Florida Child Injury Lawyer Blog

In Volusia County, Florida, law enforcement officials were able to locate a missing 1 year old girl - Lupita Gonzalez. The vulnerable little girl was located under a bush in a field according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. She appeared to be fine but was sent to the hospital to get a medical examination due the fact that she was out in the elements for hours. Lupita's mother and a man were arrested by law enforcement officials. The man faced charges of child abuse and kidnapping. Both the mother and the man will be entitled to representation by a Florida criminal defense attorney or the services of the Public Defender's Office. Fortunately, the child was found in time in which no serious personal injuries resulted from the incident.

When supervising a young child, it is vital that supervision is consistent. It is well known that alcohol and drugs impair the senses. As such, all caregivers in charge of a child should avoid being under the impairment of drugs and alcohol. Furthermore, parties that involve loud music, alcohol, and crowds are not ideal placed for children.

See 1 Year Old Child Found in Volusia County, Florida.

In Florida, the Daytona Beach News Journal reported that a 1 year old girl named Lupiea Gonzalez was reported missing from a Seville party. She was last seen on Friday - November 25, 2011 according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Any time that a small child is missing - there are significant risks to the safety and welfare of the child. Hopefully, the efforts of law enforcement, fire rescue, friends, family, and the community will locate this child and bring her safely home. See Toddler Missing from Seville Party - Florida.

Unfortunately, children of all ages go missing from communities like Volusia County far too often. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of this child, contact the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at (386) 736-5999 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-8477.

Last week a man tried to snatch a child at a Volusia County daycare center. The perpetrator was Gustavo Dominguez, 26, of Deltona. He was charged with kidnapping and was booked into the Volusia Country Branch Jail on $10,000 bail.

According to Dennis Mulder, a former mayor and the daycare center’s director, Dominguez jumped the daycare’s fence and approached the nearest child. He said the suspect picked up a 5-year-old girl and started talking nonsensically. According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Dominguez repeatedly said “I’m the one,” and talked about how he wanted to take the girl to paradise. A female employee quickly snatched the child and yelled for help, and Dominguez fled.

It was reported that deputies had the man in custody within 10 minutes of the call. The Sheriff’s Office said that the five-year-old girl was not harmed and said did not know Dominguez. According to jail records, Dominguez had been arrested seven times since 2001. He also was Baker Acted on at least three occasions.

Child abduction is a parent’s worst nightmare and the scary reality is that it can happen anywhere, including a Florida day care center. Jacksonville parents/ all parents should inspect prospective day care centers to make sure it is properly secured to keep out strangers before trusting a day care center with their child’s safety. For more information on this topic, see man who jumped day-care fence, tried to grab child caught, deputies say.

Child abduction prevention starts with knowing the statistics on child abduction. The United States Justice Department revealed some unsettling facts: an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing every year in the United States. That amounts to roughly 2,200 each day. Fortunately, the vast majority of children are located quickly.

May 25, 2011 was National Missing Children’s Day. The day serves to remember the children that are still missing, and in their honor, stress the importance of making child protection a national priority. Law enforcement officers from across Central Florida gathered in downtown Orlando on Wednesday to promote the campaign called “Take 25.” The campaign encourages parents to spend 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety from abductions. Listed below, are a few of the 25 safety tips that officials distributed to parents at the event. To view the complete list, see Law enforcement leaders gather to promote child safety campaign.

* Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number.

* Make sure your children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone.

* Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone.

* Encourage your children to tell you if anything they encounter online makes them feel sad, scared, or confused.

* Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school.

* Caution children never to accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.

Nothing is more important to parents than the safety and welfare of their children. When a child disappears, it is critical for parents to know what resources are available to them for help. Law enforcement officers, agencies that specialize in missing children abductions, family members, and neighbors are just a few people that will do anything to help a parent find a missing child. When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide, provided by the United States Department of Justice is also a resource that provides firsthand knowledge and advice about what to do in the unfortunate event that your child goes missing.

Leashing children in order to keep them from wandering away has sparked quite a debate among parents and the public in general. Take for instance a 28-year-old Jacksonville mother who is adamant about leashing her 2 1/2-year-old son who has a habit of wandering off in public places. She claims her decision is influenced by several kidnappings that happen a year as well as a recent Central Florida disappearance of an 11-year-old girl with Asperger's syndrome. The girl spent four days in a Florida swamp after disappearing from her home.

This mother says she has received rude messages from other parents, however, she feels those consequences (rude comments and glares) are worth the price or effort of being cautious and safe. Also, this mother does not feel she is treating her child like an animal - a common argument from protesters of the practice.

Many child safety devices are available on the market: GPS devices, leashes, safety stickers, buttons and temporary tattoos embedded with general contact information worn on the child's body. However, these devices should not be used as a supplement for supervision whether it be parental, teacher, or daycare supervision. Children should be taught and constantly reminded of basic safety measures when talking to or approached by strangers, walking to and from school, or wandering away.

