GUILTY MA - Jason & Holli Strickland for attempted murder of 11yo child, Westfield, 2005

[mysteriew]

Thanks Mysteriew for the updates. How could anyone in their right mind think an injury to the brain due to trauma could be self induced by a girl of this age? Incredible! Shades of the welfare case workers in Florida, right? At least here they know where she is located!

When reading the first article I was like you. But then I found the other article and realized that they were talking about the fact that Haleigh was taking the blame for her previous injuries. It is very hard when a child is saying I did it myself, to prove or even accuse anyone else. Unless there is a problem with the story not matching the injuries. Hers evidently matched.

Jackalad, I have a child like that too.
He was born with an extra piece of skin under his tongue, that was going to require surgery- he fell at the age of one and split it himself- at the sitter's age 1 1/2.
Fell head first into the toilet at the sitter's. 2-2 1/2.
He had a hangnail, got infected. age 3 1/2. Needed antibiotics.
He fell in the back yard somehow- 5 stitches. Age 5.
He tripped on his shoelace at school. age 6. Skinned his face from his chin to his forehead.
Age 12. Bit by a goat at the zoo.
Age 13. Bit by a skunk. Dad's back yard. He had to start the shots.
Mine has a large head, and I think it made him topheavy. He always fell easily. He had several bumps and bruises, but these are the ones I remember the most.

 

[GreenEyedGirl]

Well, I'm glad my son is not the only one who's accident-prone. He's only 3 and is constantly running into things. He's fallen down the steps numerous times. He's just so full of energy and isn't careful...at all. He ran into a door frame a couple of weeks ago when he was at daycare. When I picked him up, he had this huge goose egg right in the middle of his forehead. I know people thought I beat him, or something. It's quite embarrassing when you go out in public with them when they are bruised like that.

But, back to this story. I don't think this child self-inflicted these wounds. It sounds to me like child abuse. JMO

 

[mysteriew]

Holli A. Strickland made a strangely intimate confession to her next-door neighbor only a month after Dawn Schafer and her family moved into their quaint Cape Cod here: My adopted daughter Haleigh has severe emotional problems, Strickland told Schafer, and she often hurts herself.

Only now, more than a year later, as the Westfield girl lies in a coma at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, does Schafer see the conversation as the first of a series of “pre-emptive strikes” by “a master manipulator.”

“She was covering her tracks,” Schafer said, “before she even made them.”

In September, nine days after Haleigh was hospitalized with multiple fractures and a brain stem injury that left her in a vegetative state, 33-year-old former day-care provider Holli and her husband, Jason, a 32-year-old auto mechanic, were charged with nearly killing the child. Two days later, within hours after the couple posted $25,000 bail, Strickland and her mother were found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide.

Her neighbor’s one regret: “She deserved to suffer.”

Holli Strickland adopted Haleigh in 2001 after the child allegedly was raped by the boyfriend of her biological mother.

Haleigh was, Schafer said, the “Cinderella” of the family. She carried the groceries, and fed and walked the family’s two dogs, and tended to her 2-year-old brother.

“I never saw Haleigh be anything but loving and protective of the other children,” Schafer said. “But the happy, smiling Haleigh I’ve seen in photos isn’t the Haleigh we knew. The smiles and light in her eyes weren’t there.”
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=122402

 

[mysteriew]

Saying "errors in judgment were made" in the case of 11-year-old Haleigh Poutre, Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday announced an independent investigation into the state's handling of the girl at the center of a right-to-die battle.

Romney, a Republican who is considering a run for president in 2008, said he will establish a panel to review the girl's entire 10-year, 45-page case log with the Department of Social Services.

The commission, whose members will be announced later this week, will look into whether case workers missed signs of physical abuse leading up to the September beating that landed Haleigh in the hospital, as well as the agency's handling of her care afterward.

The agency's apparent rush to seek permission for removing her from life support has also come under fire from state lawmakers who want to question Spence about the department's handling of the case. Some are concerned the department is overburdened and therefore susceptible to missing signs that children are being abused.

Susan Molina, executive director of the Whitman-based Yellow Ribbon Kids Club, which advocates for foster children, said Romney should fire Spence and make sure social workers who missed the signs of abuse are disciplined.

"Don't tell me that the way you're going to solve this is to appoint a commission by the end of the week," Molina said. "The way to handle the problem is to send a message that unfit and incompetent social workers don't have a job in this state."

But Romney said Spence has his full support.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...o_announce_independent_review_of_poutre_case/

 

[Mom who cares]

Bumping to keep this case active, anyone heard how she is doing?

 

[Bobbisangel]

This poor little girl. She just may survive this. I hope that she will be alright and not brain damaged.

I saw her bio mother on Nancy Grace a while back. She said that she just wasn't able to take care of her baby at that time so she let her sister and brother-in-law adopt her. She has always been a part of her daughter's life
and if she survives her mother wants to finish raising her.

The mother said that she would notice bruses on her daughter but when she asked her about them the little girl would say that she did it herself.

Childrens Services stated that they had been going to remove this little girl from the home a week before she ended up in the hospital. Why do they always say that? What they "were" going to do doesn't make any differenc now.

I this little girl lives can't her adoptive father be charged with attempted murder? Or something that will put him in prison for lots of years?

 

[scandi]

Don't abused children most often cover for abuse, especially when afflicted by family members? I don't see how Haleigh could do these injuries to herself - I'll have to go back and reread the thread, but somehow remember thinking that it might be difficult fo her to accomplish doing this by herself.

It makes me so very angry and sad when children are treated like this. And think of all the kids out there today living lives just like Haleigh did that nothing is being done about. It is so terribly unbearable.


