FL - Coralrose Fullwood, 6, found murdered, North Port, 17 Sept 2006

[RiverRat]

"The grandparents provided good photo ops to the media and inflammatory statements for broadcast and print, and I'm not blaming the media for covering it," Seals wrote. "But those photo ops and inflammatory comments came your way compliments of the parents and grandparents, not DCF."


I trust Judge Seals. And I trust that those opposing my opinion will have as much compassion for I as they do themselves.......I do understand how hard it is to keep up in todays world as I am a single working outside of the home parent of multiple children and already fessed up to not having the most tidy house....but I only have clothes on the sofa waiting and the kids bedrooms are, well .......the kids bedrooms. :truce: if you want to see my home immaculate, come back when the kids are grown and gone on their own. Having said that, if I ever did allow my children to live in rotten conditions, I would not expect any sympathy nor defense of my actions. But, That's just me - Thank God.

 

[RiverRat]

http://news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060921/NEWS01/609210388/1075

After three days of police tape and courtroom scenes, Coralrose Fullwood's siblings played on a computer, chatted on the phone and cried over being allowed only one Jolly Rancher instead of three.

"At least they're back with family," Ellen Fullwood said Wednesday of her children after their return to the south Fort Myers home of her parents, Saul and Doreen VanderWoude.

As family and friends streamed in — offering food, photographs and hugs — police pursued leads in Coralrose's killing.

An autopsy on Coralrose has not been finished. Lewis said he hopes to announce a cause of death this week. It usually takes two to three days to get preliminary autopsy results, he said.

The case has put neighbors on edge, Lewis said.

"There's a lot of apprehension," he said. "They want answers."

But it's too soon to provide them, the chief said.

"If we had any solid evidence that we had one particular monster out there ... obviously, we would be putting that out," Lewis said. "The worst thing I could do is speculate."

The Fullwoods reported their daughter missing around 7 a.m. Sunday and said they last saw her around 2 a.m. Her body was found on a construction site by a person walking a dog.

Coleman said his priority is to recover Coralrose's body so the family can proceed with a burial.

A funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Harvey-Engelhardt-Metz Funeral Home, 1600 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers.

 

[RiverRat]

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs...S01&Lopenr=609220304&Ref=AR&template=printart

At 6 years old, Coralrose Eve Fullwood, or "Rosie," as she was affectionately called, had bright blue eyes, brown hair with a red tint and a smile that could make anyone melt.

Her parents, Dale and Ellen Fullwood, said their daughter — the youngest girl in a family of seven children — was as charming as she was precocious.

With a smile, she could get her dad to give her a quarter to play arcade games.

"The older ones would always send her over to beg for more money to play video games because they knew she would be able to get it out of me," Dale Fullwood said. "All she had to do was tilt her head, give me her puppy-dog eyes and say 'please,' and it was over."

The family is reeling from the loss, but relatives managed a few smiles Wednesday as they remembered the little girl who loved music, Barbie and chocolate and, as loved ones said, was "destined" to be a meteorologist someday.

"Every raindrop, she would have to check the weather," Ellen Fullwood said. "She was just fascinated by it."

Her dad sometimes called her "Rosie the Hurricane" because she loved reading about storms and was so full of energy.

Dahlia VanderWoude, 17, said her baby sister loved to sing, especially ABBA's version of "The Dancing Queen."

"She couldn't really sing, but she loved to do it anyway." VanderWoude said.

Saul VanderWoude, Coralrose's grandfather, remembered how at the last Seder meal they shared at Passover, Coralrose led the service by singing prayers both in English and Hebrew.

"She was a showgirl," he said. "She was a very smart little girl, and she was always the center of attention."

Coralrose didn't mind getting messy. She "loved to play in the dirt, but in a pretty dress," her mother said.

And she relished being the first one in the house to wake up so she could creep into the family room to watch "Power Rangers." She liked the pink Ranger best.

Coralrose was closest to her youngest brother.

"The two of them were inseparable," Ellen said. "The kids are all more friends than siblings, but those two just had a special bond."

With such close ties now broken, the children have been coping with the death as "best as can be expected," she said.

"I told them a bad thing happened, and Coralrose has died," Ellen said. "I told them she's living with God, and not with us anymore, and that we still love her very much. She was like a flower, a wildflower."

Coralrose made friends easily. There was her first day at Toledo Blade Elementary School, where Coralrose was a first-grader, her father remembered.

