Saving Africa’s Witch Children

Posted on November 22, 2009 at 6:45 pm by Ciara

Recently showing on UK's Channel4 Dispatches programme was a film entitled:

Saving Africa's Witch Children.

The documentary focuses on the plight of many very young children in the Akwa Ibom State, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

These young children, labeled as witches and wizards by their church leaders, by so-called 'prophets' and 'prophetesses' are subjected to the most horrendous levels of physical abuse, torture, maiming and even death in many cases after being labeled such.

So-called self styled church leaders often kidnap the children, holding them to monetary ransom whilst carrying out the most horrific abuse, all in the name of Christ to cast out the 'demonic forces' within them, in many cases burning the children with acid, kerosene and fire.

To say this film is highly disturbing is a mild understatement.

Do NOT watch this documentary if you get upset easily.

It is 48 minutes long, it starts with 2 advertisements from Channel4, one ad runs for 30 seconds, the next one for 20 seconds, the documentary will then play automatically afterwards.

You can watch it here:

Dispatches – 4oD – Channel 4

Attention is particularly drawn to the work of one British gentleman, Gary Foxcroft (29), who founded the charity with his girlfriend…

Stepping Stones Nigeria - Welcome to the Stepping Stones Nigeria Site | Stepping Stones Nigeria

Their work in Akwa Ibom State is at CRARN - Child Rights and Rehabilitation Centre located in the Niger Delta, a safe refuge for a large number of kids that have been tortured due to these accusations.

The documentary itself is very sad, yet inspiring at the same time. As I said, just be warned that some viewers will find some scenes particularly upsetting.

There is a follow-up to this documentary also showing on Channel4 Dispatches, you can find out more information by visiting this link…

Dispatches Exclusive – Return to Africa's Witch Children:

Search – Channel 4

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Carly Sawyer

Posted on July 13, 2009 at 8:57 am by Ciara

Carly-SawyerCarly Sawyer was a beautiful little 5-year-old girl trapped in the
middle of a bitter custody dispute. For 2 1/2 years, two families
fought over the child…but, in the end, her father, 24-year-old Joshua
Sawyer, was granted custody. Wednesday evening, paramedics were called
to the Sawyer home on a report of an unresponsive child. There was
little that could be done for her…Carly died on Thursday. Now Joshua
and his second wife, 21-year-old Brandy Sawyer, are facing murder
charges in the death of the little girl with the precious smile.

Joshua, Brandy, and Carly Sawyer

Joshua, Brandy, and Carly Sawyer

The M.E. determined the cause of death was blunt-force trauma…with
contributing factors that included starvation, ligature restraint and
medical neglect. Joshua was charged with second-degree murder and
felony child neglect. Brandy was charged with first-degree murder and
felony child neglect. There were two other children living in the
home…it has not been determined if either of them have been abused or
neglected.

There is a weird little twist to this tale–Brandy’s sister, Dana Browning, 19, was arrested in November
on charges of concealing the birth of a child, failure to report a
death and obstruction of justice. Dana is accused of putting her dead
newborn girl in a plastic bag, and tossing it in the trash.

-dreamindemon.com

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Alexis “Lexie” Agyepong-Glover

Posted on March 13, 2009 at 5:55 am by Ciara

<Alexis-Agyeong-Glover
P class=MsoNormal style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt”>Lexie was a 13 year old mentally disabled young lady, who was left to die in a shallow creek on a cold January day by her mother , Alfreedia Leona Gregg-Glover.


Gregg-Glover fabricated a story that Lexie had run away, and filed a police report.  She appealed to the public on television several times for help finding her daughter.  Then, we found out it was her who left Lexie to freeze in the woods,.  It was her that left this young lady to die a slow and painful death.  I can’t imagine the terror this poor child endured.  Even more unimaginable, this was not the first time the Prince William police had received reports of abuse, yet they failed to identify her as a suspect, and allowed her to petition the public for help.


So it seems, long before her mother failed her in the worst possible way, Prince William, VA police department and governmental agencies seem to have done the same.


