ MORE HERE

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A man charged with beating a Roman Catholic priest that he says molested him has been found not guilty. The jury found William Lynch not guilty of felony assault and felony elder abuse, despite his admission that he attacked Father Jerold Lindner in 2010. They were split on a final charge of misdemeanor assault and a Santa Clara County judge declared a mistrial on that count.  READ MORE HERE

A 6-day-old infant and a 22-month-old toddler were left alone, unsupervised, by their 18-year-old mother Courtney Trench and her boyfriend so the couple could enjoy a night of drinking. According to WSB Radio, officials report that the mother’s blood alcohol level was .198, which is three times the legal limit, while the boyfriend’s was tested at .223. READ MORE HERE

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis jury has found 17-year-old James Prindle guilty of raping a 23-month-old girl, taking all day Friday to convict him on all counts. Prosecutors claimed Prindle committed the disturbing act against the toddler while babysitting in Aug., 2010. Though just 15 at the time, he was later charged and indicted as an adult.  Prindle was accused of bathing the child after the attack, before running to a neighbor for help. Prosecutors say he told that neighbor a lie that a “large black man wearing a mask broke into the apartment,” which police later disproved. READ MORE HERE

A South African real estate developer claims to have found the gravesite of Madeleine McCann. Self-styled investigator Stephen Birch says he used a ground penetrating radar device — a tool that that uses radar pulses to x-ray the subsurface — to locate the body of the missing British girl. McCann was 3 years old in May 2007, when she went on a trip to Portugal with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. The couple was dining with friends at a nearby restaurant when the little girl vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz. There have been no solid leads in the case since that time.  READ MORE HERE

Dad fears a rival gang took him

A 3-year-old boy vanished from his home Sunday night, and his dad fears he was kidnapped by rival gang members. Police are now combing Memphis for Maurice Brown Jr., who went missing around 8:30 p.m. from his home on South Pauline Street. The 3-foot-tall, 65-pound child was last seen wearing a Batman shirt and blue jeans. His father, Maurice Brown Sr., is affiliated with a gang called the Grapestreets. He said he was asleep in the house and awoke to find the boy gone.  READ MORE HERE

The horror of child abuse may continue to haunt the victims even after they enter adulthood. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are often reported in people who have been abused as children. Psychiatrists claim that a majority of child abuse cases go unreported. As a result, children are denied proper counselling and in some cases special help. This could lead to serious psychological disorders affecting a person’s normal life.  READ MORE HERE

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MORE AFTER-EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE:

Study Links Child Abuse to Adult Obesity

Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect

Every summer, tragic news of the death of a child left in a hot car bewilders parents and caregivers alike.  This preventable tragedy is far too common—there have been seven hot car related deaths in 2012 alone—and the summer is far from over. For one Louisiana father whose 11-month-old son fell victim to this fate Monday, this already horrific accident could mean prosecution and possible jail time. READ MORE HERE

A young boy took an overdose of tablets after he was allegedly abused by his teacher at a top public school, his mother told a jury today. The boy only told his parents what had happened after details of the police investigation into his teacher Bruce Roth’s alleged molesting of boys appeared in a national newspaper. Roth is on trial for sexually abusing boys in his care at two schools he worked at – King’s School, in Rochester, Kent, and the prestigious Wellington College, in Crowthorne, Berkshire. READ MORE HERE

A man has been arrested for attempted murder after pouring boiling water over his nephew. Mohammed Saffan Rizvie, 29, deliberately set out to torture and kill the boy, 11, say authorities. Police believe that Rizvie has mental health problems. Rizvie was arrested on attempted murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, reports NorthJersey.com. He is being held on $750,000 bail.  READ MORE HERE

Audrey Grabarkiewicz, 46, was a preschool teacher in South Carolina before being charged with 10 counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors for hosting alcohol, drug, and sex parties for teenagers in 2010, and she has been sentenced to 3 years probation with 120 hours community service. READ MORE HERE

A Pennsylvania boy is recovering from severe cold burns and blisters in the shape of a giant cross on his back after participating in a chilling new teen fad called the “salt and ice challenge.” The horrifying stunt, which makes the “cinnamon challenge” seem tame, dares kids to put salt on their body and cover it with ice. They then apply pressure and see how long they can withstand the pain. The unidentified Pittsburgh boy lasted several minutes, according to doctors, who treated him at a local burn center for injuries similar to frostbite. READ MORE HERE

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MIAMI — Prosecutors said a Miami child-abuse investigator was arrested after he allegedly tried to leave the country while he himself was under investigation. Jean LaCroix was refused entry to the Dominican Republic this weekend and placed under arrest when he arrived in New York City. The Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s office told the Miami Herald they suspected LaCroix was trying to enter Haiti as officials went through the procedure of terminating him from his job with the Department of Children and Families.  READ MORE HERE

Four South Florida men are accused of running a prostitution ring that preyed on children in foster care. Police and prosecutors arrested the men Monday as part of an ongoing investigation. They are charged with conspiracy, racketeering and unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The men used a teenage foster child as a recruiter. They plied the girls with cash, affection and gifts, authorities said. In turn, the girls became prostitutes, bringing the ring $100 for every man they had sex with. From the $100, the girls were paid $30 to $40.  READ MORE HERE