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Tortured Children Follow-Up
Terrell's Story At 4 year's old, Terrell had little to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day, as he lay in an Atlanta emergency room. It was determined that he was a victim of battered-child syndrome, and that his step-grandmother was the abuser. When the court called to order in Terrell's case, the people who were supposed to help him, let him down. Terrell's caseworker never showed up in court with him. The judge had no choice, but to dismiss the case. The caseworker covered his tracks by backdating a memo stating that the judge found the step-grandmother innocent of abuse. The only flicker of hope for the young boy disappeared. One week later, Terrell's step-grandmother struck again, this time burning the bottoms of his feet so badly, that he needed a skin graft from his hip to heal his wounds. The next year of his life was a living hell. Terrell was repeatedly tied to a banister with pantyhose, and beaten with belts and shoes. At school, he was caught by a teacher looking through a trash dumpster for food. He was never visited by a caseworker during that year. He ended up in the emergency room once again. Doctors struggled to restart Terrell's 5-year-old heart. They saw all the signs of brutality and abuse on his little body. He had the cuts, the bruises, the burns and he weighed only 29 pounds. Terrell died at the hospital. The coroner had difficulty determining cause of death. The final cause was written as: blunt impact trauma to head, trunk, and extremities. Terrell's step-grandmother was charged with his murder. Currently, Don Keenan, a children's rights advocate, is suing Georgia's Department of Family and Children's Services for Terrell. Read about this case. Tortured Children Follow-Up |
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