Helping Children in Need - Why Wait So Long To Report a Child Being Abused or Missing?
HERE WE ARE AGAIN…
Every day we are hit with the news that another child has gone missing or has died at the hands of the people who are supposed to love and protect them. It is mind boggling to me that so many people choice to close their eyes and ears, and pretend that nothing is happening.
In every story that I read and share about these beautiful little angels, there seems to be a HUGE common denominator - The people closest to these children knew abuse was going on, and many witnessed it as well. Why do they choose to remain silent? Are these children not worth fighting for?
It sickens me to think that so many children are “invisible” to their families, communities and the world. They continue to fly under the radar of a very flawed system that is supposed to protect them.
I will go back to the tragic story of Harmony Montgomery (Massachusetts).
Her abusive father, Adam Montgomery, was granted custody of her and he took her across state lines to New Hampshire, where he abused and eventually killed her. The most disturbing part of this story is that family members witnessed him abusing her but stayed silent. What is even more horrific is that DCF did not track her or check up on her appropriately and she was missing 1 full year before she was ever reported missing. Deplorable and unacceptable!
Then you have the three beautiful little girls Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia in Washington, killed by their own father Travis Decker who later committed suicide. Another story of the many people and the courts who knew he was struggling with his mental health, but still allowing visits, which ended in tragedy.
Family members, co-workers and even his boss stepped up AFTER THE FACT to say that he was struggling with his mental health and was very unstable. Again, NObody spoke up until after the fact.
Now looking at the recent case of Melodee Buzzard 9 years old out of California! They are searching for her right now, as she had been in the care of her mother who was “extremely mentally ill”. Her mother pulled her out of school to home school her, and isolated her from the family. AGAIN… NObody stepped in to help either of them. It took one full year for the school to file a “welfare check” on her. ONE YEAR.
DO YOU SEE THE THEME HERE.
Which brings us to the case of Mimi Torres-Garcia out of Connecticut. She was killed at the hands of her own mother and the boyfriend. She was abused and starved for a long period of time. Now, ONE YEAR later her body was found in a duffle bag in an abandoned home. How is it that she was missing for ONE FULL YEAR, and nobody reported it. Again, people knew she was being abused and remained silent. I will ask WHY a million times over until something changes.
I am so beyond saddened and frustrated that, not more people are not willing to step up for the children, and this needs to change. I will continue to advocate for awareness, but we must all do our part.
First of all know your neighborhoods and community. Take notices to the laws and (lack of) in your states and be a part of the change. We need to be a voice for the children. Most importantly if you see something, say something. If this is happening in your family, do not sit back - STAND UP.
As a CASA ADVOCATE and a Child & Mental Health Advocate, I am doing my part, and I am asking all of you reading this to do your part. Also, share this article, let people know that these children matter.
Below are the stories of these two beautiful little souls, lost but not forgotten.
Let us move forward and break the silence.
Lisa Zarcone
Author - Child & Mental Health Advocate - Public Speaker - Blogger - Social Media Influencer
Massachusetts National Ambassador for Naasca - CASA Advocate
The Unspoken Truth A Memoir - The Book of Joann
Child Safety and Mental Health go hand in hand. When the parent or guardian is struggling, Who helps the child - Daunting Question
A 9-year-old California girl who had not been seen in a year had actually taken a recent 1,500-mile road trip with her “extremely mentally unstable” mother, who is being “uncooperative” with those desperately looking for her missing daughter, according to cops.
Melodee Buzzard was only declared missing last week when a school official reported her “prolonged absence” after the girl, who was homeschooled, had not checked in with the district since October last year, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.
In an update on Monday, police said Melodee was with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, as recently as Oct. 7, mysteriously driving as far as Nebraska in a rental car.
Justice for Mimi
The mother of 11-year-old Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia, whose body was discovered in a storage bin outside an abandoned house, admitted to police that she stopped feeding the child two weeks before her death and restrained her in zip ties as punishment, according to local news outlets citing arrest warrants.
Child starved, restrained with zip ties by mother & boyfriend found ...
The mother of a 11-year-old girl whose body was found in a storage bin outside an abandoned house in New Britain earlier this month told police that she and her boyfriend withheld food from the child for two weeks before her death and restrained her in zip ties as punishment, according to a newly released warrant, and told police that she was about to go on a podcast to share the story of what happened to her daughter.
Karla Garcia and her boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, with whom she shares three other children, have been charged with the murder of Garcia’s 11-year-old daughter, Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia.
Jacqueline Torres-Garcia’s aunt and Karla’s sister, Jackelyn Garcia, has been charged with child cruelty and unlawful restraint.
The arrest warrants remain sealed, but Farmington police obtained search warrants for phones belonging to Karla and Jackelyn Garcia in connection with the case and the warrants have been released.
The body of Jacqueline Torres-Garcia was found in a storage bin outside an abandoned home on Clark Street in New Britain on Oct. 8.
When police announced that they were charging Jacqueline’s mother, Karla Garcia; her aunt, Jackelyn Garcia; and the mother’s boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, they said they believed that Jacqueline Torres-Garcia', died in the fall of 2024.
According to the warrants, Karla Garcia told her sister that the child died on Sept. 19. 2024.