Scandi

 

[DustyRose]

A little update about Haleigh -
On 1/27/06 she was transferred from the acute care hospital in Springfield to enter a traumatic brain injury treatment program at a pediatric rehab hospital in Boston.

I am a nurse at the hospital where Haleigh now resides, though not in the program where she's being treated. While I can't comment specifically about her or her condition, I can tell you that these kids receive intensive daily therapies, and usually have a lengthy hospitalization. Some with severe brain injury do amazingly well in their recovery, but many are left with significant impairments.

There's been a lot of local press here, (we were specifically prohibited from speaking to anyone about this child,) here are a few links about where she is now.

Girl with brain damage has a new home
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...2/03/hospital_is_haven_for_severely_disabled/

Transfer of girl sign of potential
http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1138697591249140.xml&coll=1

Franciscan Hospital for Children
http://fhfc.org/index.asp?menu=wp1142004154740&page=wp11222004105734

 

[kellideister]

I beleive that this case carries an array of emotions for all involved, including the general public following the case of this precious little girl.

First, I don't find it hard to believe that the father of this child wanted her to remain on life support. After all, he would then be charged with murder, instead of child abuse. He's obviously only concerned with his own welfare. This man doesn't deserve to be a father. After nearly killing his child, he is still preoccupied with his own welfare, over the welfare of his child. Sickening!

Second, the girl's mother also killed herself. I believe it was also done in an attempt to escape any charges of murder. Again, another adult in this child's life that was only thinking of themselves and not the little girl.

Third, it is possible that the child told authorities that she inflicted the injuries herself. As a matter of fact, that is not uncommon for any victim of domestic violence. Rather than tell on their abuser, they often take the blame for the injuries on their body. Also, rather than be subjected to further harm, they lie and say they did it themselves, because they have been warned not to tell anyone what really happened. Lastly, many victims of domestic violence turn to self-injury, in order to escape the intense emotions of abuse. So, the statements that she hurt herself really don't shock me. However, I do not believe that this child could have done the kind of harm to her brain that happened. It seems rather obvious, doesn't it? It should at least, to the authorities that seemed to have questioned this part of the case. How is the little girl going to repeatedly hit her head and fracture it, when the first hit would have obviously rendered her unable to do any further harm. It all seems like it should be so obvious for the professionals to piece together.

Anyway, I'm glad she is alive and I truly hope this little one finds herself healed and whole once again -- able to be the child she obviously hasn't been able to be for so many years.

Kelli

 

[DustyRose]

Haleigh Poutre making strides -
Girl eats and moves; mother seeks new role
By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff | March 5, 2006

A nurse told the mother of Haleigh Poutre during a hospital visit on Tuesday that the severely beaten Westfield girl, whom officials once wanted to let die, has been able to eat scrambled eggs and cream of wheat, and has tapped out drum rhythms during physical therapy, according to the mother's lawyer.

More at link - including continuing conflict between DSS and bio mother:
www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/03/05/haleigh_poutre_making_strides/

 

[SewingDeb]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/03/05/haleigh_poutre_making_strides/

 

[tezi]

Thank you DustyRose! It's great to hear that she is doing better. I hope that her bio mother (if she is deemed fit enough, if that is the reason she let her go in the first place) is able to play a larger role in her daughter's life.

 

[MagicRose99]

Update:

More than two years after Haleigh Poutre was so brutally beaten she was left in a coma from which she was never expected to revive, the 14-year-old girl may be well enough to testify against the man accused of abusing her.

Haleigh, who was once thought to be so irreversibly brain damaged that doctors planned to remove her from life support, has spent the last two years recovering at the Franciscan Hospital for Children near Boston.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4375206&page=1

 

[OneLostGrl]

wow! how cool!!

 

[pixies]

Update:

More than two years after Haleigh Poutre was so brutally beaten she was left in a coma from which she was never expected to revive, the 14-year-old girl may be well enough to testify against the man accused of abusing her.

Haleigh, who was once thought to be so irreversibly brain damaged that doctors planned to remove her from life support, has spent the last two years recovering at the Franciscan Hospital for Children near Boston.

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4375206&page=1

This is good news! I hope she makes a full recovery.

 

[believe09]

and remember this case well. I want to know now who is looking out for this poor girl...She has already been failed by her family and the state....who else is left to make sure that what is best for her is primary??? Her doctors also signed off on her death, although I can understand....I mean really. This child is little Orphan Annie.

 

[anneinchicago]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ar...cates_question_poutres_lengthy_hospital_stay/

Some child advocates question Poutre's lengthy hospital stay

 

[anneinchicago]

http://www.masslive.com/news/poutre/

Sorry. Saw this after I posted the above. It's a page with complete coverage as well as links concerning this case.

And I hadn't heard she had been burned as well...

 

[Bobbisangel]

and remember this case well. I want to know now who is looking out for this poor girl...She has already been failed by her family and the state....who else is left to make sure that what is best for her is primary??? Her doctors also signed off on her death, although I can understand....I mean really. This child is little Orphan Annie.

Didn't her aunt adopt her? In one article it said that her mother said that she was eating scrambled eggs and cream of wheat. I gather that is the aunt who adopted her which would now be her mother.

I'm glad that this girl is doing so well. If they think she will be well enough to testify then she must be doing pretty good. Bless her heart. She sure has been through a lot.

 

[okietexan]

Didn't her aunt adopt her? In one article it said that her mother said that she was eating scrambled eggs and cream of wheat. I gather that is the aunt who adopted her which would now be her mother.

I'm glad that this girl is doing so well. If they think she will be well enough to testify then she must be doing pretty good. Bless her heart. She sure has been through a lot.

No, I think it is her biological mother. The aunt who adopted her is deceased. I believe she died within a week or two of this little girl being injured. No matter what, though, this child is a miracle and you are so right, she has been through a lot!