GUILTY NY - Erin Maxwell, 11, found hanged, Palermo, 29 Aug 2008

[January.]

The guy in the cape sounds creepy. This poor little girl. Strange story indeed.

 

[BeavisMom62]

This whole story is strange. Poor little girl dead, 100's of cats, an emu! and a crazy guy with a cape and a sword! a nurse and a "househusband"?!? WTH is that? I mean, I know what it is, but why? And I don't know why, but one of the first things that crossed my mind after reading a comment from a boy that went to school with her was, if she lived in that house with all of those cats, wouldn't that poor little girl smell? Even if she bathed and washed her clothes, that smell of cat would permeate everything? Any updates on this story by the way? RIP little angel. How horribly sad.

 

[MissieMt]

ugh, here is an editorial
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2008/09/two_tragedies_erin_maxwells_de.html

and here is the latest news article i could find:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/court_records_show_troopers_co.html

 

[Reannan]

This story just breaks my heart! Erin's case needs more attention than it is getting. Her story is one of a failed system that had the opportunity to save her, but chose to walk away instead. :furious::furious: Obviously, we are now dealing with a rape and murder case....Oh God, how I wish I could have been there to hold her in my arms that night! I sit here with tears streaming down my face as I type this! I thought this comment by a poster named "Cuseopinion" at the site MissieMt posted above was interesting:

http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/200...xwells_de.html
"Although it is speculation, I have become to think that perhaps it is not the step brother. Times are hard and he was living in the home only a short time. Perhaps he couldnt get a job and needed a place to live even if it was in the scum hole. Perhaps he also wanted to protect Erin. The reason I think this is because he would wake up in the morning and wait with and for her to get on and off the bus. It seems the father has been portrayed as quite the strange one parading around in his costumes. And I thought it to make sense the father would say the step brother was the only one home, while the father himself is unemployed and was only on a store run. I believe due to the frantic state of the step brother and his call in to 911 shows he found her in this condition. The emotional state of the father seems quite erie to me and does not sit right."

RIP little Erin - you did not deserve this, and justice will be served.

 

[believe09]

Should we bother to point out to those officials who had the capacity to be decision makers, that Erin did not make that "lifestyle choice?" Perhaps, just perhaps, the adults in her life were not making decisions that were best for her at all? I mean, are you kidding me?

Another Rowan Ford case...

 

[MissieMt]

I agree believe...I am beyond disgusted by the fact that this poor little girl was never protected. I can't imagine what she must have felt-seeing that CPS had been called-that someone out there cared-only to shown that the people who could save her, the people that SHOULD care-did not.

 

[MeoW333]

That "lifestyle choice" is complete B.S. if the parents "lifestyle choice" involved sexual abuse with the child; then they would have taken her away. They need to define lifestyle choice and also one meal a day is ridiculous for a growing child?? NYS again is just trying to cover their azzes as they've messed up once again.

 

[raeann]

This is a very sad story. Every time that I see the Animal Planet channel t.v. show where the "animal police" are driving around to rescue abused and neglected animals, I think it is wonderful that people in this country care to do that and financially support such efforts. BUT, if we care enough to do this for animals, why in the world do we not have similar police units which are only devoted to protecting children? I realize this is the job of CPS, but they are not police, and they do not have the resources or often the background or dedication that is needed to do a proper job. These stories happen EVERY DAY in this country!

 

[chiperoni]

Was Erin attending school or did I miss that? Sorry if that question was already answered.

 

[Rosco]

I was reading on the blog from the links above - one poster said that the father was shopping at Wal-mart when the 911 call was made - AND HE KEPT SHOPPING!??

Please tell me that is not correct....

RIP poor Erin... Poor poor little girl Erin.

Rosco

 

[Jesikah1]

Was Erin attending school or did I miss that? - Chiperoni

If I remember correctly, I think that the death occurred before school started.

if the parents "lifestyle choice" involved sexual abuse with the child; then they would have taken her away.- MeoW333

I think that in the end their lifestyle choice did include sexual abuse considering how Asphyxiation is listed as the cause of death with sexual trauma listed as a contributing factor.
The family has explained the death away on play acting from scenes of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, however the best they could do to explain the sexual abuse evidence is point to relatives she spent time with earlier.
http://www.9wsyr.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=12d5a7c1-bacd-478d-a518-2e2c8c030106

I don't know, this case literally makes me feel sick to my stomach and right now I feel as though they should just lock up every single adult living in that house. Each one of them, even if they didn't kill her or molest her is responsible to some degree. I am usually a liberal Lucy but there is just no defense in this case.

 

[Bobbisangel]

The death of this little girl just makes my hair stand on end. CPS should have taken her out of the home. It is just unbelievable that they didn't. This they should have to answer for. Most people have a "lifestyle choice" but CPS pulls kids out of homes anyway. Why not this little girl? We all choose our lifestyle come to think of it. Like someone said...this little girl didn't have a choice so CPS should have made a positive choice for her and yanked her out of that home.

