Twenty-one serial rapists have been identified in a massive investigation led by Detroit prosecutor Kym Worthy—and her manhunt has only just begun. Worthy is leading a charge to investigate more than 11,000 police “rape kits”—which contain swabs of semen, saliva, and other evidence of rape—so the rapists can be brought to justice. The thousands of rape kits had piled up in a dusty police warehouse in Detroit for years, ignored, until one of Worthy’s colleagues stumbled upon them in 2009. Since then, an outraged Worthy has been fighting to get the kits logged, tested for DNA, and then entered into the national DNA database.

With the whole state still searching for missing Iowa cousins, Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Cook, 9, another attempted child abduction adds to the mystery. Just outside of Des Moines is the town of Waukee, Iowa, which is less than 150 miles from Evansdale, where Lyric and Elizabeth disappeared July 13th, after leaving their grandmother’s house to ride their bikes.

Were I to find out my child was sexually assaulted by ANYONE – including members of my own family, my first instinct would be to smash their head against the wall a few times and then make sure they feel the shards of glass as they fly through the plate glass window. That would be for a minor transgression! There are few crimes I find more deplorable than child molestation: torture and murder head the short list. But like all responsible adults, PREPARING (even mentally) for an emergency will oftentimes bring cooler heads to the forefront to provide the necessary actions required. Like fire drills where we were taught to proceed calmly to the nearest exit, you should at least consider what I’m about to tell you regarding confronting someone who MAY have molested your child.

DETROIT — A 19-year-old Michigan State University student is recovering Tuesday after surgery overnight for a broken jaw his family says stems from a brutal hate crime. Two men at a party early Sunday attacked Zachary Tennen, a journalism sophomore at MSU, after asking whether he was Jewish, his parents, Tina Tennen and Bruce Tennen said Tuesday. They raised their arms in a Nazi salute, chanting “Heil Hitler” and then knocked Tennen unconscious, Tina Tennen said.

The National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under the age of 12 be left at home alone. However, consider a child’s age and maturity level. For example, if a child is extremely impulsive, it might be best to wait until he or she is older than 12. There appear to be very few states with specific regulations about the age of a child left at home alone. However, since the number of latchkey kids is growing significantly due to 2 income parents and single parents and guardians, there is a growing movement within state agencies to set guidelines.

PORTLAND – A Milwaukie youth league coach has been indicted on child sex abuse charges involving a young player on his team and also his step-daughter. Police arrested 49-year-old Gary Clausen on nine counts of sex abuse. Bail has been set at $500,000. Detectives began their investigation after hearing in April that Clausen had inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old player on his Mt. Hood Little League softball team.

The Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA) announced today the warning signs of child abuse for children returning to school from summer break. PFSA states, if a child has spent the summer in an abusive or neglectful home, it may be in the first few days back at school that the tell-tale signs of abuse are most likely to emerge and be recognized.

Routinely screening all children seen in the ER for signs of maltreatment seems to have improved child abuse detection in the Netherlands, a new study finds. The progress suggests that such systematic screening helps catch more cases of child abuse, researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. But whether the findings could extend to other countries is unclear. And one emergency physician doubted the usefulness in U.S. hospitals.

When parents disagree about discipline, the underlying issue is often a conflict in parenting styles. Parenting styles develop in a complex process from childhood history to adult knowledge and experience. Because parenting styles are rooted in individual belief systems, polarization and conflict are common when parents’ styles differ. The most common conflict occurs between parenting couples who have authoritarian and indulgent styles. The authoritarian parent is adult-centered and high in control efforts. The indulgent parent is child-centered and low in control efforts.

The wife of the Minnesota State football coach accused of child pornography made an emotional statement today, saying that her husband is innocent and charges against him were ‘ridiculous and baseless’. Melodee Hoffner said she hoped authorities would reconsider the charges against her husband after videos of their three children, aged nine, eight and five, dancing naked were found on his school cell phone by an IT worker. Todd Hoffner, of Eagle Lake, faces two felony counts related to child pornography after authorities said they found nude images of the 46-year-old’s children earlier this month.

INDIANAPOLIS – The man arrested in the death of a 3-year-old girl told police he beat her because she soiled herself, according to court documents. Jose Cruz, 21, was the boyfriend of the girl’s mother. He was arrested after police were called to the home in the 3700 block of Long Wharf Drive Tuesday for the girl’s injuries. She died Wednesday night .

PORTLAND – Strangers helped a Portland mom tackle and capture a man she said tried to drag her 6-year-old daughter into the bushes Sunday night. Antoinette Robinson told KGW she saw the man grab her daughter and her instincts kicked in. She sprinted outside and started punching him. The girl had been playing outside, at a friend’s house, when the young man grabbed her just before 6:30 p.m. in the 16900 block of SE Lafayette Street, according to police.

Willie ‘Slick’ Parks faces aggravated assault charges after his ex-girlfriend filed a criminal complaint claiming that Parks broke her nose, gave her a concussion, and was beaten so badly that she miscarried. According to Huffington Post, the complaint also says that Parks did not allow the 28-year-old-woman to go to the hospital for days after the assault.

Two teenagers, 18-year-old Tyler Best and 16-year-old John Freeman, have been arrested in connection to the murder of five year old Isabella Tenant, whose remains were found in a trash can last Monday. The two were arrested after Best, described as a family friend, led the police to a trash can, where the remains of five year old Isabella were found.