CA - Aarabella McCormack, 11, Murdered, 2 Siblings Abused and Tortured by Adoptive Caregivers, San Diego, Nov 2022

[Curious Me]

While I feel very sad about the bio mom's situation, I can't fathom paying $10 million to a woman who had completely lost all parental rights...

This includes myself also-- we need to stay on topic here and avoid victim blaming or bashing. No doubt, Aarabella's biological mother is also a victim. WS is a victim friendly site. We need to get back on the topic of this thread.

This thread is seeking Justice for Aarabella. Her adoptive family has been arrested and will be going to trial for abusing her and her siblings, and causing Aarabella's wrongful death. MOO​

 

[10ofRods]

This case is sickening and heartbreaking. I'm glad people are catching on to the dangers of adoption (I'm adopted, but my parents went through many more hoops back in the 50's and were great people, not perfect, but excellent parents - I survived to adulthood, for example).

I haven't read about the $10M here - this thread is painful, but now you've got my attention.

 

[10ofRods]

HI Niner, sorry, brand new and just getting used to the site. I did not purposely post anything but definitely could have lol. McCormack case of particular interest to me as I live near the victims and the investigation is pretty tight lipped. Still horrified Adella Tom was given bail. Its a tragic case and so little info available.

Welcome! Great user name!

You'll love it here (except for the part about dealing with terrible tragedies; we are here to support victims and victim-friendly people like yourself).

 

[Curious Me]

...I haven't read about the $10M here - this thread is painful, but now you've got my attention.

This article is from early on, but does talk a bit about their bio mom and how the children were placed with this horrible family. If you think Gannon suffered at the hands of a nasty stepmom, you'll really cringe finding out more about this adoptive family including the adoptive grandmother. It's tragic what Aarabella went through.​

Mother, grandparents plead not guilty in 11-year-old girl’s death in Spring Valley

EL CAJON — Three family members accused in the death of an 11-year-old Spring Valley girl pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges including child abuse and torture.Prosecutors say L…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Aarabella was pulled out of school after the girls were adopted, and all three girls were homeschooled, according to the family.

[...]

The girl’s father shot and killed himself the same day after he drove up to the scene in a pickup. Why the father— a 19-year veteran of the Border Patrol — killed himself and whether he was involved in the child abuse was unclear, Steffen said Tuesday.

McCormack and her parents were arrested Monday. They remain held without bail.

Outside of the courtroom Wednesday, Torriana Florey, the biological mother of the girls, said she lost custody of them to Child Protective Services because of a “domestic violence dispute” with their father. Florey said she also dealt with bipolar disorder.

“I couldn’t be the mom the courts wanted me to be, because I was learning,” Florey said. “Aarabella was my first daughter.”

Torriana Florey, mother of Aarabella McCormack, speaks to members of the press after an arraignment was held for Leticia McCormack, Adella Tom and Stanley Tom, who are accused in the death of Aarabella at Superior Court in El Cajon, CA on Wednesday.

Florey described her daughter as a beautiful, bubbly and loving child.

Florey said she plans to go to court to try to null the adoptions of Aarabella’s sisters and get custody. She said she hopes to be able to lay Aarabella to rest.

County records show that a Child Welfare Services investigation attributed the girl’s death to child abuse and neglect. County officials said other records were withheld at the request of the District Attorney’s Office, which claimed that the release of further information in the records “would jeopardize a criminal investigation or proceeding.”

Grandmother and Alleged "Ring Leader" of Child Abuse Case Granted Bail

An adoptive grandmother accused of three counts of child abuse and three counts of torture has been granted bail set at $100,000.

www.nbcsandiego.com

New Details About Grandmom's Alleged Involvement in San Diego Child Abuse Death Case

A San Diego County judge again denied a request for bond from one of the three suspects facing charges in the child abuse death of an 11-year-old adopted girl. It’s the second time in less than a month Judge Kathleen Lewis shot down efforts from Adella Tom’s public defender to get her released...

www.nbcsandiego.com

BBM & MOO​

 

[Curious Me]

This case is sickening and heartbreaking. I'm glad people are catching on to the dangers of adoption...

