GUILTY IN - Owen Collins, 3, Bluffton, 17 Jan 2015

[kimi_SFC]

I feel somewhat qualified to comment on this subject-my youngest child (now a young adult)was diagnosed with autism at age 3, after pediatrician referred us to a specialist. I will never forget that day as long as I live-the day he was diagnosed with autism was the day our lives changed forever.
To me, it is among the cruelest of the disabilities- up until age 2 1/2, everything was normal-hitting all the usual milestones, my spouse and the child's older siblings had all the usual hopes and dreams for him. All that suddenly comes to an end, when your seemingly normal child loses language, developes strange behaviors etc.
Years of treatment have maximized his potential for as normal a life as possible within his abilities. I am sorry -I can't type any more-keyboard tears.

This thread must hurt your soul more than others. I commend you for posting despite what it does to your heart, because you choose to make a positive difference anyway. That's amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my completely shattered :websleuther: :heart:

:grouphug:

Although we may never know the absolute truth of Owen's autism diagnosis, I hope and pray for the future of his sibling. May this case be an eye opener across our nation and around the world as to the effects of drug use and exposure in utero and during all stages of development to our children. Whether it be directly or not, it can and does affect them!

Reading the eloquent posts here should make everyone take notice. From parents to family members, caregivers to healthcare professionals, teachers and anyone who is a mandated reporter - we are all part of the village that surrounds these precious lives - the lights that are the future!

The tide of research methods needs to change - from the focus of study to meta-analysis. We've been looking at things with rose colored glasses, never imagining such evil existed. Now we know, so we must address it. Point blank period. We've passed the point of reactionary. Owen, bless his soul, is already an angel :rose: The time for action is already upon us.

I am already drafting a letter to the NIH with a copy of this story attached, and asking that they begin studies in this area. I encourage you to do the same.

Talk to the people who matter in your area. Meth and other drug use is rampant everywhere. Be the change. We owe this to Owen and we owe it to ourselves.

I refuse to sit back and continue to watch this happen. I know I'm not able to stop it from happening. I hate that I can't do more. However, we have to start somewhere.

Every child matters. Every single precious one!

:twocents:




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[georgiasblu]

I dunno. I wouldn't be too awfully surprised if they were still using bottles. From what I've seen on FB, I don't think any of those people stopped taking selfies at the bathroom mirror long enough to actually teach the children to drink from cups.

I'm only being a tiny bit sarcastic.

This is also about children having children. I know there are teen mothers out there who do ok but these threads are full of girls who had babies waay to soon who were not in any way emotionally prepared to be mothers. More likely than not, they tend to be uneducated and poor. They lose an entire developmental phase if their lives they never get back. Our schools are full of these kids and who haven't been nurtured, who grow up in homes where drug and alcohol use is the norm. It's disgusting.

 

[RaeL]

I just want to clarify something. Is it fact that Breanna and Ty only broke up 5 months ago? If so we can assume Barnes was only a recent boyfriend. I saw Breanna's friend on TV saying she knew her through pregnancy/being a mum (and a good one at that if this lady's to be believed), she said she's suddenly stopped seeing Breanna in the last few months.
Having also seen Ty on TV it seems they're all off their heads on something, but I assume things have taken a dramatic and sinister turn with the arrival of this new boyfriend. She's lost control completely...

I've been following this case on here and have no words to describe the horror I feel at what was going on in this child's life. My heart breaks for Owen and his brother. Will continue to be concerned for the brother's well-being. .

 

[kdgdid]

I also saw the comments about the baby girl. I also wonder if this is what split the bio parents up.

 

[chaotic_idealism]

Regarding Owen being autistic--there are some things that raise the risk of being autistic, and prenatal stress is one of them. I don't mean here a mom who was stressed out during her pregnancy; I mean an unhealthy prenatal environment, whether it was preventable or not. For example, many autistic kids were born premature and there's nothing the parents could've done to prevent it, nor even figure out why they were born early. Prenatal drug and alcohol exposure can raise the risk of autism. Though autism is largely genetic (60-90% of the average case of autism can be blamed on genetics, depending on how you define "autism"), environmental factors can tip the balance between no autism and mild autism, or make an existing case of autism more obvious and severe. Those are factors such as a mother who doesn't care, does drugs during pregnancy, and doesn't offer a friendly, dependable, intellectually stimulating environment for her young infant.

To be clear, I don't think that simply not providing the absolute best environment possible would be enough to make a child autistic from a baseline of genetic vulnerability or mild existing autism. It would have to be an actually abusive environment combined with poor nutrition and a tough pregnancy. Neglecting a child who has already got a bad prenatal period behind him, could be enough to make the difference between a child with mild autism that becomes apparent only at school age, and a child with autism severe enough to be diagnosed at three.

