Family Fights for Justice for Abused Toddler
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: December 7, 2012
Logan County authorities are investigating a case of a 19 month old
Booneville girl they believe was beaten multiple times before she got
help.
According to Booneville Police, Brookelynn's mother and stepfather took her to the hospital in Booneville in September saying she had trouble breathing. An arrest affidavit doctors found she had broken bones and other injuries. Now relatives are wondering how the abuse could have gone unnoticed for so long.
Playing with her three children at home in North Little Rock, it's hard for Maranda Davis to see how anyone could hurt a child especially their own.
"A parent is there to protect a child and to hold a child,to love a child," says Davis.
When she got a call her cousin Brookelynn had been flown to the hospital with breathing problems she went to visit and was stunned.
"What did you guys do to her? 'We didn't do anything,'" Davis says of her conversation with Brookelynn's mom and stepfather.
Brookelynn's stepdad, Thomas Smith says he checked on her while napping and found her limp.
In the arrest affidavit, police report doctors found broken bones a head injury signs of repeated abuse.
"Brookelynn is blind. She can't hear, she has a trachea, a feeding tube," says Davis.
She says after learning about Brookelynn's condition, she started reaching out for prayers on Facebook.
"It breaks my heart for a baby that was perfect. She was perfect," said Davis. "She's not going to do cartwheels, she's not going to do hopscotch. She's not going to have the normal life every little girl should."
Now she's hoping to share her story to help other families notice signs before it's too late.
"This stuff happens every day, right under our noses," she warned.
Brookelynn is reportedly still recovering from her injuries. Davis says doctors said she wouldn't survive 48 hours after being hospitalized, that was nearly three months ago.
Thomas Smith, the child's stepfather, is facing battery charges.
The Children's Defense Fund reported in 2011, a child was neglected or abused every 50 minutes in Arkansas. A 2012 DHS report shows child abuse cases are on the rise in Arkansas. For helpful information you can call the state child abuse hotline at 1-800-482-5964.
According to Booneville Police, Brookelynn's mother and stepfather took her to the hospital in Booneville in September saying she had trouble breathing. An arrest affidavit doctors found she had broken bones and other injuries. Now relatives are wondering how the abuse could have gone unnoticed for so long.
Playing with her three children at home in North Little Rock, it's hard for Maranda Davis to see how anyone could hurt a child especially their own.
"A parent is there to protect a child and to hold a child,to love a child," says Davis.
When she got a call her cousin Brookelynn had been flown to the hospital with breathing problems she went to visit and was stunned.
"What did you guys do to her? 'We didn't do anything,'" Davis says of her conversation with Brookelynn's mom and stepfather.
Brookelynn's stepdad, Thomas Smith says he checked on her while napping and found her limp.
In the arrest affidavit, police report doctors found broken bones a head injury signs of repeated abuse.
"Brookelynn is blind. She can't hear, she has a trachea, a feeding tube," says Davis.
She says after learning about Brookelynn's condition, she started reaching out for prayers on Facebook.
"It breaks my heart for a baby that was perfect. She was perfect," said Davis. "She's not going to do cartwheels, she's not going to do hopscotch. She's not going to have the normal life every little girl should."
Now she's hoping to share her story to help other families notice signs before it's too late.
"This stuff happens every day, right under our noses," she warned.
Brookelynn is reportedly still recovering from her injuries. Davis says doctors said she wouldn't survive 48 hours after being hospitalized, that was nearly three months ago.
Thomas Smith, the child's stepfather, is facing battery charges.
The Children's Defense Fund reported in 2011, a child was neglected or abused every 50 minutes in Arkansas. A 2012 DHS report shows child abuse cases are on the rise in Arkansas. For helpful information you can call the state child abuse hotline at 1-800-482-5964.
