Post Moved to Top.
Readers that have been around for a while, or who have spent any time reading through old posts know that above all others, there is one case that is very very dear to my heart. I'm very passionate about it, and very supportive of the family involved.
If you look over at the right, you'll see a handful of links to sites dedicated to children. Not just any children, but special children that were taken before their time, and suffered greatly by those that committed crimes against them. One of those children happens to be Kelsey Briggs.
I didn't know Kelsey. Never even knew she existed. And, had things gone the way they were suppose to, I probably still wouldn't know about the little blond girl from Oklahoma. But, things didn't go the way they should have... and so I was left reading her story and writing about it.
Kelsey Smith Briggs was the daughter of Lance Briggs, and Raye Dawn Smith. They had had a rocky relationship, which ended in them going different ways. Raye Dawn would get custody of little Kelsey, and Lance would end up stationed half a world away in Iraq during the height of the war.
In her short lifetime, Kelsey had broken bones and bruises from head to toe. The DHS report states that Kelsey had a broken collarbone and faded bruises on her thighs and bottom- likely from a hairbrush or similar object. In October of 2005, the abuse Kelsey suffered was more than her 2 year old body could handle, and she died. Lance was on his way home from Iraq when he got the news. Raye Dawn, and her then husband Mike Porter were later charged in her death.
Now, in fairness, there is more to this story than that. There is a year of DHS reports, court hearings and heartfelt pleads by Kelsey's grandparents- all in an attempt to save her life. I have 41 posts on it. This is 42. I tell Kelsey's story because it's one that I believe everyone should hear. It's filled with all the wrong things... child protective service worker who failed to do their job. A mother than either helped beat her child to death... or sat by as it happened, a court system that should be ducking it's head in embarrassment... and a family that was so hurt by the outcome- they fought to have the laws changed.
And, now it has a Judge who refused to protect a child, writing a book defending his reasons for sending Kelsey back into the home where she was abused... which would turn out to cost her her life.
Past posts on Kelsey can be found here.
Update: Now, you can view the website dedicated to the book, by Judge Key.
Readers that have been around for a while, or who have spent any time reading through old posts know that above all others, there is one case that is very very dear to my heart. I'm very passionate about it, and very supportive of the family involved.
If you look over at the right, you'll see a handful of links to sites dedicated to children. Not just any children, but special children that were taken before their time, and suffered greatly by those that committed crimes against them. One of those children happens to be Kelsey Briggs.
I didn't know Kelsey. Never even knew she existed. And, had things gone the way they were suppose to, I probably still wouldn't know about the little blond girl from Oklahoma. But, things didn't go the way they should have... and so I was left reading her story and writing about it.
Kelsey Smith Briggs was the daughter of Lance Briggs, and Raye Dawn Smith. They had had a rocky relationship, which ended in them going different ways. Raye Dawn would get custody of little Kelsey, and Lance would end up stationed half a world away in Iraq during the height of the war.
In her short lifetime, Kelsey had broken bones and bruises from head to toe. The DHS report states that Kelsey had a broken collarbone and faded bruises on her thighs and bottom- likely from a hairbrush or similar object. In October of 2005, the abuse Kelsey suffered was more than her 2 year old body could handle, and she died. Lance was on his way home from Iraq when he got the news. Raye Dawn, and her then husband Mike Porter were later charged in her death.
Now, in fairness, there is more to this story than that. There is a year of DHS reports, court hearings and heartfelt pleads by Kelsey's grandparents- all in an attempt to save her life. I have 41 posts on it. This is 42. I tell Kelsey's story because it's one that I believe everyone should hear. It's filled with all the wrong things... child protective service worker who failed to do their job. A mother than either helped beat her child to death... or sat by as it happened, a court system that should be ducking it's head in embarrassment... and a family that was so hurt by the outcome- they fought to have the laws changed.
And, now it has a Judge who refused to protect a child, writing a book defending his reasons for sending Kelsey back into the home where she was abused... which would turn out to cost her her life.
Past posts on Kelsey can be found here.
Update: Now, you can view the website dedicated to the book, by Judge Key.