The father does sound like a weird one. I hope LE put him in the hot seat. I hope they found DNA on this little girl so the killer can be charged and sent away for ever. I wonder who is paying for their motel????? The state I'll bet :furious:

 

[nursebeeme]

From the link above that Steve provided:
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.s...020.xml&coll=1

"A male who lives at the Maxwells' home, who appeared to be in his early 20s, was often seen in the yard wearing a cape and a feathered hat and brandishing a sword, according to Lindsley and other neighbors. He would sometimes walk down Route 264 in the outfit, Lindsley said."

Well, that is the person I would sit in the chair underneath the bright lights first. I bet he had a fantasy life on-line - if they had computer access.

dude! Hey Reeeeeee! I was thinking the same exact thing! I would also adopt the ducks if I lived a little closer.... What a sad, sad story! Steve, are you going to write about this one? Keep us up to date!

 

[nursebeeme]

If I remember correctly, I think that the death occurred before school started.


I think that in the end their lifestyle choice did include sexual abuse considering how Asphyxiation is listed as the cause of death with sexual trauma listed as a contributing factor.
The family has explained the death away on play acting from scenes of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, however the best they could do to explain the sexual abuse evidence is point to relatives she spent time with earlier.
http://www.9wsyr.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=12d5a7c1-bacd-478d-a518-2e2c8c030106

I don't know, this case literally makes me feel sick to my stomach and right now I feel as though they should just lock up every single adult living in that house. Each one of them, even if they didn't kill her or molest her is responsible to some degree. I am usually a liberal Lucy but there is just no defense in this case.

The step brother was surly cooperative. He had the LDT and submitted bucal swab as well. I suppose the autopsy will show how recent the sexual trauma was. One has to wonder, however, if she were visiting the biological mother for the summer and if any sexual abuse did in fact occur at that time.

This is a very strange case.....and it may not be what it seems to be imhoo.

 

[rm_blogger]

Just finished updating this story at one of my sites. Both the Father and Step-Mother were jailed today on six charges child endangerment apiece and the Step-Brother Alan Jones was charged with second-degree murder.

 

[MissieMt]

Oh...I get it. Now that she is dead they can charge them with child endangerment?!

 

[believe09]

http://www.centralmediaserver.com/WIXT/maxwell report.pdf

This is the PDF of the completely self-serving report released by CPS regarding the three prior reports of substandard care for Erin. They congratulate themselves all the way around for meeting expectations in regards to the law.

Now, how will they approach the fact that they were WRONG. That there was clearly the standard of care was eroding for Erin and she had begun to eat out of garbage cans at school and hoard food, while her parents refused food stamps. How will the case workers deal with the fact that they observed in 2004 and 2006 that there was a hook-eye latch on the OUTSIDE of Erin's bedroom door? That the parents were still keeping their chickens in the kitchen and living room?

I guess it is easy for me to quarterback since I know how the story ends. But this report made me sick. Really.

PSST-CPS-if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...and you have been visiting with these folks since the child was 6 years old....

 

[Filly]

Just finished updating this story at one of my sites. Both the Father and Step-Mother were jailed today on six charges child endangerment apiece and the Step-Brother Alan Jones was charged with second-degree murder.

Thanks for this update, RM.:furious:

This poor little girl lived in hell. Lived every single day in hell on earth. I want to poke her father's eyeballs out, and slap the living crap out of him and then hang him by a green cord and tell everyone he was just playing a scene from his favorite movie.

Her dad was supposed to protect her. :furious: I'd just pass the freak, murderer up to be tortured by someone else. Maybe make him lay in that fecal waste for a year or so. Chickens in a da*n kitchen.:furious: Step-mom has to be a loop too. How in God's name do people like this find eachother.

None of that brings back this little girl. No amount of punishment. Nothing. This poor child was murdered after having to live in that nightmare. There can't be anything sadder. Poor baby girl.

 

[Blink34]

http://www.centralmediaserver.com/WIXT/maxwell report.pdf

This is the PDF of the completely self-serving report released by CPS regarding the three prior reports of substandard care for Erin. They congratulate themselves all the way around for meeting expectations in regards to the law.

Now, how will they approach the fact that they were WRONG. That there was clearly the standard of care was eroding for Erin and she had begun to eat out of garbage cans at school and hoard food, while her parents refused food stamps. How will the case workers deal with the fact that they observed in 2004 and 2006 that there was a hook-eye latch on the OUTSIDE of Erin's bedroom door? That the parents were still keeping their chickens in the kitchen and living room?

I guess it is easy for me to quarterback since I know how the story ends. But this report made me sick. Really.

PSST-CPS-if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...and you have been visiting with these folks since the child was 6 years old....

This is truly one of the sickest cases I have seen. God Bless this baby.
I cant even stand to read the whole thing. My God.

 

[doonerinohio]

Absolutely horrible that this young child was not protected by authorities and that people knew that this was going on and did not stop it. How alone she must have felt! It saddens me to think of the life that she endured under the so-called care of her father, step-mother and step-brother. May she rest in peace.