Fatherless links for 7-28-2014

• Atlanta, GA  4 kids found locked in hot car; mother arrested
  The children were released to their grandmother?
• Milwaukee, WI  Mother of children wounded in van shooting charged with 7 counts of neglect  "The oldest of the seven is the child of the driver"
• Chicago, IL  $40K bond for mother charged with leaving baby alone in building
  Detectives had been looking for the mother since Saturday afternoon
• Colleton County, SC  Teen mom arrested after 9-month-old son dies
  Her boyfriend treated her son "as if he were his own" but no mention of the biological father

Fatherless toddler

In Winchester, Virginia, a 3 year old child was found roaming around in the middle of the street. After a door-to-door search, the child’s mother, Stacey Lee Rodgers, was found, charged with child neglect and arrested with a $1,000 bond. 

What ever this woman was doing instead of watching her child is unknown. Also unknown is the whereabouts of the other person who brought this child into the world. Stacey Rodgers gets all of the punishment while the man who fathered this child gets off scott-free.

Immaculate Conception?

Apparently, a 7 year old has been kept in a cage by the child’s mother, Jena Harman and Alexander Smith, who also stayed on the property. They have both been charged with child abuse and felonious restraint which could get them up to 20 years in prison.

The news story in the Laramie Boomerang goes into great length about the terrible conditions that this child lived in and how the neighbors tried to bring it to the attention of law enforcement since August. However, there is no mention whatsoever in the story or comments of the provider of the other 23 chromosomes.

Irish phantom

This 31 year old woman in Limerick, Ireland has been accused of neglecting her 3 small children after the police found her children ages 1, 2, and 11 "alone in the house which was in a state of disrepair". She was arrested and her children were taken into custody.

The Irish Times did manage to mention that this mother is "single". What does that mean? Is the father dead or in jail? Why did he not help his children? Does he care? We don't know.

Little boy in need of a father

Here's a good one. According to WTAE, in Greenville, PA, a mother and grandparents almost starved a seven year old boy to death and were charged with assault, unlawful restraint of a minor, false imprisonment, endangering a child's welfare and conspiracy. He weighed 25 pounds and looked like a skeleton.

Dr. Jennifer Wolford of UPMC Children's Hospital Child Advocacy Center stated "He was within a month of having a major cardiac event that he probably would not have recovered from". She also said, "It is impossible to me that this severe neglect and active abuse was not visible. He was being starved in his own home around others of normal weight".

No where in this story is the father of this child mentioned. And not here, here or here. Several neighbors are rightfully appalled but not one of them is credited with wondering why one of the people who brought this child into the world did not step in and take care of his child. Is he dead? We don't know.

Where is the father?

In North Augusta, SC, Debra Harrell works at McDonalds, an employer not known for its high wages. She has a nine year old daughter and it is summer so her daughter has a lot of time on her hands, so she spends her days "playing on a laptop that Harrell had scrounged up the money to purchase".

Then the laptop is stolen in a home robbery. What is a mother to do? She allows her daughter to play in a nearby park that has plenty of other kids and lots of adults and gives her a cell phone, just in case".

Sounds like the best solution to a bad situation. But it got Debra Harrell arrested because when some "well-meaning" woman discovered the situation, she called the police instead of trying to help.

But where is the father? A Google News search of "Debra Harrell" shows 2,830 results and as far as I can tell, NONE OF THEM mentioned the father of this child. Not only do none of the news stories address this issue, but neither do the commenters.

The father is completely left off the hook. Why? The possibilities:

• He is dead
• The daughter was conceived by artificial insemination
• He wants to help, but Debra Harrell has shut him out
• He wants to help, but can't for one reason or another
• He has abandoned his daughter

We are not told. And the fact that we are not told makes it seem as if this story is all about Debra Harrell. But it isn't. Or at least it shouldn't be.