Archive for the ‘Hot Topics’ Category

Archbishop Slams Catholic Church Over Abuse

Posted by Sandra On December - 12 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Dublin leader says orders face ‘last chance’ to make amends with victims

DUBLIN — Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has slammed Irish Catholic orders for concealing the extent of child abuse committed by their members. Martin said the orders face a “last chance” to make amends with victims. The comments published Monday in an Irish Times column are the harshest by a Catholic leader since investigators last week documented widespread abuse of children in schools run by 18 Catholic orders.

READ MORE HERE:

http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/30925382/

(AND)

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20101212/tuk-archbishop-slams-catholic-church-e1cd776.html

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Smart’s Kidnapper Found Guilty

Posted by Sandra On December - 10 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

(Reuters) – A homeless street preacher was found guilty on Friday of kidnapping teenager Elizabeth Smart, whose abduction from her bed in the middle of the night and harrowing, nine-month ordeal gripped much of America more than eight years ago. A federal court jury in Salt Lake City convicted Brian David Mitchell, 57, on two counts: kidnapping and unlawful transportation of minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity.

The self-styled prophet, who had been ejected from court daily for disrupting the trial, loudly sang the hymn, “He Died, the Great Redeemer Died” in the packed courtroom as the verdicts were read. Smart, now a young woman of 23 who testified in graphic detail about her abduction at knife-point, rape and captivity, exchanged smiles with her mother, Lois, in the front row of the courtroom gallery.

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Killer’s Arrest Warrants Issued

Posted by Sandra On December - 9 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Jonathan DeBlase, 3, and Natalie DeBlase, 4

Police say the children were killed separately, then immediately disposed of

VANCLEAVE, Miss. — An Alabama man charged with murdering his two young children allowed the kids’ stepmother to torture them by binding the little boy and girl with duct tape, stuffing one in a suitcase and forcing the other to stand in a corner all night, according to arrest warrants. John DeBlase, 27, is charged with two counts of murder, child abuse and corpse abuse. Scattered bones and a skull found in the woods of rural Mississippi on Wednesday are believed to be the remains of his 3-year-old son Chase. Authorities are still searching for the remains of 5-year-old Natalie DeBlase.

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Missing 3-Yr Old Remains Found

Posted by Sandra On December - 8 - 2010 1 COMMENT

Remains of 3 Year Old Jonathan Chase DeBlase Found

Authorities said skeletal remains found Wednesday morning near Vancleave, Mississippi are believed to be those of 3-year-old Jonathan Chase DeBlase, an Alabama boy missing since March. Jackson County, Mississippi, Sheriff Mike Byrd said, “It was the father who gave us the general area.” He said, “He wasn’t real sure exactly where he was. He claimed he had taken a lot of sleeping pills and didn’t quite remember exactly where he was.” “We’re very certain” the remains are that of the missing boy, Byrd said. “We’re just thankful that we found this little boy. Nothing’s left but just the skeletal remains.”

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Mom Murdered, Girl Abducted

Posted by Sandra On December - 7 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Walmart Survelliance video shows Jeff Easley and missing girl, Brittany Mae Smith, in Salem

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon Roanoke County police said Brittany Mae Smith and Jeff Easley were seen in Walmart in Salem Friday night. Police have surveillance video of the pair shopping at the store between 8:00pm and 8:30pm. Authorities say 32-year-old Jeff Easley used Tina Smith’s credit card to purchase items in Walmart. Salem Police have issued warrants for Easley for credit card fraud and credit card larceny. Tina Smith, Brittany’s mother, was found murdered in her home Monday. Police also believe Jeff Easley is using Smith’s car, a silver 2005 Dodge Neon.

Jeff Easley’s mother, Sallie Martin, made a plea directly to her son to contact her or police. She urged Jeff to take Brittany to a safe place and return her or call 911. She told her son that she loved him and that they would work this out.

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE:

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/wdbj-photos-of-suspect-and-missing-120610,0,6082404.photogallery

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Dad: Children Are Dead, Buried

Posted by Sandra On December - 6 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

John DeBlase, 27, was taken into police custody on Friday and told investigators where his children are buried

The father of two missing children in Mobile, Ala., told authorities that his children are dead and that he had buried them, according to FOX10 News. John DeBlase, 27, allegedly made these revelations during a thorough interview with police, leading investigators to search for the childrens’ bodies within a 100-mile radius of Mobile, according to FOX10 News.

On Saturday, investigators planned to assemble a massive search party. “We want to make sure that we find these children and that they’re buried properly,” said Michael Williams, the Mobile police chief.

The children, Natalie, 5, and Jonathan, 3, were last seen with their father back in July. Since then, no family member came forward to report the children missing. Their stepmother, Heather Leavell-Keaton, was arrested Wednesday in Louisville, Ky.

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Missing Siblings Feared Dead

Posted by Sandra On December - 6 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Jonathan DeBlase, 3, and Natalie DeBlase, 4

Father Accused of Abuse

Reported missing November 19

MOBILE, Ala. — Police in Mobile, Alabama, have arrested a 27-year-old father and accused him of abusing his two young children, who authorities now believe are dead. John Joseph DeBlase faces two counts of aggravated child abuse and two counts of abuse of a corpse, according to a statement from Mobile Police Department Friday. “Based on what he’s told us, we believe” the children are dead, Mobile Police Chief Micheal T. Williams told reporters on Friday.