"They were all at this bus stop ... and there was this other little girl about her age who was crying, saying she was afraid and didn't want to go to school," Dale Fullwood said. "Coralrose didn't miss a beat. She ran right up to the girl, hugged her and said, 'Will you be my friend?'"

Beth Fullwood, Coralrose's aunt, remembers her niece as a fun, bubbly little girl.

"At my daughter's wedding, she was constantly into the chocolate fountain — and the water one, too, if I remember correctly," she said, smiling slightly. "She would just bust into a room and instantly be the center of attention."

 

[RiverRat]

CORALROSE FUND
• Dale Cohen, director of Temple Beth El's religious school, said the congregation is planning to plant a memorial tree in the little girl's honor.
• A public funeral service has been arranged for 11 a.m. Monday at Harvey Englehardt Metz Funeral Home in Fort Myers.
• The Coralrose Fund has been established at Florida Gulf Bank, coordinated by the temple, to assist the family with the funeral and expenses.
• Donations to the Coralrose Fund can be deposited at any of the following Florida Gulf Bank locations:
• College Pointe Banking Center, 9101 College Pointe Court, Fort Myers, FL 33919
• Daniels Falls Banking Center, 8870 Daniels Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33912
• Downtown Fort Myers Banking Center,
2247 First St.,
Fort Myers, FL 33901
• Summerlin Crossing Banking Center, 7580 Winkler Road, Fort Myers, FL 33908
• Coral Pointe Banking Center, 1631 Del Prado Blvd., No. 410, Cape Coral, FL 33990

 

[cappuccina]

....messy houses and DIRTY houses...big difference...

My house is small, and I have two very physical kids who play sports and big musical instruments (bass and cello)...there's sports equipment, music, and guitars everywhere....But, my kitchen and bathrooms are clean, even though there's 3 loads of clothes needing to be folded that are gracing my living room right now...

This isn't the stuff that CPS is talking about...

They're talking about squalor, i.e., true dangers to people's health and welfare...

 

[j2mirish]

R/R--
once again, thanks for all the updates--and I am always glad to hear about other " kids rooms " :doh:
j2m

 

[Amraann]

:waitasec: A maid isn't just another word for cleaning lady? Seriously, I always thought they meant the same thing? There are professional cleaning companies here called "Merry Maids", "Cleanly Maid 4 U", & "Housemaids Cleaning". What does a maid do differently than a cleaning lady? I've never had either (unfortunately) so to me they have always meant the same thing. Maybe they mean different things in different parts of the country, as some words do?

Not that it really matters, LOL--but if I've spent my life using the terms in the wrong way, I want someone to steer me to the right way...

They are the same thing. In upper circles a maid tends to be one who is live in or a full time employee whereas a cleaning women only comes by to clean periodically.
The dictionary has the difference being simply that a maid is a female servant non specific in duties and a cleaning women is a women employed to specifically clean.
The words are for the most part interchangable and I think the nitpicking was to avoid the topic at hand.
Which was that this women got her nails done rather then hire a maid/cleaning lady. I think most of us agreed that a manicure was a lot less expensive then hiring a cleaning women.

 

[packerdog]

They are the same thing. In upper circles a maid tends to be one who is live in or a full time employee whereas a cleaning women only comes by to clean periodically.
The dictionary has the difference being simply that a maid is a female servant non specific in duties and a cleaning women is a women employed to specifically clean.
The words are for the most part interchangable and I think the nitpicking was to avoid the topic at hand.
Which was that this women got her nails done rather then hire a maid/cleaning lady. I think most of us agreed that a manicure was a lot less expensive then hiring a cleaning women.

I am sorry that you thought I was nitpicking. A maid is a servant, they wait on people. A cleaning lady cleans the house. When someone has a party they will hire a maid to greet the guests, take their coats, serve them food and beverages, and if she sees a mark on the floor she will tell the cleaning lady to clean it.

I was not comparing the price of a manicure to a cleaning lady. If I had to cut corners I would hire a cleaning lady and skip the manicure and maybe eat less (she looks like she could lose some weight) so that my children could live in a clean house. She herself said that she is a lousy housekeeper, I call it lazy. If these children are brought up in a filthy home, chances are they will have a filthy home when they are grown. This home is unhealthy and they put their children at risk and they had been warned before to clean up their house. They must not care if the children are taken if they know full well that they will be if they allow such filth around them.Another thing, these kids were old enough to do chores around the house, seems they weren't taught how to clean up after themselves.

