Fornits
General Interest => Feed Your Head => Topic started by: Oscar on September 24, 2010, 08:47:42 AM
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An 18 year old woman was found dead - from
Cause of teen’s death still undetermined (http://http://www.threeriverspublishing.com/TRP/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5613:cause-of-teens-death-still-undetermined&catid=66&Itemid=264), by Chris Daniels, Three Rivers Publishing, April 29, 2010
Although more information has been released about the sudden death of a teenage girl at the St. James campus of Boys and Girls Town, the cause of her death has still not been determined.
Heather Marie Hopkins, 18, was found unresponsive in the commons area at about 4:40 a.m. on April 2. Medical attention was administered by emergency responders, which included the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the St. James Fire and Ambulance districts. Hopkins was taken to the Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla, where she was pronounced dead.
“She had a 103.8 degree fever the afternoon before,” said Debbie Hopkins, the girl’s mother. “She had been out at (the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville) and came back to (her) cottage. They gave her Tylenol and her meds. If she had been at home and was that sick, I would have taken her to the hospital.”
Debbie Hopkins and husband, Stephen, were informed early that morning what had happened to their daughter. Heather had been in the care of Boys and Girls Town for 35 days.
“The safety and health of our clients is our top priority,” said Marie McGeehan, senior director of communications for Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. “All Boys and Girls Town residential facilities have licensed nursing staff on campus or on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
In addition, McGeehan said, all of the youth care specialists working at Boys and Girls Town are fully trained in first aid and basic life-support techniques. The staff is also trained to respond promptly to any situations where clients indicate they are ill or may need medical attention.
“If there is any indication that a potential illness may be contagious, nursing staff is notified and appropriate clinical procedures are followed,” said McGeehan. “Procedures were followed in this situation and a nurse examined the child.”
Now more than 25 days since their daughter died, Debbie and Stephen Hopkins said they have received little information from anyone about what happened. They have been in contact with Phelps County Coroner Larry Swinfard, but autopsy results were not yet available as of Tuesday. According to McGeehan, Boys and Girls Town was “last in contact with the child’s parents at the memorial service held on campus two weeks ago.”
Funeral services for Heather Marie Hopkins were held April 9 at the West County Assembly of God in Chesterfield, Mo. She was buried at the St. Charles Memorial Gardens. Hopkins was born on March 31, 1992. Her family lives in the O’Fallon, Mo. area.
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Another article which was also published that same day:
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St. James Leader-Journal
Parents seek answers for death (http://http://www.leaderjournal.com/news/x57976758/Parents-seek-answers-for-death)
By St. James Leader-Journal
Posted Apr 29, 2010 @ 12:38 PM
St. James, Mo. — More than three weeks after their daughter's death, Stephen and Debbie Hopkins of O'Fallon still are looking for answers.
The parents of Heather Marie Hopkins, 18, are trying to learn what happened to their daughter, who died April 2.
Heather Hopkins was enrolled at Boys & Girls Town in St. James.
According to Lt. Rick Hope of the Phelps County Sheriff's Department, "This is still an open investigation, and I really can't say much more than that. I can tell you we don't expect any foul play, and it was neither an accident.
"We do expect an end to the investigation in the very near future."
A statement from Vince Hillyer, president and CEO, Great Circle (the parent agency name for Boys & Girls Town) said, "It is with great sadness that we report a young woman who was a resident at the Boys & Girls Town St. James campus passed away Friday morning April 2.
"One of our female residents appeared to have stopped breathing while she slept. After our staff took extensive life-support efforts, she was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
"We continue to work with local law enforcement and local health authorities in the investigation. We are still awaiting test results from the Medical Examiner, but all indications are that she died from natural causes.
"Our staff members and other residents are devastated by the death of this wonderful young person," Hillyer said. "Her family remains in our thoughts and prayers. They joined us for a memorial service on campus to honor their daughter. Boys & Girls Town counselors continue talking with residents and their parents to help them through this very difficult time."
