that the authorities won't listen to her. Feminist organizations say that a woman
would never lie about such a thing, and that the authorities should believe the mom.
Usually we cannot tell whom to believe. The mom says that she is speaking up to
protect the safety of her child. The dad says that it is a bogus charge to win
a child custody dispute. The authorities usually side with the mom.
Here is an outrageous Florida story about crazy and reckless women making false accusations:
CHIPLEY, Fla. (AP) — A baby missing for five days was found alive in a box under her baby sitter's bed, and authorities said Thursday they plan to charge the sitter, her husband and the child's mother.The kidnapper, Baker, is some sort of relative. She even had the nerve to make her own accusations:
Investigators who searched Susan Elizabeth Baker's home near this rural Panhandle town found 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick tucked under a bed surrounded by items meant to hide her, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said. The baby, who was taken to a hospital but appeared healthy, was placed in protective custody. ...
Authorities say the mother of a missing Florida 7-month-old secretly turned her over to her baby sitter in the middle of the night.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said Thursday that infant Shannon Dedrick was found alive in a box under baby sitter Susan Elizabeth Baker's bed. Investigators have been searching for her since her parents reported her missing Saturday.
Haddock says Baker asked mom Chrystina Lynn Mercer on Friday if she could have custody of Shannon. He says Mercer brought the infant to Baker's house early Saturday, about 10 hours before she was reported missing.
Haddock says Mercer and Baker each face several charges.
Baker said Tuesday in a Panama City News Herald interview she "loved that child" and tried to have the state intervene with the family. Baker also supplied an e-mail she sent to Gov. Charlie Crist pleading that someone help Shannon, whom she said was being abused by her parents.Let me summarize. The mom arranges for a relative to kidnap the baby, and then make public abuse accusations. The kidnapper herself has an outrageous history of child abuse, kidnapping, and murder, according to this AP story:
It appeared she is the same Susan Baker implicated in a 1987 missing-child case in Beaufort, S.C. That child, then-3-year-old Paul Baker, never has been found, according to the News-Herald.
Susan Baker was involved in another missing child case in South Carolina more than two decades ago. She told authorities her stepson, 3-year-old Paul Leonard Baker, disappeared from the family's Beaufort, S.C., home on March 5, 1987, while she napped.Just think about the women in this story, the next time you hear about some dad being accused of abuse. Do not assume that the mom is just being safe and protective. Crimes like this are almost always committed by women, not men.
A massive manhunt turned up nothing. She and her husband, James Baker, were extradited to South Carolina in 2000 and charged with assault and battery in Paul's disappearance, according to police reports provided by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. But a grand jury never indicted them and the child was never found.
Susan Baker did serve prison time after authorities investigating her stepson's disappearance discovered a 6-year-old girl in the Baker home had been badly beaten. Susan Baker was sentenced to 10 years in prison but the sentence was suspended after 80 days. Authorities could not say how she was related to the girl.
Susan Baker was caught twice before. In both cases, she probably got favorable treatment because of a presumption that a woman would never harm a child.
So far the dad has not been able to get his baby back, because she was placed in protective custody. He is lucky the authorities cracked this case, or else he would probably be in jail now. My guess is that he will get his baby back after attending six months of parenting classes and counseling. I think that he should have already gotten her back, since he is a victim and is not accused of doing anything wrong.
Update: A comment below tells more than you want to know about this case.
1 comment:
It is a very sad story, but some details are missing. It is questionable if the boyfriend is the biological father of the baby. He was the mother's boyfriend at the time of the child's birth so he placed his name on the birth certificate. However, several people have stated she was pregnant when they met. Neither the mother or the boyfriend have a job and both receive assistance from the state. The mother and boyfriend were being investigated by DCF in Florida for drug use and possible child neglect. They tested positive for drugs in March and in August. DCF had requested the family to attend drug counseling and parenting classes in March, which were completed. The threat level to the child was considered intermediate in August, but the level was not high enough for the child to be removed. I believe the reason the child has not been returned to the possible father is to confirm paternity, the DCF report released on Wednesday and the fact that the baby is not to have contact with the mother if she posts bond. She lives with the boyfriend. I do not believe they are keeping the baby from the father, but trying to protect the baby who appeared to be neglected by mother and father (boyfriend).
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