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Woman Abused 8 Babies

Posted by Sandra On December - 4 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

California Real Estate Agent Pleads Guilty To Severely Scratching 8 Babies

San Diego, CA –-A prominent La Jolla Realtor and mother of three was in court Thursday admitting to charges she severely scratched and pinched eight babies to the point of bleeding. Lisa Hench, 45, was charged with eight misdemeanor counts of corporal injury on a child for her bizarre actions. Police say she would befriend parents of young children at a La Jolla school and ask to hold their babies.

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230 Child Abuse Sites Shut Down

Posted by Sandra On December - 3 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Child abuse sites fueled by Australians

Australians participated in child abuse which fueled an international network of websites selling pay-per-view video and still images of sickening child porn, authorities say. A coalition of detectives from seven countries and Interpol has shut down 230 websites, first set up in the US and then run from eastern Europe. The first phase of the investigation, begun by US authorities in 2006, identified 30,000 customers in 132 countries accessing the degrading pictures and videos. Authorities, having already caught many of those alleged to have run the sites, now expect to begin arresting customers, having secured their credit card and other personal details. Australian Federal Police (AFP) assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan says it’s clear some of the abuse featured on the websites originated in Australia.

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Pedophile Abused Hundreds

Posted by Sandra On December - 2 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Convicted Pedophile Admits Abusing Hundreds Of Children And Will Continue To Do So If Able

HENNIKER, N.H. — A 73-year-old convicted pedophile was charged with touching a 10-year-old girl over the weekend told police he had abused hundreds of children and will continue to do if released. On Wednesday, John Esbensen was arraigned on a charge of aggravated felonious sexual after police say he touched a 10-year-old girl inappropriately while at the Hillsborough transfer station on Saturday. Hillsborough Police Capt. Darren Remillard said that when he interviewed Esbensen on Tuesday, he admitted he had abused hundreds of children. Esbensen, who has already served three years in prison for sexually assaulting two children in 1996, also stated that he wasn’t rehabilitated in prison and that the offender program “was a joke.”

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Zahra Raped Before Her Murder, Dismemberment

Posted by Sandra On December - 1 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Zahra Baker May Have Been Raped Before Her Death, Dismemberment

Hickory, NC – Just when you think the Zahra Baker story couldn’t possibly get any worse than it already is, I just read over at CNN that the little girl may have been raped prior to her death. Search warrants obtained by the Hickory, North Carolina, police were released on Tuesday and the details they contain are absolutely horrifying. In them, a tipster told police that Zahra had been at a North Carolina home with two men who both raped Zahra. One of the men was an acquaintance of Zahra’s stepmother, Elise Baker. The men supposedly said they did not kill Zahra, but may have hit her in the head and that she had blood on her private area and legs.

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3 Missing Boys Father Arrested

Posted by Sandra On November - 30 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Alexander, Andrew and Tanner Skelton

Father of 3 Missing Michigan Boys Arrested

The boys were last seen one day before their father tried to kill himself

MORENCI, Mich. — The father of three young brothers who have been missing since Thanksgiving was charged with their kidnapping on Tuesday, hours after police said it’s unlikely the boys will be found alive. John Skelton, 39, was arrested by FBI agents after his release from a medical facility in Lucas County, Ohio, where he had been being treated since attempting to hang himself on Friday. Skelton was charged in Lenawee County, Mich., across the state border, with three counts of parental kidnapping, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said during a brief news conference.

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MI Amber Alert: 3 Children

Posted by Sandra On November - 29 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

Police: Missing Boys’ Dad Lied About Woman

Boys, Ages 9, 7, 5 Still Missing

MORENCI, Mich. — Police in Michigan said Monday they were questioning the validity of a father’s account of what happened to his three young sons. Police in Morenci, about 75 miles southwest of Detroit, are looking for 5-year-old Tanner, 7-year-old Alexander and 9-year-old Andrew Skelton. The boys were last seen the day before their father, John Skelton, tried to commit suicide. During a press conference, Police Chief Larry Weeks said John Skelton told them he gave the boys to a woman he met online and had been having an online relationship with. Skelton told police he asked the woman, Joann Taylor, to take the boys to their mother. But Weeks said investigators have failed to establish the reported relationship between John Skelton and Taylor, locate Taylor or find the van Taylor was reportedly driving.

AMBER ALERT POSTER:

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1160897&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

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3 Michigan Children Missing

Posted by Sandra On November - 27 - 2010 ADD COMMENTS

MORENCI, MI (WTOL) – Law Enforcement officers in Michigan are looking for three boys reported missing Friday. Five-year-old Tanner Lucas Skelton, seven-year-old Alexander William Skelton, and nine-year-old Andrew Ryan Skelton have been missing since late Thursday night or early Friday morning from 112 East Congress Street in Morenci, Michigan. The boys’ father says he turned the children over to a woman named Joann Taylor who may be driving a white or silver minivan. After turning the children over to this woman, the father tried to take his own life. He is now in the hospital under observation. The boys are described as follows:

Tanner Lucas Skelton:

White Male, Brown Hair & Blue Eyes

Age: 5

Height: 3’6″

Weight: 40lbs

Alexander William Skelton:

White Male, Brown Hair & Brown Eyes

Age: 7

Height: 3’9″

Weight: 45lbs

Andrew Ryan Skelton:

White Male, Brown Hair & Brown Eyes

Age: 9

Height: 4’1″

Weight: 57lbs

The father believes Joann Taylor is married to Mark Taylor who the boys’ father believes is a pastor either in the Hillsdale or Jackson, Michigan areas. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of these three boys is asked to call the Morenci Police Department at 517-458-7104 or the Lenawee County Central Dispatch at 517-263-0524. Stay with WTOL 11 for more on this breaking news story.

SOURCE:

http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=13574023

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