Yes, please, everybody is welcome to care about what happened to this sweet child. That's what this thread is about-- seeking Justice for Aarabella.

The ringleader adoptive grandmother was sick the last weeks of the child's life, so that why she avoided a murder charge like the other two.

New Details About Grandmom's Alleged Involvement in San Diego Child Abuse Death Case

However, Pro says Adella Tom was instrumental in the abuse the children suffered for at least three years, calling the 70-year-old the “rule enforcer.” And while Tom may not have been present in the final weeks of Aarabella’s life, Pro pointed out Aarabella’s abuse spanned several years. Pro says Aarabella weighed less than her weight at age 5, was covered in bruises, and had at least 15 separate bone fractures. Pro says her two younger sisters survived but were hospitalized for three weeks for malnourishment.

Public Defender Randy Wagner described Adella Tom’s role as a ‘babysitter.’ But Pro says the evidence doesn’t align with that assessment.

“She was there as a rule enforcer, on behalf of Leticia McCormack, her daughter,” Pro said. “Her involvement goes beyond just some babysitter that’s there sitting with the children for a number of hours. She is actively engaging in withholding food, enforcing these rules, making these children perform these rigorous exercises.”


​

 

[Curious Me]

Sorry, but in my mind, when she lost parental rights...

...Her being their "flesh and blood" doesn't legally give them any rights because she was legally adopted....

It's very possible, had she lived, Aarabella would remember the years she spent with her mother and try to find her biological mother. Just want to give you something to think about beyond a piece of paper and the legal parental rights. Humans have emotions, bio mom probably was shattered by the death of her daughter. Adoption should have meant a better LIFE for Aarabella. ​

 

[Lusitana]

It's very possible, had she lived, Aarabella would remember the years she spent with her mother and try to find her biological mother. Just want to give you something to think about beyond a piece of paper and the legal parental rights. Humans have emotions, bio mom probably was shattered by the death of her daughter. Adoption should have meant a better LIFE for Aarabella. ​

Well, yes. I do agree with that and I'm not doubting that.

 

[Essbee]

 

[Essbee]

It's very possible, had she lived, Aarabella would remember the years she spent with her mother and try to find her biological mother. Just want to give you something to think about beyond a piece of paper and the legal parental rights. Humans have emotions, bio mom probably was shattered by the death of her daughter. Adoption should have meant a better LIFE for Aarabella. ​

I agree. And as I said, I do believe that the bio mom is grieving. But if anyone deserves MONEY from her death, it would be her surviving siblings, not the bio mom.

 

[BrownRice]

These cases are frustrating. There’s obviously a pattern we see her on WS of children being fostered/adopted, homeschooled, and abused/tortured/murdered.

Resources obviously don’t allow in our current structure, but follow up visits after adopting could be a good process. Some type of welfare check in for homeschool kids.

Our system just seems unfixable. My family started the foster system years ago and it was borderline ridiculous. We had a nice house, extra bedrooms. They required a house water test (?) which I found odd when you see stories of foster kids living in squalor. But what stopped us was they made it so difficult in our state. Kids had to remain at their current school for stability , which I understand (we lived in a great school district and most of the kids to be fostered went to an inner city district a town over, same county). So they wouldn’t be able to take the bus with our kids or go to the same after school program. Additionally, because we were looking to foster then adopt, we wanted school age which we were told was fine to request only school aged kids. But when we went thru the process, they said we will call you in the middle of the night with any age kids and you can just say no. (Like I can turn down a toddler in need). But the approved daycare centers had waiting lists so we’d be paying out of pocket for daycare (could be thousand a month). We just wanted to add older kids to our household, could easily pass background checks, kids would have a stable home, references etc but the barriers were too much.

So I see these stories, so many of them. And think how did these people get thru the system? Why make it so difficult with stupid things! Focus more on the background checks, references etc to weed out the bad parents. You see these stories of the abuse suffered. Many times you think whatever these little kids went thru with their bio parents was better than they ended up with.