Boys & Girls Town officials said they couldn't confirm the name of the female resident or provide additional details because of HIPAA privacy laws and because the case is still under investigation.
In the meantime, the Hopkinses say they are trying to piece together what happened.
Debbie Hopkins said she received a call from B> at 5:07 a.m. April 2 saying her daughter was unresponsive and that she was being transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla.
She said she received another call approximately five minutes later that her daughter had passed away.
Monday, Debbie Hopkins said she and her husband don't know much more than they did then.
She said she has talked with Boys & Girls Town but "they won't tell me what I want to know, which is what happened in that cottage."
She said she had talked with her daughter at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1, and Heather told her she "was feeling bad," complaining of being sick with a fever.
Debbie Hopkins said her daughter had been at Boys & Girls Town 35 days and was due to stay another 60.
She said Heather had been diagnosed as bipolar, with depression and ADHD and had been battling medication issues.
Prior to Heather being admitted to Boys & Girls Town, "There had been a lot of shuffling of Heather among hospitals," noted Debbie Hopkins. "She had been receiving excellent care" up until an apparent medication overdose resulted in another round of hospital changes.
Stephen Hopkins said the family had asked for an autopsy, looking for some definitive answers.
Debbie said she had been told it would take at least six to eight weeks before the results would be available.
Copyright 2010 Leader-Journal.
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Ooh, another one for the... wait, no.
(http://http://thegallyblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/d09ae-pedo_bear_too_old.jpg)
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Ooh, another one for the... wait, no.
Really?
She was at Boys and Girls Town... Celebrated her 18th birthday there. The next day she had a fever of 103.8°F. Somehow that did not warrant her being seen by a physician. The day after that ... she was dead.
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Ooh, another one for the... wait, no.
Really?
She was at Boys and Girls Town... Celebrated her 18th birthday there. The next day she had a fever of 103.8°F. Somehow that did not warrant her being seen by a physician. The day after that ... she was dead.
From what I have read they don't know the cause of death at this point. We are not sure what caused what or what treatment she received. We have no details around what occurred leading up to her death. I wouldn't assume she didn't get proper care at this point.
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I wouldn't assume she didn't get proper care at this point.
It would appear that her mother would have handled it differently. From the article in the OP (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=31243&p=380313#p380224):
"She had a 103.8 degree fever the afternoon before," said Debbie Hopkins, the girl's mother. "She had been out at (the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville) and came back to (her) cottage. They gave her Tylenol and her meds. If she had been at home and was that sick, I would have taken her to the hospital."[/list]
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I wouldn't assume she didn't get proper care at this point.
It would appear that her mother would have handled it differently. From the article in the OP:
"She had a 103.8 degree fever the afternoon before," said Debbie Hopkins, the girl's mother. "She had been out at (the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville) and came back to (her) cottage. They gave her Tylenol and her meds. If she had been at home and was that sick, I would have taken her to the hospital."[/list]
Yes, but how do we know that is the right decision? If you call up the doctors and you child has a 103.8 fever they would ask you to try a few things to bring it down and ask you questions about her health before deciding if the child should be brought in or not.
Sometimes fevers spike and then go down again. I think we need to hear the whole story first before blaming anyone.
On another note: I read all the time here that program parents make really bad decisions regarding their childs safety. Why are you assuming they would have made the right one if this child had been home? Why the turn around in your thinking?
Ursus, it is obvious that you cherry pick sound bites to meet your agenda. Why dont you just let the investigation take its course and find out what happened instead of trying to push a negative spin on programs all the time?
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I wouldn't assume she didn't get proper care at this point.
It would appear that her mother would have handled it differently. From the article in the OP (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=31243&p=380313#p380224):
"She had a 103.8 degree fever the afternoon before," said Debbie Hopkins, the girl's mother. "She had been out at (the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville) and came back to (her) cottage. They gave her Tylenol and her meds. If she had been at home and was that sick, I would have taken her to the hospital."[/list]
Yes, but how do we know that is the right decision? If you call up the doctors and you child has a 103.8 fever they would ask you to try a few things to bring it down and ask you questions about her health before deciding if the child should be brought in or not.