 

[Amraann]

I am sorry that you thought I was nitpicking. A maid is a servant, they wait on people. A cleaning lady cleans the house. When someone has a party they will hire a maid to greet the guests, take their coats, serve them food and beverages, and if she sees a mark on the floor she will tell the cleaning lady to clean it.

I was not comparing the price of a manicure to a cleaning lady. If I had to cut corners I would hire a cleaning lady and skip the manicure and maybe eat less (she looks like she could lose some weight) so that my children could live in a clean house. She herself said that she is a lousy housekeeper, I call it lazy. If these children are brought up in a filthy home, chances are they will have a filthy home when they are grown. This home is unhealthy and they put their children at risk and they had been warned before to clean up their house. They must not care if the children are taken if they know full well that they will be if they allow such filth around them.Another thing, these kids were old enough to do chores around the house, seems they weren't taught how to clean up after themselves.

I just thought that debating what is a maid and what is a cleaning lady seemed a bit odd.
Like the one post above points out many cleaning services have the name "maid" in their title. Merry Maids are not for hire to perform the duties described above they only come clean your house.
BUt anyways I diverse.. ....
I Agree with you completely that these children were not even taught to clean up after themsleves.
I understand maybe the younger and disabled ones not cleaning up but certainly the teens should help out.
Sorry about the nitpicking comment.
I am not sure how lazy this women was as she had 2 jobs.
I don't think it would have been to difficult to leave a list of chores for the older children or to direct them as to what to pick up while your doing other things like helping with homework or making dinner.

Despite all of that I still think DCF overstepped their bounds. IMO they knew the house would be a mess from previous experiences and decided to use that as an exuse to take the children.
I still wonder in light of 5-6 previous complaints why this family wasn't offered respite care.

 

[SewingDeb]

I think that LE's last statement was that they haven't ruled anyone out as suspects, and they also haven't ruled anyone in as suspects. So I think at this point, everyone could be a possible perpetrator in this crime--including the parents. That's the latest statement I'm aware of--they could've given more updates since then that I don't know about.

Yes, exactly. They "could" be the perpetrators, so to be safe the children were removed from the home. They are with their grandparents now.

I hope the parents had nothing to do with this, but while the children are with the grandparents I hope they will take some time to thoroughly clean that house and work out a plan to keep it neat in the future.

 

[SewingDeb]

Amra, do you know if they have to ask for respite care? They may not be aware that it is even an option.

 

[Amraann]

Amra, do you know if they have to ask for respite care? They may not be aware that it is even an option.

IN theory someone should have informed them of these options since they have disabled children.
Especially since DCF had investigated the family previously.
When DCF is involved and even when its not and you have a disabled child you are encouraged to have a case worker to help you navigate the system and locate resources to assist you.
Also many programs are only offered by going through DCF or a case worker.

Many think that all DCF does is monitor children in danger but they also have a division to help the elderly as well as those with disabilities.

They should not have had to ask Deb since the point of a case worker for a disabled child is to inform them of these options.
Seems to me that many people have failed this family. There is an uprise in the state of Florida of resources for those with autistic children but in more rural areas you still have to know where to look.

 

[bakerprune64]

IN theory someone should have informed them of these options since they have disabled children.
Especially since DCF had investigated the family previously.
When DCF is involved and even when its not and you have a disabled child you are encouraged to have a case worker to help you navigate the system and locate resources to assist you.
Also many programs are only offered by going through DCF or a case worker.

Many think that all DCF does is monitor children in danger but they also have a division to help the elderly as well as those with disabilities.

They should not have had to ask Deb since the point of a case worker for a disabled child is to inform them of these options.
Seems to me that many people have failed this family. There is an uprise in the state of Florida of resources for those with autistic children but in more rural areas you still have to know where to look.

If DCF already had prior involvement with the family (ie. the filthy house complaints), they (DCF) would have been aware of the disabilities of some of the children, and YES they should have referred the kids for respite care, and other services to help the family. However, that is not to say that these services were or weren't offered to the family. They may have been offered and the family declined, I surely would like to hear more about that in this case. That being said, the condictions that the family were living in was disgusting. I am fortunate to have three beatutiful ,able bodied children. During the hustle and bustle of work for me, school, 4-h, drama and softball I put in many a late night cleaning up my kitchen, and doing laundry. IMO there still is no excuse for this kind of filth.

 

[BhamMama]

If DCF was involved then yes, they should have told the parents they had options, up to and including offering respite care or getting them in touch with other facilities that offer help.

But, if DCF is not involved I personally would never call Human Resources for help for my child. Once involved they have too many rights that don't sit well with me. Many parents prolly feel the same way.

