The National Sex Offender Registry: All 50 states and the District of Columbia and Guam participate. Cyber Tipline: The Cyber Tipline handles leads from individuals reporting the sexual exploitation of children. The Child Protection eNewsletter Volume 10, Issue 5 February 1, 2012 Ayla Reynolds Missing: Police Say Adults Know More Than They're Telling... Police investigating the disappearance of Maine toddler Ayla Reynolds have turned their focus to the three adults who were in the home with the girl the night she was last seen, saying that the evidence doesn't point to an abduction. ABC News story here In what is being called the most intense investigation launched in Maine within the last decade, state police are now saying they believe the adults inside the house the night baby Ayla disappeared know more than what they're saying. Investigators are dismissing the basic premise that Ayla's father Justin DiPietro has suggested all along that his 20-month-old was abducted on Dec. 17. DiPietro had reported her missing that day. "We have searched that home and we have found not one piece of evidence to lead us to believe Ayla was abducted," Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety said. "We think one or all three of the adults have info they haven't told us and we need that info in order to find Ayla." Recently police revealed that evidence found at the home includes Ayla's blood, which was discovered in the partially-finished basement that her father used as his bedroom. While investigators will not say how much blood was discovered, they told Ayla's mother Trista Reynolds that it was "more than a small cut would produce." "There was blood found and it wasn't just a small amount ... I don't want it to be real," she said. Trista Reynolds, 23, was in a substance abuse rehabilitation program at the time of her daughter's disappearance, and baby Ayla had been placed in her father's care while she was seeking treatment. On the night that the girl was last seen, DiPietro, 24, and his girlfriend, along with her small child, were allegedly in the basement of the Waterville home. DiPietro's sister was also in the house, along with her young child, in a bedroom on the main level, while Ayla was reportedly in an adjacent bedroom by herself. DiPietro's mother was not at home that night. "The adults inside that home say someone came into the house -- a small home -- went into a bedroom Ayla normally doesn't sleep in, took her, vanished in the night -- and not one of them heard or saw anything," McCausland said. At a vigil for baby Ayla over the weekend where the child's parents saw each other for the first time since her disappearance, DiPietro refused to comment. "I'm not here to answer any questions," he said. While police say that DiPietro has been cooperating with the investigation, they say someone isn't telling the whole truth. Police have not named DiPietro a suspect, or even a person of interest. They say they have ruled no one out and no one in, and that they are no closer to solving this case than they were on the morning of Dec. 17 when Ayla was reported missing. In other news... A Colorado mom who does not remember leaving her two young sons in a van and disappearing for hours is being examined by doctors for clues into what happened. ABC News story here Police arrested the 26-year-old woman for child abuse and are eager for answers; a handgun has gone missing from the woman's home. Almost 12 hours after leaving her two sons, ages 2 and 4, in a van parked at a Thornton, Colo. gas station Saturday, Sarah Hatfield said she could not remember leaving her boys, nor could she explain how she arrived outside National Jewish Hospital in Denver around midnight that night. "She called me and said, 'I don't know how I got here, but I'm here. Please come get me,'" Hatfield's husband Matthew told ABCNews.com. "She was frantic and crying and sobbing and just confused. We just have no idea what happened." Hatfield, who has a history of insomnia and debilitating migraines, was arrested and charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse. She is currently undergoing tests at a local hospital for a possible seizure disorder. A New Haven principal is on leave after his students experimented with a strange fad called "The Cinnamon Challenge" in the cafeteria. CBS News story here The "challenge" involves attempting to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon. The New Haven Register reports that Clinton Avenue School Principal Carmen Ana Rodriguez allegedly witnessed a student or students try this bizarre challenge at lunchtime and did nothing to stop it, according to anonymous sources. It is believed that a student brought the cinnamon to school after seeing a video of other kids trying the uncomfortable feat. Chief Operative Officer William Clark confirmed Rodriguez has been placed on administrative leave while the district and state Department of Children and Families investigate the situation. Dr. David Katz, the director and founder of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, said he was not aware of the fad, but thinks it is a potentially dangerous game. "I think there is a real hazard here. I think for the most part it will cause a lot of coughing and sputtering," he said. "Some will end up aspirating cinnamon and some could have acute respiratory distress." A former Pittsburgh area teacher at Tender Care Learning Center in Scott pleaded guilty to 13 cases involving child molestation and child pornography this morning in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story here Matthew K. Byars, 26, was sentenced to 35 to 70 years in prison for his actions abusing 12 boys, ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old. He also must register for life as a sex offender. The families of the boys agreed to the plea deal in part to end the case quickly and avoid having them testify. "We made an offer that will not victimize these boys any further," said Deputy District Attorney Laura Ditka. "But no one in this room thinks it's long enough." Judge Donna Jo McDaniel agreed. "If it were up to me, personally, I'd give you every day of the 664 years I feel you deserve," she said. The judge commended the boys and their families for being brave and coming forward about the abuse. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has signed an Executive Order making all state college and university employees mandatory reporters of child abuse. Walker Press Release here Walker Executive Order here The move follows a previous Executive Order by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Jindal Press Release here Jindal Executive Order here The moves follow sex abuses cases involving the Penn State football and Syracuse basketball programs. The total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect) is approximately $124 billion, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in Child Abuse and Neglect, The International Journal. MarketWatch story here This study looked at confirmed child maltreatment cases, 1,740 fatal and 579,000 non-fatal, for a 12-month period. The lifetime cost for each victim of child maltreatment who lived was $210,012, which is comparable to other costly health conditions, such as stroke with a lifetime cost per person estimated at $159,846 or type 2 diabetes, which is estimated between $181,000 and $253,000. The costs of each death due to child maltreatment are even higher. "No child should ever be the victim of abuse or neglect - nor do they have to be. The human and financial costs can be prevented through prevention of child maltreatment," said Linda C. Degutis, Dr.P.H., M.S.N., director of CDCs National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Child maltreatment has been shown to have many negative effects on survivors, including poorer health, social and emotional difficulties, and decreased economic productivity. This CDC study found these negative effects over a survivor's lifetime generate many costs that impact the nation's health care, education, criminal justice and welfare systems. *for access to member only sites like the New York Times, use the ID "JohnDoeID" and the password "whatever". On sites asking for an email address, feel free to use "info@childprotectionprogram.org" Subscribe Email Address (required) Your name: Address: City: State Province: Postal Code: country Unsubscribe Email address:

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