Lexie was adopted.  She was placed into the home of a mad-woman.  One could say that the mother’s dementia was unforeseeable.  Ok, possible.  Next, there were several reports to police from neighbors and a school bus driver stating unimaginable acts of abuse, the most shocking of these, that Lexie being placed in the trunk of the car before her mother drove away.   These reports were never adequately followed up on. The PW police department is now trying to explain their way out of this, but their excuses will fall on deaf ears.  INEXCUSABLE!!!!


The ineptitude of Prince William county police and social services cost Lexie her life.  Those here to protect the most innocent amongst us failed to act, and even more disturbing, they seemingly failed to care about the fate of a mentally disabled young lady.  They took the words of Lexie’s mother as truth although Lexie herself described beatings she had received in the past.  Onr neighbor found her outside her home in freezing cold with few clothes on.  Lexie told them that her mother hit her in the head with a stick and forced her to earn food and clothing at home.  This was reported to police but Lexie was returned home to her mother the same day.


Interestingly enough, it took a public outcry for Prince William County to take a deeper look at how this case was handled (or should I say, mishandled).  Shame on you, Prince William County!


Rest in peace, Lexie.  God will not fail you as your mother and the others that claim to protect you did.


NOTE: The information posted here is based solely from newspaper reports on Lexie’s death and TV news broadcasts.  Ultimately, the trial of the mother and the review of the actions of the police and social services will reveal more details.  However, due to the obvious neglect in this case, it is reasonable to arrive at certain conclusions.  Perhaps if someone had been a critical thinker when Lexie was alive, her life could have been spared.  Therefore, I stand by the assertions in this story.  If edits are required in the future (which I doubt they will be), the story will be updated accordingly.


 

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Vanyel Anderson Colbeth

Posted on March 9, 2009 at 7:30 pm by Ciara

3 month old Vanyel Anderson grew angel wings on 1/10/2008.

The cause of Vanyel’s death is still not officially known, however, the coroner has ruled out SIDS.  Even more compelling, the coroner found evidence of a “lethal event” shortly before her death.  The coroner found swelling on the brain and fractured ribs.  In a child of this age, such findings are consistent with child abuse.

The mother, Shanara Anderson, pleaded not guilty when her trial started in February 2009.  She claims that she doesn’t know what happened on that fateful day.  She originally asserted that her 2 year old could be to blame in the death, but later conceded this statement.  She went on to say that she wasn’t sure if she laid the baby down “hard or light” on the day she died.  Hmmm, Isn’t the logical answer always light, especially when a 3 month old is involved?

She claims that she found Vanyel in the bassinet, with a jacket draped over the bassinet, and little Vanyel was white and not breathing.  She then called 911 but Vanyel could not be saved.

Witnesses have also come forward saying that Anderson was not a good parent and had caused harm to the girl before, wrapping her so tightly in her blanket that she was clearly gasping for air.

Anderson had just moved from another town with Vanyel and another 2 year old child the day before Vanyel died.  A high school sweetheart proposed to her, and she packed up and moved in with him.   He claims to have seen the child breathing before leaving for work on that morning.

Hopefully the truth will come out at trial, and justice can be served for Angel Vanyel.  When you look at the evidence, it certainly looks like someone is to blame.  Rest in peace, sweet angel.

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Enzo Dingman

Posted on March 9, 2009 at 7:22 pm by Ciara

 Enzo-dingman

On 1/28/2009, Enzo Dingman died of injuries he sustained at the hands of his father, Bryan Dingman.  Little Enzo was only one month old.

The father, Dingman, claimed that Enzo angered him because he vomited on him.  In response to being vomited on, Dingman beat the child mercilessly.  The child went limp.  Authorities arrived but it was too late.  Enzo would not recover from his injuries, and died at the hospital.  The official cause of death was “brain bleed”.

The “father” in this case first stated that the child had fallen onto the floor from the couch and that is where the injury came from.  However, after further questioning he admitted that he threw the child into a bassinet after the boy vomited on him and that he struck the child in the back of his head while he burped him, because little 1 month old Enzo head-butted him.

He is being charged with murder.

It’s amazing that people have children with the expectation that they won’t be vomited on.  You might even get punched in the eye or urinated on random occasions.  This is part of being a parent to a helpless human being, bodily functions and all.  This is the circle of life – someone did it for you, now you do it for your child.  If you’re a reasonably intelligent person and a caring parent, you understand this.   This is just appalling!

