Martina McBride - Concrete Angel

Angelika "Angie" Arndt

This is the story of 7 y.o Angelika "Angie" Ardnt.

Angie had been removes from her bio parents when she was a toddler and had since been from foster home to foster home.  She had finally found a place called home with her new foster parents Donna and Dan Pavlik. Angie had been diagnosed with ADHD. She had improved at home and at school and had handled the transition into kindergarten just fine. Despite that, Angie was sent to RLDTC or Rice Lake Day Treatment Center to help prepare her for first grade and to monitor her new medications. When Donna sent her foster daughter to RLDTC on April 24, 2006 I'm sure she had no idea that she sent her to her death.  Now before I get into the story, you have to keep in mind that Angie was diagnosed with ADHD, which means she was a little harder to handle then most children. But that in NO way gave this "treatment" facility to treat her like they did.

Less than two hours into her first day, Angie was placed, by staff, in a special isolated "cool down" room for hitting her own chin with her hair. When she continued to fidget, she was placed in the prone position for 85 minutes. If you are not familiar with the prone position, it is a position in which you are laid out. Over the next few weeks, Angie spent 20 hours in cool down and 14 hours in the prone restraint. The behavior that got her in cool down, she would wiggle in her chair or fall asleep. Another thing I want to point out, the meds she was on caused drowsiness.

These are what was reported to be Angie's final hours. How scared these poor little girl must have been. After blowing bubbles in her milk threw a straw, Angie was placed in cool down. During time out, Angie couldnt sit still in her chair so she was taken to a "special" cool down room with no windows or furniture other then the cool down chair. Staff reminded Angie that cool down time didnt start until she sat still and in proper position. Instead, Angie curled up in the chair began to cry and appeared to had fallen asleep. After about five minutes, Angie woke up and began to swing her legs back and forth in the chair. Staff warned her that if she didnt stop they would have to place her in a control hold for "saftey". Angie continued to swing her legs and cry, staff reported she made an aggressive move while in the chair, so they took her down into the prone restraint. One staff person by the name of Bradley Rideout, who weighed about 250lbs. placed his body across her lower back and held her face down. Other staff held her arms and legs. Angie remained in this position for over an hour.

In a report written by RLDTC following Angie's death, staff reported that Angie stayed on the floor making cooing noises after they freed her. They left her there for about five minutes thinking she had fallen asleep, but when she failed to respond to questions the staff rolled her over and discovered that her lips were turning blue. 911 was called and Angie was rushed to the Ped's ICU of Children's Hospital and Clinics in Minneapolis, MN. She was placed on life support and pronounced dead the next day.

The autopsy found that Angie died from complications of chest compression asphyxia, she received a grave anoxic brain injury which resulted in brain death. She had hemorrhages of the pancreas, colon, stomach and duodenum from abdominal trauma from the hold. Her death was ruled a homicide because of the restraint impaired her ability to breath. Bradley Rideout plead no contest. No one from the management or ownership was held responsible for the restraint policies. And although Rice Lake Day Treatment Center was closed, the owner, Northwest Counseling and Guidance was allowed to keep it 11 other facilities.

In reality, this little girl died because she blew bubbles in her milk. This facility knew she had ADHD. If you are not familiar with ADHD, it is impossible for a child who suffers from this disorder to sit still. It wasnt that she was being bad or disobeying on purpose, she was doing what this disorder caused her to do. All her foster mother wanted was help getting Angie adjusted to going to first grade, and monitoring her meds. These "treatment" centers want you to believe that your child it 100% safe. And maybe sometimes they are, but those other times these people are NOT trained to care for children who suffer from certain disorders. PLEASE, PLEASE, do your research on ANY treatment center that you are sending your child too.

R.I.P Angelika Arndt. 

**DISABILITY RIGHTS WISCONSIN**

Alijah James Mullis

This beautiful little angel is Alijah Mullis. You look at this photo and your heart melts. How precious is this baby? He was born to Travis Mullis and Caren Kohberger. From jump Travis was troubled. He was fired from his job at Walgreens because he had issues yelling at the customers and co-workers. He had two children from a previous relationship, which he signed over all parental rights. But despite all that, he was all Caren needed. And thus Alijah was born. What would follow, I doubt anyone could have guessed.

On the morning of January 29th, 2008 Travis and an 8 y.o girl were the only two up. He asked the little girl if she wanted to go to the playground to play. She said "yes". What child doesnt want to go to the playground? Although her intentions were to play, Travis' intention were a bit more dark. His intentions were to have sex with her. This little girl was having none of that and refused to pull her pants down, and after he tried to pull them down himself, she said "no, take me home". Good for her.