Doctors should have given options, schools have ways of getting in touch with places, the autistic foundation would have sent info if the doctors had given them the info. So many places to help and not one person speaks up?

And speaking of the smell, my son wasn't totally potty trained until he was 5 years old. We tried big boy unders, pull ups, cloth diapers, diaper inserts, you name it. He hated them all and would take them off and hide them if he wet and change himself! Heck, I even duct taped a diaper once just so he'd keep it on longer than 2 mins, he still got out of them! I'd find soiled underwear or diapers everywhere from the toybox to under the kitchen cabinets. At the time I had 3 others either in diapers or potty training. I understand how that smell may happen. I can remember calling my mother in a total break down just begging her to come so I could eat a hot meal and sleep for more than 2 hours because he never slept either. She eventually hired me a mothers helper just so I could stay on top of things and not feel so overwhelmed. My dh travelled for his job so it all fell on me.

I'm not sure how many chores the littles could have done but she should have had help if it was a known problem. I'm not excusing her at all, filth and bacteria is not good, but where was everyone when she obviously needed the help? Even if it was a parenting class, they should have stepped in and offered real help before this.

 

[Amraann]

If DCF already had prior involvement with the family (ie. the filthy house complaints), they (DCF) would have been aware of the disabilities of some of the children, and YES they should have referred the kids for respite care, and other services to help the family. However, that is not to say that these services were or weren't offered to the family. They may have been offered and the family declined, I surely would like to hear more about that in this case. That being said, the condictions that the family were living in was disgusting. I am fortunate to have three beatutiful ,able bodied children. During the hustle and bustle of work for me, school, 4-h, drama and softball I put in many a late night cleaning up my kitchen, and doing laundry. IMO there still is no excuse for this kind of filth.

I am not exusing their filth.. I have 4 children (as you know! LOL)
ANd even on its worse day my house was never that described by the Articles about their home.
If I worked 2 jobs and had able bodied teenagers?? DCF would be called and it would be because I beat the heck out of the teens who did not help.
Of course I say that because my teens do help and I cannot fathom anything less then that .. we all do our share to keep the house running smoothly..
This is not something that just happens like magic one day..
It starts when they are young..

About DCF ... Bakers, I know this hits a nerve for you.
And my statements about DCF relates only to Florida's not other states.
Florida's DCF is soooo absolutely atrocious. This is documented time and time again and those are only the cases that make the news. I have a good friend who works for DCf here in FL and hubby's cousin also worked for them.
The cases that are not reported in the news would make you scream.
You are correct in that the family could refuse services but in light of 5-6 investigations I think they would have been encouraged to accept the help as part of the cases being closed.
I do know in other places DCF doesn't screw up so badly.

It should also be noted that although they could refuse a case worker there are other venues... The pediatrician, the schools..
CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities)

I also want to comment on the roaches....
ALthough it is some popular myth that you must have a house of grime in order for roaches to infest your house .... Its not true.
Clearly these people live paycheck to paycheck.
They probably moved into some place and the rent seemed GREAT!!!
and then they noticed the roaches.
There is absolutely no way to get rid of them without tenting.
And although they could file a complaint against the landlord or pay for the tenting and deduct it from their rent ... very few know of this option. Those who do living paycheck to paycheck are hardly in the position to feel comfortable fighting it.
Food being spoiled or dirty dishes play no part in this .. Your house can be SPOTLESS and if roaches have made a home then they will be there regaurdless of other factors.
IMO the media/DCF/police are playing upon the publics ignorance about such things in order to villanize this family.
I could today, right now, not clean a darn thing..........Leave dirty dishes and grime all over...
And my house would not be infested.
On the same token .... I could clean my a$$ off and move into a house with roaches or an apt. and no matter what I did my house would be infested.

In Florida it is very common for rentals to be infested.

 

[Socks]

What is tenting?

 

[Shadow205]

NORTH PORT, Fla. — A 6-year-old girl found dead in the woods near her home last weekend was the victim of "homicidal violence" but was not sexually assaulted, the city's police chief said Thursday.

Chief Terry Lewis declined to be more specific in announcing preliminary results of an autopsy on Coralrose Fullwood, who disappeared sometime Sunday morning. She was found dead hours later near a construction site two blocks away.

On Wednesday, authorities impounded a minivan belonging to Coralrose's parents and questioned her siblings, although Lewis would not say if investigators were focusing on the parents as suspects. Several DNA samples have been sent away for testing.