The vast majority of cases of autism are not preventable, because they're genetic and present before the child is even born; but abusing or neglecting an autistic child, whether before or after birth, will hurt them even more than it would hurt a typical child, because they would already be struggling pretty hard just to cope with a normal world.

 

[Lulu14]

I don't believe the child was autistic. He was neglected, and that's why he was displaying autism like characteristics.

 

[RaeL]

We've been looking at things with rose colored glasses, never imagining such evil existed. Now we know, so we must address it. Point blank period. We've passed the point of reactionary. Owen, bless his soul, is already an angel :rose: The time for action is already upon us.

I am already drafting a letter to the NIH with a copy of this story attached, and asking that they begin studies in this area. I encourage you to do the same.

Talk to the people who matter in your area. Meth and other drug use is rampant everywhere. Be the change. We owe this to Owen and we owe it to ourselves.

I refuse to sit back and continue to watch this happen. I know I'm not able to stop it from happening. I hate that I can't do more. However, we have to start somewhere.

Every child matters. Every single precious one!

:twocents:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you Kimi. I appreciate what you are doing. For me, just the realization that these things are going on is a wake up call. I know you can't tell everything about someone's life from FB but I desperately try to find something in a child's picture, expression, that would give an outsider any indication of things like this happening. I think neighbors and close community need to watch for kids who may be slipping between cracks. My eyes have Truely been opened by reading these stories. I believe we are all responsible for those who cannot care for themselves and are at the mercy of parents who are clueless and selfish.

 

[tlcya]

I don't believe the child was autistic. He was neglected, and that's why he was displaying autism like characteristics.

I have not read bio dad's FB as we are not to sleuth. From what I am gathering of comments here, Owen spent some of his short life cohabitating with mom and dad. Then when they split she and her two boys went to live with Barnes.

I simply wonder if Owen actually had been professionally diagnosed as autistic or if mom diagnosed him as such or made it up in order to explain how and why a 3 yr old may have wandered off somewhere and it not be her fault.

I have noticed a disturbing trend lately of autistic children wandering off, sometimes to be found and reunited with family, sometimes never to be found.

I am thinking it more likely that mom provided info about Owen being autistic to explain a) his absence and b) any concerning developmental or social delays friends and family may describe to authorities once he was on the radar as "missing" KWIM.

 

[Annie1004]

I would be very surprised if little Owen was diagnosed as being autistic for the simple reason Mom doesn't appear to have the wherewithal to even care for these children. Going to the doctor, etc., let alone having Owen tested at such a young age, would be something out of mom's functioning realm.

I don't buy she was a good mother before getting mixed up with the just five months ago. Mothers don't throw their kids away, even if doing heavy drugs, IMHO. And having the 16-year-old very troubled youth "babysit" the kids??

This has got to be one of the most despicable crimes I have ever heard of - in fact, when I read the details last night, I became physically sick to my stomach. I cannot believe such depravity occurs anywhere, much less in a so-called civilized nation such as the U.S. I don't follow any of the terrorist events overseas except in a cursory manner because their crimes are abhorrent. We have monsters living in our own backyard.

 

[georgiasblu]

I thought cooking meth smelled really bad. So I don't understand why these neighbors didn't report that.

 

[MyBelle]

This is also about children having children. I know there are teen mothers out there who do ok but these threads are full of girls who had babies waay to soon who were not in any way emotionally prepared to be mothers. More likely than not, they tend to be uneducated and poor. They lose an entire developmental phase if their lives they never get back. Our schools are full of these kids and who haven't been nurtured, who grow up in homes where drug and alcohol use is the norm. It's disgusting.

It isn't just about teen mothers, who also have parents and other family that are supposed to protect them. Teen mothers do not succeed without a good support system fully behind them financially and emotionally, whether the teenager likes it or not. This 21-year-old mother also has a 6-yr old child. Somebody in her family or the father's family should have stepped in long ago and seized these children for their own safety. There is no way any government agency can handle issues that are the clear responsibility of family. My state now prosecutes parents for the truancy of their children and they should also prosecute parents and grandparents for the failure to protect children in their family.

JMO

 

[georgiasblu]

According to the Journal Gazette, ZB hasn't had a job since August and BA's Dad paid her cell phone and trailer rent. The JG has a story up with info I had not seen yet. I'm on my phone so I can't link but go to Journal Gazette home page. Jounalgazette.net

 

[tlcya]

Seated on opposite ends of a pew in the gallery of the Wells County Courthouse on Tuesday, Barnes and Arnold didn’t look at each other; they kept their heads down and eyes closed.