Back at the trailer, Caren hands her 3 month son Alijah to his dad, after the statement was made that he had to get out of the house or he will hurt one of the kids. Wow, that is such the person to hand your infant too.

***Before I go on, it gets graphic, so consider yourself warned***

Fast forward a few hours. Couple Jessie Zaro and wife, Esmeralda were out looking for wildlife, but what they found instead will stay with them forever.  They originally thought it too be a doll. The legs and feet were visible, the arms rested up by the head. But the "doll" they saw was not a doll at all, instead it was a dead baby. The couple place a chilling call to 911. And police were able to determine who the baby was and his presence due to phone calls made by Caren to area hospitals asking if her baby and boyfriend had checked in.

After being on the run, Travis was finally turned himself in, and told cops he was ready to talk. I am sure they were not expecting to hear what he was about to tell them. 

Travis' account:

Because of what happened days earlier with the 8 y.o little girl, he was worried about being evicted by her mother. Travis had reached his breaking point. His infant son was crying, he couldnt get him to stop. The only way to get him to stop was to kill him. (Not hold him, feed him or change him.) He said he put his hands around Alijah's throat and applied pressure with his thumbs. He heard him gurgling, he stopped. But Alijah started crying again. This time he put his son the the concrete part of the berm, and stomped his son's head. Not once, not twice, but three or four times, until he felt the baby's skull collapse under his shoe. Then he got scared. So he throw the car seat and throw it, then grabbed Alijah but the legs and threw him in the same direction. "I had to get it away from me. I was scared of it." That's from his mouth.

Travis was charged with capital murder. And the state will be seeking the death penalty. If ever there was a person who deserved to be there, its this piece of shit! His attorney is an equal piece of shit, for taking the case and saying stupid shit like, Travis is not guilty of capital murder, he did not intentionally kill his son. Wow. Really? Well what did "daddy of the year" think was going to happened when he stomped on the head of a 3 month baby three or four times? How wasnt it intentional, he tried to choke the baby.  UPDATE: From what I gather Caren Kohberger will also be charged with child endangerment for handing Travis Alijah after he said what he said about leaving the house.

It's stories like these that make you wish you could reach out and touch these parents. I have no doubt that Travis will receive the death penalty. All I can say is now Alijah is with God and the angels. Sleep well baby boy.

Rowan Bracci

This beautiful baby boy is Rowan Bracci. He was here on Earth for a very short period of time. At 16 months, his "mother" decided that he was "possessed". His story as reported:

In January, 19 y.o Amber Bracci admitted to beating her baby boy in the head days before he died. She went to check on Rowan and found he was limp. She called EMS. Two days later, baby Rowan would die.

The doctors say Rowan retina's were detached, there was severe hemorrhage behind his eyes, doctors says they couldnt count the vessels.  Now she is blaming her boyfriend. She claims she loved her son with all her heart. Imagine the pain that this beautiful little boy suffered at the hands of the one who was to love him the most. Imagine how scared he must have been, not knowing, not understanding why she was doing this to him. Doctors say Rowan died as a result of closed head trauma. 

Amber and her boyfriend are both being charged with homicide by child abuse. He posted bond. The fact that bond was even set is beyond me. Hopefully, they will never see the light of day. I pray that Rowan will get justice. R.I.P sweet baby Rowan, you are in a far better place. With God.

Cheyenne Wolf

This is Cheyenne Wolf. She was just 12 when she died in 2008. Cheyenne was born with spina bifida. The condition cause her to be incontinent and caused her to have to wear braces on her legs. Although this condition was not of Cheyenne's own doing, it was enough of an inconvenience for her wicked stepmother, Denise Wolf.

It was reported that Denise would tied Cheyenne to a chair for hours, even while the family went out.  It was too much for her to have to clean Cheyenne up. Even making this poor child walk back and fourth in the driveway. I mean seriously?

In the months before Cheyenne's death, Denise and Cheyenne's dear father, decided to pull her out of school, telling the officials they were going to home school her.

Cheyenne's own father, Able Wolf, did nothing to protect his daughter against the woman that he married.  He was a coward and is just as guilty if not more then Denise. On the evening before Cheyenne died, Denise decided that she was going to be pissed at Cheyenne for being a picky eater.  Instead of her dad stepping in and stopping his wife from screaming at his disabled daughter, he decided that he needed to clear his head, get some fresh air. This is when he said he heard a "thud". So once he decided to go back in the house, he said that Cheyenne was on her knees "acting like she had a concussion."