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Zoe Garcia

Posted on March 5, 2009 at 3:46 pm by Ciara

Zoe-Garcia Zoe Garcia was 7 years old when she was murdered on 12/6/2007 by her sister and her sister’s boyfriend.  These two idiots were allegedly perpetrating Mortal Kombat moves (ie kicking, bodyslamming, hitting) on the helpless 7 year old. 

The nimrod boyfriend in this case is Lamar Roberts.  After being charged with Zoe’s death, Roberts claimed his hands were registered lethal weapons.  Is this dude for real?  Sickening.

Heather Trujillo is Zoe’s sister, and while in charge of babysitting the youngster while her mother was at work, she and her boyfriend got drunk.  Reportedly, Heather had been abused by Roberts for many years.  This day, Roberts turned his abuse towards Zoe.

In what has been dubbed as the “mortal kombat killing”, Roberts viciously beat Zoe to the extent that the autopsy showed she had a broken wrist, more than 20 bruises, swelling of the brain, and bleeding in her neck muscles and under her spine.  Roberts claimed he couldn’t stop beating her, even after Zoe pleaded for him to stop, because he was drunk.

17 year old Heather Trujillo received an 18 year sentence, with all suspended after successful completion of 6 years in a juvenile detention program.  Thankfully, 19 year old Lamar Roberts got 36 years.  Sayonara, idiot!

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Joanna Mullin

Posted on March 4, 2009 at 7:24 pm by Ciara

Joanna-mullin Joanna Mullin was a girl that could warm any heart – a girl who loved playing, loved her family, and loved life.

Joanna's life was cut horribly short.

This story hits close to home for me. It happened in the next town over from where I live. Maybe a 5 minute drive. I feel sick to my stomach as I type.

On the night of her murder,8/2007, Joanna was staying with her grandmother. Her parents were on a date night.

I bet everyday Joanna's parent's wish that they hadn't gone on a date night. Everyday they probably wish that they could go back and change the past.

This is because on this night, Joanna's cousin, Ryan Bois, broke into their grandmother's house. Ryan broke into the grandmother's house and abducted his little cousin. After abducting Joanna, he raped and murdered her. Joanna Mullin did not have a peaceful death.  He then wrapped her body in a blanket and stashed in the back of the car he had robbed from his grandmother's house.

At this stage Bois had a problem on his hands. He had a body and did not know what to do with it.

Ryan decided to speed around and try and let his thoughts organise.

The police spotted him before he could do that.

When the police started to signal Bois to pull over, he didn't. Instead he started speed away. When the police caught up with him he proceeded to chase them with a knife. He was eventually taken down by a police dog. At this stage the officer's found the body of Joanna Mullin in the car.

I don't feel it necessary to provide the background of the criminal because in my mind they are all crazy. Ryan Bois strikes me as the crazier than usual variety.

He was a heroin addict, he was kicked out of rehab facilities.

On the night of the murder Ryan Bois urged friends who dropped him off at his grandmother’s house early Sunday morning to help him kill himself.

“They were scared. And instead of dealing with it, they left him off and another horrific thing happens,” Bois’ stepfather, Pasquale Tofani.

Tofani, wife of Heather Mullin Tofani, also says:

Bois found out last week that he had contracted hepatitis C, and didn’t want to live any longer.

“He wanted to end his life that night,” Tofani said.

A month ago, he was released from a group rehabilitation home in Brockton for having a relationship with a female patient, Tofani said.

Bois had trouble controlling his anger from a young age, which made it difficult to keep him in school, Tofani said. Around age 14, his mother placed him in a group home for boys, and he went from home to home for years.

“He never really lived anywhere with the exception of these homes,” said Tofani, of Framingham.

Bois’ mother and grandmother had each taken him into their home in recent years. Tofani said he lived for a short time with his aunt, Heather Mullin, in Weymouth, but was gone around the time she had her first child, Joanna, six years ago.

How does Bois repay her???? Yup that's right….He murders her daughter.

The trial has just started for this devil incarnate..

I hope he rots in hell

Posted in child abuse death, cinderella effect, neglect | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Kaviahn Van Buren

Posted on March 4, 2009 at 10:22 am by Ciara

Kaviahn-Van-Buren Kaviahn Van Buren

 

It was one week before Christmas, on 12/18/2007, when 28 month old little Kaviahn Van Buren was brutally beaten and killed at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend, Fabien Hunt.  Authorities arrived and found the little boy in medical distress.  Though they tried for 2 hours, he could not be resuscitated.