 

[Lusitana]

I agree. And as I said, I do believe that the bio mom is grieving. But if anyone deserves MONEY from her death, it would be her surviving siblings, not the bio mom.

Thank you for so clearly stating what I was trying to say but failed miserably to express. It really bothers me how the biological families always sue for large sums of money. Feels gross and legally that wasn't their child anymore, why are you trying to cash on it?

Obviously whoever placed those poor children with those monsters and was supposed to monitor their case needs to be investigated and if appropriate, punished accordingly. But why should the biological family benefit monetarily from it? If any money has to go to anyone then if should be the surviving children.

 

[Essbee]

After I posted last night, I thought of another analogy. Say that a couple divorces. One spouse dies in some tragedy and there is a lawsuit. Then does the ex-spouse get to profit from that death? Maybe, despite the dirvorce, the surviving spouse still has some genuine feelings for the one who died. Maybe they would have even gotten back together someday. But, they were legally divorced. So in my mind, the surviving spouse does NOT get money related to the death. Parents, siblings, children, maybe, but not the ex-spouse.

 

[Curious Me]

Getting back to the three adoptive family members that were part of the horrific abuse of Aarabella and her two siblings, I want to know more about whether the children ever attended the church where the adoptive mother, Leticia volunteered. That pic of Aarabella in the yellow gown with the gloves-- where was she going?

What I'm getting at is someone might've seen those children sometime, and maybe reported their condition to CPS which would have to investigate any report, not just adopted children. I have to go back in this thread to find possible reports.

It makes me sick to hear this Leticia taught a class at the church on "living right". (The adoptive father killed himself in front of LE immediately, knowing there'd be an investigation into Aarabella's death tied to abuse.) ​

Grandmother and Alleged "Ring Leader" of Child Abuse Case Granted Bail

An adoptive grandmother accused of three counts of child abuse and three counts of torture has been granted bail set at $100,000.

www.nbcsandiego.com

Tom's daughter, Leticia McCormack, was a former elder and ordained minister at The Rock Church in San Diego. The Rock cut ties with her and revoked her ordained status following her arrest. The megachurch had already erased her bio and image from their website after deputies opened a homicide investigation into her adoptive child's death.​

 

[Curious Me]

After I posted last night, I thought of another analogy. Say that a couple divorces.....snipped to reply.......But, they were legally divorced. So in my mind, the surviving spouse does NOT get money related to the death.​

It's a different scenario than you came up with, but if you're married for ten years and then divorce, and your divorced spouse dies, you are entitled to surviving spouse Social Security benefits under certain guidelines here in the USA. ​

 

[Curious Me]

Obviously, if you read of Aarabella's autopsy report of all the previous abuse she must have suffered, you must realize those children had to be terrified to tell or show they were being abused. That's what abused children do-- being terrified of more abuse if they talk. Read below please. ​

THREE FAMILY MEMBERS ARRESTED FOR SUSPECTED ABUSE LEADING TO DEATH OF SPRING VALLEY GIRL, 11 | East County Magazine

www.eastcountymagazine.org

The couple said they lost custody of their children in 2013 after an incident that they said involved a verbal altercation and have not seen their children in person since 2019. They contend that their children’s adoption violated the Indian Child Welfare Act intended to keep Native American families together whenever possible.

They said after viewing photos of their children showing signs of starvation and abuse, and following an in-person visit in 2018, they reported their concerns to both Child Welfare Services and The Rock Church, but that neither took their concerns seriously. They told Roys Report that Arabella’s school contacted CWS four times in 2018 alleging that Bryan McCormack abused her on campus, but the children denied the allegations and no action was taken by authorities.

Two of the suspects were arrested yesterday in Lucerne Valley, San Bernadino County and the third was apprehended in Ocean Beach.

The case raises troubling questions. Why did CWS and Rock Church fail to take action to protect Arabella and her siblings?
​

 

[Curious Me]

"...Arabella’s school contacted CWS four times in 2018 alleging that Bryan McCormack abused her on campus, but the children denied the allegations and no action was taken by authorities."...

