In Nebraska, Mona Walker, 25 years-old was convicted of child abuse charges and sent to prison for 18 – 20 years. She will be eligible for parole in 9 years for good behavior. In March, Mona Walker was babysitting three-month-old Lauren Wentz when the infant sustained head injuries consistent with child abuse. News stories report that after the baby was hospitalized, Ms. Walker admitted to investigators that she punched the baby and swung her against a door. Lauren suffered severe head trauma and skull fractures.
According to the CDC, 1,490 children died from abuse and neglect in the Unites States for the year 2004. This number decreased in 2005 to 1,460 deaths. Greater than 75% of these deaths occurred in children under four years of age. A total of 872,000 children were reportedly abused in that same time frame. In 2005, child protective services investigated 3.6 million cases of reported child abuse complaints, which resulted in discovery of 899,000 cases of child abuse.
