Some people notice some of the time, and sometimes those people who notice act on that, and sometimes, that action might help a child.
The sad fact is, there are a substantial number of kids who go through hell at home and the people around them don't notice. Even when they're in a position to spend time with the child. Even when they're mandatory reporters and have training in what the signs of child abuse can look like.
Sometimes, the first sign anyone notices that a child is being abused is when they turn up dead.
And then on the flipside, you've got cases like that of Gabriel Fernandez, where there were so many signs, when those signs went on for months, and where dozens of people failed to prevent what happened.
And there's a whole spectrum of stuff in between, from clear and obvious to completely hidden to everyone but those who lived in the home.
The fact is, as much as we'd like to think that we would notice or that the child would give us a clear sign, abusers can be very good at covering their tracks, and kids can be very good at compartmentalising the abuse to endure their existence, but also often feel they need to keep the abuse hidden, out of fear or out of love for their abuser, or both.
Unless this case sees a court room, we may never know the full circumstances of Sara's life and death, just that they were painful, and that her time here was far too short, and that someone who should have been the safest and most caring person in the world to her was responsible.
MOO