"We're not allowing ourselves to get tunnel vision," Lewis said. "The laser beam isn't focused on one suspect. It's just as wide as it was Sunday."

more at the link http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Body_Found.html

 

[Amraann]

If DCF was involved then yes, they should have told the parents they had options, up to and including offering respite care or getting them in touch with other facilities that offer help.

But, if DCF is not involved I personally would never call Human Resources for help for my child. Once involved they have too many rights that don't sit well with me. Many parents prolly feel the same way.

Doctors should have given options, schools have ways of getting in touch with places, the autistic foundation would have sent info if the doctors had given them the info. So many places to help and not one person speaks up?

And speaking of the smell, my son wasn't totally potty trained until he was 5 years old. We tried big boy unders, pull ups, cloth diapers, diaper inserts, you name it. He hated them all and would take them off and hide them if he wet and change himself! Heck, I even duct taped a diaper once just so he'd keep it on longer than 2 mins, he still got out of them! I'd find soiled underwear or diapers everywhere from the toybox to under the kitchen cabinets. At the time I had 3 others either in diapers or potty training. I understand how that smell may happen. I can remember calling my mother in a total break down just begging her to come so I could eat a hot meal and sleep for more than 2 hours because he never slept either. She eventually hired me a mothers helper just so I could stay on top of things and not feel so overwhelmed. My dh travelled for his job so it all fell on me.

I'm not sure how many chores the littles could have done but she should have had help if it was a known problem. I'm not excusing her at all, filth and bacteria is not good, but where was everyone when she obviously needed the help? Even if it was a parenting class, they should have stepped in and offered real help before this.

Richie use to pee in the little cubbard of the LIL tykes kitchen!!
the mess would be unimaginable for those who never lived it..
DUCK TAPE!!!!
LMAO!!!
OMG we soooooo duck taped diapers!!

 

[Amraann]

What is tenting?

They put this tent over the house..... and fumigate.
It costs a few thousand dollars..

You have to leave the house for 48 hours

 

[bakerprune64]

I am not exusing their filth.. I have 4 children (as you know! LOL)
ANd even on its worse day my house was never that described by the Articles about their home.
If I worked 2 jobs and had able bodied teenagers?? DCF would be called and it would be because I beat the heck out of the teens who did not help.
Of course I say that because my teens do help and I cannot fathom anything less then that .. we all do our share to keep the house running smoothly..
This is not something that just happens like magic one day..
It starts when they are young..

About DCF ... Bakers, I know this hits a nerve for you.
And my statements about DCF relates only to Florida's not other states.
Florida's DCF is soooo absolutely atrocious. This is documented time and time again and those are only the cases that make the news. I have a good friend who works for DCf here in FL and hubby's cousin also worked for them.
The cases that are not reported in the news would make you scream.
You are correct in that the family could refuse services but in light of 5-6 investigations I think they would have been encouraged to accept the help as part of the cases being closed.
I do know in other places DCF doesn't screw up so badly.

It should also be noted that although they could refuse a case worker there are other venues... The pediatrician, the schools..
CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities)

I also want to comment on the roaches....
ALthough it is some popular myth that you must have a house of grime in order for roaches to infest your house .... Its not true.
Clearly these people live paycheck to paycheck.
They probably moved into some place and the rent seemed GREAT!!!
and then they noticed the roaches.
There is absolutely no way to get rid of them without tenting.
And although they could file a complaint against the landlord or pay for the tenting and deduct it from their rent ... very few know of this option. Those who do living paycheck to paycheck are hardly in the position to feel comfortable fighting it.
Food being spoiled or dirty dishes play no part in this .. Your house can be SPOTLESS and if roaches have made a home then they will be there regaurdless of other factors.
IMO the media/DCF/police are playing upon the publics ignorance about such things in order to villanize this family.
I could today, right now, not clean a darn thing..........Leave dirty dishes and grime all over...
And my house would not be infested.
On the same token .... I could clean my a$$ off and move into a house with roaches or an apt. and no matter what I did my house would be infested.

In Florida it is very common for rentals to be infested.

Yes they could be encouraged to get help, but that only works if they are also willing to make the effort. Obviously they knew that there was a problem if DCF had already threatened to take the children on previous occassions. Wouldn't it be easier to do some simple upkeep, then to let it get to the point on unmanagable? I am assuming that since they cleaned up the place previously, then they had complied with their case plan. It shouldn't take being threatened to lose your kids to get your together. JMO

Oh BTW, California has it's share of DCF (we call it CPS) cases gone wrong.