When both were brought up to a table before the judge, they barely exchanged glances.

It’s anyone’s guess when they last talked face to face, but it was likely sometime Sunday before Barnes and Face left to take care of the body.

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/A-tale-of-drugs--deceit-and-death-4581679

 

[lovinlife83]

[emoji22]

 

[Hippiemomof5]

Why did the woman who drove them to the woods not say anything to anyone!?!?!? Their actions didn't seem suspicious to her???

 

[kimi_SFC]

Seated on opposite ends of a pew in the gallery of the Wells County Courthouse on Tuesday, Barnes and Arnold didn’t look at each other; they kept their heads down and eyes closed.

When both were brought up to a table before the judge, they barely exchanged glances.

It’s anyone’s guess when they last talked face to face, but it was likely sometime Sunday before Barnes and Face left to take care of the body.

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/A-tale-of-drugs--deceit-and-death-4581679

Also from your link (thank you and :hug: tlcya, this article was no easy read)

(Snip)

As detectives interviewed Face and Barnes in Marion, Arnold remained at the Normandy Drive home with other detectives. Once word was relayed about the confessions, the detectives confronted Arnold and told her about the story of finding her son dead.

She told those detectives she was leaving, at which time they arrested her on a preliminary count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

-----

She told them she was leaving???? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read that :laughcry:

The narcissism, self-centeredness, the beyond cluelessness to think you can walk out the door when your co-conspirators have confessed and LE is looking you square in the face with the G-d awful truth that the jig is up, makes me want to wipe the smirk off of her mug shot even more than I did before!

Why am I unable to process my unceasing anger at this poor excuse for an egg donor?

She could give Owen dope, abuse his growing brain and body, yet have the nerve to call him, "My baby" when he's discovered dead because of it?

No, he was NEVER your baby. No mother would ever DARE to think of doing such a thing to her own child - not in a million years! A real mother would place herself in harm's way before she would ever inflict harm upon her own flesh and blood!

There are NO words for what you are - that I can post. :censored: :silenced:

Your mother privileges have been revoked forever in my opinion.

:twocents:


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[tlcya]

yes, georgiablu was right, that link had a lot more info in it than previous articles. And yeah, a tough read. But only further reinforces for me how very thankful I am that ZB's brother made that call to LE for the welfare check.

Can you imagine if he had not? Owen's big brother would be gone in the wind along with egg donor and her bf ZB. No one would have ever heard from them again and who knows a year from now if not sooner Owens brubby would also be dead, dumped somewhere alongside the road.

This is one of those cases. That get under your skin and burrow into your head.

 

[~Lyric~]

I can't really say what I want to say re: the details surrounding what really went on in that house over the weekend, because I'd likely be banned for life.

What I will say though is, the BF's comment about the "bottles" couldn't have been referring to baby bottles as those boys are far too old for that. I'm going to assume he meant water bottles. My kids use them ALL the time, and so do nearly all their friends. Or, I could be completely wrong and these two human oxygen thieves were actually forcing those boys to drink from baby bottles. Knowing what we now know they were capable of, I guess that wouldn't surprise me.

RIP little Owen.

There was a case in KY a few years back that a toddler, grabbed a water bottle and drank from it. Apparently it had meth/meth making material in it and of course this poor baby died a couple of days later. When they went to the home, they found all the meth stuff.

It would not in the least surprise me if they did not put this in a water bottle, coke bottle for the older child.

People who could care less think its nothing but a good time for themselves to see children stumble around.

 

[southernmimi]

A 21 yr. old with three children...one adopted and the other two fed drugs? Where were the grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors? Someone...probably lots of someones...knew these little ones were in an unsafe environment. No government social services agency can be with children 24/7 to protect them. The population is going to have to start stepping up and getting into someone's business to protect the Owens of this world.

 

[tlcya]

I'll tell you what I think the visit to gramma's house where ZB ran into his brother was all about. I think ZB was in Marion to go begging to family for money so he, mommy dearest and Owen's brother could all disappear, with nobody the wiser. I almost wonder if the body was meant to be disposed of somewhere specific and known to ZB who seems familiar with the area. Only there was some accident where their ride went off into ditch someone comes to help, ZB and "face" feel vulnerable with Owen in the box, in the car, with them and the ride woman. So they had her pull off the road shortly after they got back underway in a wooded area. Instead of taking him where they originally intended. What a brain trust. Those poor kids.