No one took Cheyenne to seek medical treatment, of course not, then their little secret of longtime abuse would be known. Instead, the next day dad went golfing. It was reported by Cheyenne's sibs that Cheyenne, at this point could no longer move except to blink. After they woke from their nap, Denise told them that Cheyenne was at the doctors, then admitting that something happened to Cheyenne, so bad she died.

As if this story couldnt get worst, it does. Most parents would have flipped the hell out if they came home to find their child dead at the hands of his wife. But we have already established Able was not most parents. This is what he did upon finding his daughter dead, he took the lifeless body of his child stuffed her into a sleeping bag and placed her into a plastic tube, he then placed the tube into a storage shed. Once her body started to smell, he then took his daughter and buried her under the porch. The family moved to Montana and Cheyenne's remains went with them. She was put into a detached garage. In 2009 when the family moved to Oregon, she was placed in a chicken coop in the backyard of Denise's father. She was finally discovered in a storage unit in Oregon. They said she was so badly decomposed that the examiner couldnt tell how she died.

No child should have to go through with Cheyenne went through. She was abused and eventually killed because her stepmother didnt want to be responsible for her and her father was too much of a chicken shit to step in and be a dad. How do you allow someone to treat your child like this? Recently Denise went on trial in Oklahoma and was charged with four counts of child abuse, one count of child abuse by neglect and one count of unlawful removal of a dead body. She was sentenced to life. Cheyenne's father, Able can be brought up on the same charges and is scheduled to enter a plea later this month, he is in jail in lieu of a 1.25 billion.

Enough is enough. 

R.I.P Cheynne

Baby Brianna

***WARNING*** THIS STORY AND PHOTOS ARE VERY GRAPHIC. I DON'T ADVISE YOU TO PROCEED IF YOU OFFEND EASILY.

This story is one that has stuck with me since I heard about it. This picture is of baby Brianna. See looks like a beautiful sleeping angel. But the reality is this picture has been retouched. The actual photo was taken after she died. She was covered with bruises.

Baby Brianna's story is a story in which she was failed by everyone. Her mother, her father and her uncle. Along with other family members who knew of the abuse and did nothing to protect her. This is Brianna's story.

It will be 9 years this July 19th since the tragic death of baby Brianna. She suffered so much in just the 5 short months she was here on earth.  She was raped and beaten. She was covered from head to toe in bruises. It was reported that her little fingers were lacerated. Massive bruising around her head. The doctors say she had bleeding on her brain both old and new meaning she was abused her entire life.  She had bite marks on her face, cheeks, arms, head, legs, torso and chest. Broken ribs, broken legs and arms, lacerations to her vagina and anus. Before I go on, let's just stop and think about this. Imagine the pain that this precious baby endured everyday in her 5 months of life.

Baby Brianna died on July 19th, 2002. Emergency services were called about a baby who was unresponsive after a fall out of a highchair. Detective Lindell Wright was one of the first officer at the hospital. Wright says when he say her body he thought "I've got a lot to do." Her mother Stephanie Lopez, her father Andy Walters and her uncle Steven Lopez are the three monsters responsible for the death of Brianna.

These accounts are according to court records. The night before on July 18th, Andy decided he was going to stop and get some beer to drink with Stephanie and Steven. Stephanie went to sleep after a couple beers in the same room, leaving Andy and Steven alone with Brianna. So these two dumb f***ks decided it would be fun to throw her up to the ceiling, the only problem is that they forgot to catch her. They allowed her to slam to the floor hitting her head on the ceiling. They say she was crying after this. At about 7 am Brianna needed a diaper changed so what did "daddy" do? He wrapped a baby wipe aroung his finger and insterted it into her backside. Here is the kicker, Stephanie had noticed the brusies on Brianna and when she asked what happen she was told by Andy and Steven they had played a little too rough with her. REALLY, you think? It wasnt until around 10 am when Stephanie called 911. Baby Brianna died at 11:10 am.

Here is the actual photo, the only photo taken of baby Brianna.
It was said that there were no pictures at all of Brianna in the home. Just thinking about the hell that this baby suffered through makes me physically sick. Knowing that a mother could allow this to take place is beyond me. She got 27 years her daughter got 5 months.

In the years following the tragic death of baby Brianna, the community continues to show her honor. Nobody claimed Brianna's body after she died. So the community came together and claimed her. But now there is a problem, the family wants to keep her death quiet. No doubt ashamed that they could have saved her and did nothing! All the people wanted to do is honor her, acknowledge her. Something her family did not do! Her grave has no headstone. It was once open, so people could come and lay flowers, cards etc. But now...