Her school contacted CWS four times!!! Abuse by the adoptive father who killed himself in front of LE. Imagine what was going on in that household.

This may have been why Aarabella was pulled out of school and home schooled thereafter. Not sure the adoption had even gone through yet in 2018.​

 

[BrownRice]

Her school contacted CWS four times!!! Abuse by the adoptive father who killed himself in front of LE. Imagine what was going on in that household.

This may have been why Aarabella was pulled out of school and home schooled thereafter. Not sure the adoption had even gone through yet in 2018.​

For sure why they were homeschooled! And why the heck want there follow up? CPS needs to be held accountable. Those poor children

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Social workers investigated reports of suspected child abuse years before prosecutors say 11-year-old Arabella McCormack was tortured and starved to death by her adoptive family. That’s according to hundreds of internal documents from San Diego County’s Child Welfare Services Department.

Those internal documents show Child Welfare Services investigated those suspected child abuse reports but determined the accusations were unfounded. Arabella’s adoption was approved about a year later.

According to the internal documents, Arabella’s adoptive parents, Brian and Leticia McCormack, called 911 last August, saying the child choked on chicken broth. Paramedics say they found Arabella on the floor without a pulse. A deputy on the scene reported the girl looked like “a corpse with skin stretched over it.” She died less than 10 hours later at the hospital.

Months later in a courtroom in El Cajon, a deputy district attorney described the state of Arabella’s body as what she said was the result of years of torture, abuse and starvation.

San Diego County social workers investigated suspected child abuse complaints four years before adopted girl’s death

Social workers investigated reports of suspected child abuse years before prosecutors say 11-year-old Arabella McCormack was tortured and starved to death by her adoptive family. That’s according to hundreds of internal documents from San Diego County’s Child Welfare Services Department.

www.nbcsandiego.com

*Warning: The images in article are disturbing and depict Arabella's injuries just before her death.* *lengthy investigation*

 

[tlcya]

[snipped by me for focus]

San Diego County social workers investigated suspected child abuse complaints four years before adopted girl’s death

Social workers investigated reports of suspected child abuse years before prosecutors say 11-year-old Arabella McCormack was tortured and starved to death by her adoptive family. That’s according to hundreds of internal documents from San Diego County’s Child Welfare Services Department.

www.nbcsandiego.com

*Warning: The images in article are disturbing and depict Arabella's injuries just before her death.* *lengthy investigation*

those images. Jesus Wept

 

[Curious Me]

San Diego County social workers investigated suspected child abuse complaints four years before adopted girl’s death

Social workers investigated reports of suspected child abuse years before prosecutors say 11-year-old Arabella McCormack was tortured and starved to death by her adoptive family. That’s according to hundreds of internal documents from San Diego County’s Child Welfare Services Department.

www.nbcsandiego.com

*Warning: The images in article are disturbing and depict Arabella's injuries just before her death.* *lengthy investigation*

It's clear to me that the agency was negligent in protecting those children. Look at the timing. They were being abused by the McCormacks, even as foster children, and then that horrible family was allowed to actually adopt them. That is why I support the biological mother in her law suit against the agency to draw attention and promote change in the agency for not protecting or caring enough about the children. Aarabella died!

"Back in 2018, one year before the adoption was finalized, at least three people called San Diego County Child Welfare Services to report suspected child abuse. At that time, Arabella was just 7 years old. Two school workers at Highlands Elementary School separately shared concerns about unusual rules and controlling behaviors of the McCormacks, who were still Arabella’s foster parents at the time. The concerned school employees said the McCormacks:..."

Claim Filed Against San Diego County in Wake of Girl's Child Abuse Death

Eleven-year-old Aarabella McCormack died in the hospital last August. Prosecutors say she was severely malnourished, weighing just 48 pounds at the time. They also say her body was covered in bruises and doctors found 15 still-healing bone fractures.

www.nbcsandiego.com

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