You can read more child safety tips at Child Leashes: A Good Child Safety Tool or Degrading Parental Practice?

A sigh of relief is in the air for a Winter Springs family and community. Nadia Bloom, who was missing for a few days, was found alive in an Alligator infested swampy area. James King, a fellow church member with Nadia's family, was the searcher who located Nadia. Other searchers located Mr. King and Nadia through the use of cell phone signals. A combination of hard work, technology, and some prayers resulted in the safe return of this 11 year old girl to her family. You can read more about this story at 11 Year Old Winter Springs Girl Found Alive.

In Winter Springs, Florida, a family, neighborhood, community, and law enforcement are searching for a missing 11 year old girl - Nadia Morgan Bloom. The search has even included the use of a helicopter and all terrain vehicles to search through thousands of acres in and near the Barrington Estates neighborhood. A dive team has also been called into service to participate in this search. The hope of all involved is to find this young girl safe but the stress and worry continue to heighten as each day passes. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Nadia Morgan Bloom, contact the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tip Line at 1-866-282-0672.

After Somer Thompson was kidnapped and murdered last October, her memorial was held in the First Baptist Church of Orange Park, Florida. That same church was recently the site of a training seminar aimed at teaching parents how to keep their children safe from predators. Ken Wooden, a child protection expert, provided the 300 parents who attended with a list of “lures” that predators use to attract their victims. According to Wooden, if you teach your kids the lures, they will be better able to resist them.

Wooden, who runs the organization Child Lures and Teen Lures Prevention, told the audience that the most common lures play on a child’s need for attention, their desire to be helpful or to obey those with real or perceived authority. Wooden says that the lures are so powerful they can even be used on older “children” on college campuses or military bases.

Wooden’s program is so successful that it is even used by the United States Secret Service, United States - State Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations - FBI. Florida law enforcement officers in attendance at the Orange Park event said that they could remember many cases where the lures Wooden discussed were used to abduct a child.

Members of Somer's family attended the program, and said that they hoped the information would help other families. Read more about the program and the common lures at Child protection begins with recognizing the lures.

If your child has been injured, please contact our law firm for child injury legal counsel.

Nineteen year old Jasmine White apparently followed Augustin Duclos and his three week old son, Melvin, home from Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. At the hospital, she presented the man with false credentials and papers saying that she worked for the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). She informed Duclos that his son was being taken into DCF custody because of suspected child abuse, and that an investigation of the family was underway.

When Duclos contacted authorities several hours later, he found out that there was no such investigation and that his child had been kidnapped. An Amber Alert was issued and the police got started trying to track down the missing child.

According the Jacksonville, Florida Sheriff’s office, they were able to get one fingerprint off of the forged paperwork, and identified Jasmine White from a juvenile arrest for auto theft. Melvin was found with Ms. White ate her mother’s home shortly thereafter. He was unharmed. Ms. White was arrested on several charges including kidnapping, fraudulent use of identification and interference with child custody.Sheriff John Rutherford said that the FBI, the US Marshall’s office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were instrumental in helping his office find and arrest Ms. White.

Florida Parents should be aware that typically no government official will appear at their door and demand custody of their child for any reason. Any such person should be reported to authorities immediately. Read more about the Duclos family’s ordeal at Abducted Baby Home 'A Miracle From God'.

If you are involved in a child custody matter, please contact our firm for child injury legal counsel.

Laura Caballero called herself Sister Mary and passed herself off as a nun. While Ms. Caballero is reportedly the director of St. Filumena Church in Eustis, Florida, The Catholic Diocese of Orlando has said that Ms. Caballero is not a Catholic Sister and St. Filumena is not a church of the Diocese of Orlando.

According to Lake County, Florida Sheriff’s detectives, Ms. Caballero used false pretenses to take two year old Maria Lopez Vasquez away from her parents and then refused to return her. According to the child’s parents, who lived in South Carolina, they lost their second child in childbirth and “Sister Mary” offered to take care of Maria while they grieved and prepared funeral arrangements.

Ms. Caballero was supposed to take the child to a relative’s home, but instead she returned to Florida with the girl. She later offered to give the couple $2,000 to keep the child permanently, and when they refused she threatened to turn them in to United States immigration. Ms. Caballero then travelled to Argentina with the child. When she returned to Miami, she was arrested but the child was not with her.

Federal agents were eventually able to find Maria and return her to her family. Ms. Caballero has been charged with false imprisonment, and more charges may be forthcoming. Police are still unsure of her motive, but are not ruling out child trafficking.

Read more about Sister Mary at "Nun" may have had other child victims.

The “A Child is Missing” alert system, based in Florida, can be used by authorities to help find missing children quickly. Once police activate the system, hundreds or even thousands of residents in the nearby area will receive automated phone calls asking them to help find the child.