 

Fabien Hunt was babysitting for Kaviahn at a group home, where he lived with Kaviahn and his mother.  Kaviahn’s mother went to work.  In that time, Fabien beat poor little Kaviahn to death.  It’s unknown why the others at the group home waited so long to call authorities.  Clearly this beating took place over time and someone could and should have intervened sooner.  By the time they arrive it was too late.

 

Such a tragedy.  Fabien Hunt beat a little boy to a pulp, when his own father seems he would have very willingly loved and cared for him the way a 2 year old is supposed to be cared for.

 

Mothers, be careful who you let around your kids.  They are precious gifts, blessings to be cherished.  The way the each of us lives our day to day life should reflect the love and respect we have for our children.  Remember we brought them here, and must be very selective with those we let around them.

 

There was no additional information I could find regarding the disposition of Fabien Hunt.  Let’s just hope he spends a long time in prison, where people have as much respect for his life as he did for poor Kaviahn.

 

There has been additional evidence sent to me proving that Kaviahn's Biological father also had a history of domestic violence.

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Shane Coffman

Posted on March 3, 2009 at 6:28 am by Ciara

Shane-coffman
 Little Axe, OK — Feb. 14, 1996 — Shane Alan Coffman’s bones were found in a freezer behind a mobile home where he and his family used to live by the owner of the mobile home who was cleaning up the area. He was unable to move the freezer, so broke the lock and it was filled with dirt. 

As he started removing the dirt he discovered Shane’s partially decomposed body. Officials estimated he had been in the freezer for approximately six months following his death.

Charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, a misdemeanor charge of concealing a death, conspiracy to unlawfully remove a dead body and unlawful removal of a dead body was Shane’s mother, Bertha Jean Coffman, 39, and her boyfriend, Donald Lee Gilson, 34, who Shane and his family had been living with.

Two of the five remaining children of Coffman had to be hospitalized because of malnourishment. The county district attorney said “there was severe malnourishment, open sores and one of the brother’s feet was deformed from lack of nourishment.” 

The kids told stories about going for days without food as punishment. One told about stealing dog food and putting it in their pocket for food.” Shane’s oldest brother had run away from the home and was living with his grandmother because he was tired of the abuse.

The medical examiner who performed an autopsy on Shane’s remains reported that there were numerous broken bones from head to foot, leading him to attribute the death to child battering/maltreatment. However, the extreme decomposition of the body precluded any “definitive diagnosis as to the cause of death,” he reported.

According to the examiner’s report, Shane’s remains were wrapped in a multicolored blanket under dirt that filled about one-third of the freezer. The boy was not clothed, but a pair of black athletic shoes were found outside the blanket, the report says. 

The broken bones were not obvious upon external examination, but were determined through microscopic evaluation that followed extensive cleaning and drying of the remains, he reported. 

A facial bone, a jaw bone, a collarbone, three ribs, six vertebrae, a shoulder blade and a leg were among the fractures identified. 

Bertha Jean Coffman will spend life in prison.
Gilson was sentenced to death. He will more than likely be executed this year.

Posted in CPS, Child Abuse, child abuse death, cinderella effect, starvation | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Alexander Rustin

Posted on February 26, 2009 at 7:20 pm by Ciara

Alexander Rustin was 4 years old when he died last year.

His uncle Chance Eric Wright, 19, pled guilty to his murder in the second degree.

4-10-2008 Chance was babysitting Alexander while his mother was out of town and his step father was at work.

While babysitting Alexander, Chance decided to practice a few wrestling moves.

These moves included strangleholds, scoop slams and "The Tombstone". Chance also admits to punching Alexander in the stomach and throwing a ball at him.

On 4-11-2008  Alexander's stepfather noticed that Alexander was having problems breathing. He rushed Alex to the hospital.

4-15-2008 Alexander was dead. Alexander's death was a direct result of the injuries he received while "wrestling". These injuries include: severe head injury and subdural hemotomas, contusions of ages on his face, bruises on his body, arms and legs…

The case only goes to show how fragile children are.

RIP Alexander Rustin

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