Tribute To Brianna

Here is the facebook group in honor of baby Brianna.

Kelsey Smith-Brigg

This beautiful little girl is Kelsey Smith-Brigg. Her parents, Raye Dawn Smith and Lance Briggs met in high school. He played football and she was on the Pom's squad, classic high school relationship.

The two were married for two years. It was two years of trouble. They were always battling with each other. There were reports of domestic abuse towards Raye. The marriage was doomed from the start and on July 31st, 2002 the divorce was official. Five months after their divorce, on December 28th, 2002, Raye gave birth to a baby girl who they named Kelsey Smith-Briggs. Eventually both parents remarried.

Kelsey, at just two years old, was described as a "go-getter." She won Miss Personality in a Shawnee baby pageant.  She liked the movies, Brother Bear, Shrek and Monster's Inc., she liked cabbage patch dolls. Kelsey and her mom would dance together and napped together. And she loved to swing. She was a normal two year old little girl.

In January 2005, while in the care of her mom, Kelsey suffered a broken collarbone and bruises. She was then moved to live with her paternal grandmother, Kathie Briggs. It was in January when it was first confirmed by Oklahoma DHS, child abuse against Raye Dawn Smith. Three months later in April, while Kelsey is on regular visits with her mom, she breaks both shines. Also, in April, Kelsey's mom marries Michael Lee Porter. Oklahoma DHS took custody of Kelsey and placed her in the care of her maternal grandmother Gayle Smith. 

Despite all the evidence against Kelsey's "mother", despite the fact that DHS had to take custody of this little angel, Associate District Judge, Craig Key returned custody back to Kelsey's mom. Against the recommendations of Oklahoma DHS. He stated that the abuser was "unknown." 

Just four months later, little Kelsey Smith-Briggs was dead. She died on October 11th, 2005 in the home of her mother and step-father. After two autopsies, it was determined that Kelsey died as a result of blunt forced trauma to the abdomen. Although no one was convicted, her mom was sentenced to 27 years and her step-father was sentenced to 30 years after pleading guilty to enabling child abuse. In my opinion, still not enough time.

All this could have been prevented. Kelsey's life could have been saved if the idiot judge has concurred with OK DHS and NOT placed her with her mother. In my opinions, there are three people responsible for her death, her mother (term used loosely), her step-father and Associate District Judge, Craig Key.


**UPDATE** The appeal to overturn original sentencing for Raye Dawn Smith, has been denied. How do you knowing cause harm to your child and cause the death to your own child and then have the nerve to think you deserve to see another day outside prison walls. If it was up to me all three would never see the light of day.

Here is the link to Kelsey's foundation page:
http://www.kelseybriggsfoundation.org/

This is the link to the foundation facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kelsey-Briggs-Foundation/322348135607?filter=2

There are many, many more community pages on facebook in support of Kelsey. Spreading awareness through her story.

Leland Valdez

This  beautiful little boy is three year old Leland Valdez. He died last week after being abused by his mother and her boyfriend. According to authorities, Leland's mom(term I use loosely), said that he fell off a chair and started having seizures! But that story didn't match up with the injuries these angel baby suffered, which were blunt trauma to the head and bruises to the face, stomach, back and legs. His doctor says he was covered in bruises and abrasions in various stages of healing. This poor baby never regained consciousness.

Here's the kicker, Leland's dad said that this is not the first time his mother had been investigated for child abuse. He said that he filed a report with CYFD in August, but there wasn't enough evidence to file a report. So instead of CYFD interveaning, they allowed both Leland and his four year old sister to return to the home of his mother. One person in particular, the supervisor Gabriella James, she is now on paid leave because of how she handled this case. James was allowed to remain on her job and make decisions about child abuse cases despite the fact that the department had a mountain of child abuse allegations against her. WTF! Intake reports show that she had an eight year old foster child removed from her home after CYFD substantiated abuse. Seriously?

Because of this, Gov. Susana Martinez is making it her business to clean up CYFD, but it comes too little, too late for little Leland Valdez. He, like so many, has become yet another victim of a failed system. Under what conditions should children every be returned to a home where there is suspected abuse. When is it ever OK to NOT investigate a abuse claim? How about NEVER! Another question is, why is Gabriella James, along with another CYFD worker on paid leave? Their jobs should have been terminated. Gabriella James should be charged with accessory to commit a crime against a minor.