When Lindsey Young of Manchester, New Hampshire left her home on a Sunday evening and was not heard from again, police launched an extensive search for the girl. They visited her friends’ homes and other locations the girl frequented. When police were unable to find Lindsey, they activated the “A Child is Missing” system, which sent recorded messages by telephone to hundreds of residents living in the vicinity of her home. The recorded message provided information about Lindsey and her appearance, in the hope that someone might have seen or talked to her.

While it appears that Lindsey ran away from home, police are still worried for her safety due to the harsh winter weather and the length of time she has been missing. Anyone with information about Lindsey should call the Manchester police immediately at 603-668-8711.

Find out more about this story at Manchester police use alerts system for help finding missing girl.

If your child has been injured, please contact our Jacksonville, Florida area law firm for child injury legal counsel.

A Port St. John, Florida woman called the Brevard County, Florida Sheriff’s Office before noon on a recent Saturday morning, after finding an eighteen month old child in a diaper at her front door. According to Deputy Andre Walters, the woman was familiar with the child’s family, and directed police to the home of Sarah R. Petty, where they found a three year old at home alone.

Witnesses said that they had last seen Ms. Petty leaving her home at 8:00 p.m. the previous evening. After a few hours of searching, deputies located Ms. Petty at a friend’s home a few blocks away. According to officers, Ms. Petty was drunk when they found her.

Ms. Petty has been charged with child neglect and has been taken to the Brevard County jail. The two children are now with their father, who was out of town at the time of the incident, and the Florida Department of Children and Families has been notified about the situation. The Sheriff’s investigation into the matter is still ongoing.

Children need to be closely supervised at all times. Leaving two young children alone to go out drinking is a crime, and Ms. Petty will have her day in court to answer to these serious charges. Find out more details of this story at Tots found unattended; mother charged, jailed.

If your child has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, a Florida Child Injury Lawyer can provide guidance, counsel, and when supported by both the law and the facts representation to pursue damages for medical bills (past and future) and related pain and suffering.

Tempe, Arizona resident Elizabeth Johnson was extradited from Florida over the holidays after she failed to appear for a child custody hearing in Phoenix, Arizona. Her child, Gabriel Johnson was not with her at the time, and the child’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Elizabeth reportedly had tried to give the baby up for adoption in the past, turning her son over to a Scottsdale, Arizona couple she met in an airport several months previously. She later took the child back, and recently sent text messages to the child’s father, Logan McQueary, saying that she had killed the child. She now claims that she handed him over to a couple she met in a park in San Anonio, Texas. According to Ms. Johnson’s Grandfather, Bob Johnson, she was desperate to get the child adopted and may have tried to find a willing couple on Craigslist or some other online service. Police still do not know if the child is dead or alive, or if the child is in Texas, Florida or Arizona. Ms. Johnson has been charged with kidnapping, child abuse, and custodial interference. She is refusing to cooperate with authorities.

Find out more about this story at Missing Baby "Persons of Interest" Speak.

Three children, one as young as two years old, escaped undetected from a Grace Community Schools daycare center in Cape Coral Florida. The children crossed a busy street where they were gathered up by concerned onlookers. Moments later a few of the school’s employees came outside to look for the kids. One of the onlookers, Nicholas Nuzzi, called the Cape Coral police department to report the incident. He also made a report to the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The Florida Department of Children and Families has confirmed that it is investigating the complaint, and that this particular incident is one of several charges of abuse and neglect made against Grace Community Schools’ schools and daycare center operators. Because the schools are run under a religious exemption, they are not licensed or inspected by the state. Read more about this daycare at Toddlers escape from Cape Coral daycare.

In Florida, a day care center can operate under a religious exempt status if the day care center is part of a bona fide religious institution. But even religious exempt day care centers have employment screening and background checks as well as other requirements. Parents should the take the time and effort to collect information and speak to the day care owners, day care workers, other parents, and the State regulatory agency about the day care center where they will be leaving their child, whether the daycare is state licensed or not.

If your child has been subject to abuse or neglect while in daycare or elsewhere, please contact our firm for expert advice from experienced child injury lawyers.

The disappearance of two year old Caylee Marie Anthony has been the subject of many headlines since the girl went missing from her home last June. Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, has been charged with killing her own child, but Caylee’s grandparents have insisted that the girl was kidnapped by a babysitter. Recently, a plastic bag containing a child’s bones was discovered by an Orange County, Florida utility worker only a few blocks from Caylee’s home, which she shared with her mother and grandparents.

While the identity of the victim has not been confirmed, the bones are strongly believed to be Caylee’s due to their proximity to her home and the fact that no other young children are believed to be missing in Orange County Florida. The bones were not found earlier because the area where they were found was flooded by record summer rains at the time when the massive search for Caylee was underway. DNA tests will confirm whether the bones are Caylee’s in a few days.

Casey Anthony is being held at the Orange County Jail on first degree murder charges and is not eligible for bail. Her trial is set for March. To read more about the discovery and the background of the case, visit Is It Caylee?

Stephen Hilla of El Dorado, New Mexico, picked up his three kids from his ex-wife for a visit last week and never returned. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s department issued a warrant for his arrest soon after. Hilla was picked up several days later in a Florida state park on Key West. He was found after a concerned passer-by called police to report that he had left two dogs unattended in his truck. The ranger was able to identify Mr. Hilla as a fugitive by using the NCIC database. Hilla was arrested and the children were placed in custody. Joanna Hilla, the children’s mother says she has been in agony not knowing where her children were for several days. Hilla will be taken back to New Mexico and will reportedly be charged with child abduction and child endangerment.

While it is natural for parents to miss spending time with their children after they lose custody of them, breaking the law to do so is never the right answer. It is important for parents in Florida and other States to follow the orders of Judges and to go through the legal system to make any changes regarding support, custody and visitation. For more information, see Abducted kids, father found in Florida.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesman Mike Morrison has announced that the agency has cancelled an Amber Alert put out for a kidnapped girl. Apparently, two young boys decided to play a prank, calling police to report that they had seen a seven-year-old girl snatched right off the street and driven away in a white van.

In response to the false report, authorities put out the Amber Alert, asking citizens to be on the lookout for a white van with two males in the front seat, and a young girl wearing a blue skirt and a pink or purple shirt. Police also expended resources on a massive land and air search for the vehicle and the girl, including going to the homes of 105 registered sex offenders living in the area. Now that the hoax has been uncovered, police have called off the Amber Alert, but have not said if the boys will be charged with a crime for the false report.

An Amber Alert is a system for activating an urgent bulletin across news outlets and highway signs in the case of a child abduction. Since its inception in 2001, the program has helped save 492 children. Incidents like the false report made by these two young boys can threaten the efficacy of the alert program. Hopefully the public will continue to take these alerts seriously and do what they can to aid investigators find missing children. Find out more about the false report of a missing Florida girl at Amber Alert for Missing Florida Girl Based on False Report.

In Florida, child identification kits are being distributed to every kindergarten student as part of the program put in place by the American Football Coaches Association. When a child is abducted or missing, a child identification kit may prove to be very helpful for investigators looking for clues in the search for the missing child. The kits will be distributed to every kindergarten student in public and private school in Florida according to a news story posted at the Tallahassee Democrat Website. Child identification kits make sense because they are either free or inexpensive and require just a few minutes to complete.

In Florida and other States, children continue to be kidnapped and abducted every year. Because of their size, immaturity and at times poor judgment, children are often times easy victims for those intent on abducting and harming children. Gary Belson is a security expert and a teacher who uses his knowledge and experience to teach children about kidnapping and safety. The case of Carlie Brucia is a teaching tool that Belson uses in the classroom to help teach the children about safety. Carlie Brucia was abducted at a car wash. A surveillance video captured the abduction. In the video, a man is showed holding Carlie's arm and leading her away. Belson instructs children on how Carlie may have been able to fight back and get out of this dangerous and ultimate deadly situation. Of course, the best safety measure is to stay out of dangerous situations and to have parental or adult supervision at all times possible. You can read more about this story at Jacksonville, Florida Elementary Students Get Lessons and Instructions Regarding Child Safety.

In Altamonte Springs, Florida, a mother (Brittany Higgs) reported to police that her 3 year old child was kidnapped by a man (Vincent Marchese). Mr. Marchese denies that he kidnapped the child; however, according to a news story reported by the UPI (United Press International), Mr. Marchese fled from the police after being spotted by the police. He crashed his vehicle into a police cruiser, abandoned the child, fled on foot, and then attempted to hide from police.

Mr. Marchese later hid overnight in some bushes in a park in Seminole County, Florida. He was found by a police dog the next morning and arrested. Marchese is an ex-con with felony drug possession and attempted robbery convictions.

Marchese claims that Ms. Higgs never called him to check on her son, or to ask Marchese to return him, saying that he would have brought the boy back if he knew Ms. Higgs was looking for him. He was initially charged with kidnapping, but Altamonte, Florida police have dropped those charges and are now charging him with child neglect along with other charges related to the police chase.

It appears that the police believe Marchese’s story about not kidnapping the child; if he had not run from the police he would still be a free man.

Parents should be extremely careful about their selection of babysitters and caregivers for their children. Whether a child is put in danger by a police chase, an unsupervised bath, hot boiling water in the kitchen, or other situations, it is vital that children are watched by responsible babysitters who focus on the best interest of the child.

Read more about Vincent Marchese’s run from the law at Fla. man abandons toddler, flees on foot.