Sometimes fevers spike and then go down again. I think we need to hear the whole story first before blaming anyone.
Yes, bringing her to the hospital would have been the right decision. It could have quite possibly, perhaps quite probably, saved her life.
On another note: I read all the time here that program parents make really bad decisions regarding their childs safety. Why are you assuming they would have made the right one if this child had been home? Why the turn around in your thinking?
No "turn around" at all, on *my* part. You must be stereotyping me, just like you seem to do with a lot of other survivors here who do not support your propagandizing efforts.
Not all parents are alike. Some are not exactly what one might call "program parents." Some have little or no say in the decision to put their kid in a program. And some might well have made a different decision had they fully understood what they were dealing with.
Ursus, it is obvious that you cherry pick sound bites to meet your agenda. Why dont you just let the investigation take its course and find out what happened instead of trying to push a negative spin on programs all the time?
Are you talkin' to me 'bout cherry picking? LOLOLLLLL. Go talk to George Washington about his cherry tree. :D
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Edited: Wednesday, October 06, 2010
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Edited: Wednesday, October 06, 2010
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Yes, bringing her to the hospital would have been the right decision. It could have quite possibly, perhaps quite probably, saved her life.
I agree with this the same way I agree that staying home on September 11, 2001 if you worked in the World Trade Center in NYC.
If I worked there I would have called in sick that day for sure.
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Yes, bringing her to the hospital would have been the right decision. It could have quite possibly, perhaps quite probably, saved her life.
I agree with this the same way I agree that staying home on September 11, 2001 if you worked in the World Trade Center in NYC.
If I worked there I would have called in sick that day for sure.
Mmm, yes. But that would have entailed having information which was not then readily available to the masses. Perhaps not to anyone, but discussion of those possibilities is far beyond the focus of this thread.
In the case of Heather Marie Hopkins, pertinent information was readily available. Boys and Girls Town of Missouri just chose to interpret it in the least proactive and involved way possible.
At some point during the afternoon prior to her death, I'm assuming it was towards evening, Ms. Hopkins was running a fever of 103.8°F. According to the second article above, "Parents seek answers for death (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=31243&p=380344#p380265)," her mother:
...said she had talked with her daughter at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 1, and Heather told her she "was feeling bad," complaining of being sick with a fever.[/list]
Also according to the second article above, Ms. Hopkins had already had some medication issues and mishaps:
Debbie Hopkins said her daughter had been at Boys & Girls Town 35 days and was due to stay another 60.
She said Heather had been diagnosed as bipolar, with depression and ADHD and had been battling medication issues.
Prior to Heather being admitted to Boys & Girls Town, "There had been a lot of shuffling of Heather among hospitals," noted Debbie Hopkins. "She had been receiving excellent care" up until an apparent medication overdose resulted in another round of hospital changes.[/list]
Now, I don't know what meds she was on, and whether these meds might alter body temperature regulation under circumstances of undue or unfamiliar exertion. Moreover, whether her symptoms might mask some other condition, perhaps even more serious. What was she doing while at the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville? From the first article above, "Cause of teen's death still undetermined, (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=31243&p=380344#p380224)":
"She had a 103.8 degree fever the afternoon before," said Debbie Hopkins, the girl's mother. "She had been out at (the Wilderness Ranch in Steelville) and came back to (her) cottage. They gave her Tylenol and her meds. If she had been at home and was that sick, I would have taken her to the hospital."[/list]
It seems to me, when you're dealing with a kid who may or may not have unpredictable reactions to certain medications, who appears to have been involved in some activities that may or may not involve levels of physical stress that her body may be unfamiliar with, and with whom staff members themselves are less than fully familiar with (she had only been at Boys and Girls Town for 35 days), that a fever of 103.8° would prompt a prudently immediate visit to the ER.
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....that a fever of 103.8° would prompt a prudently immediate visit to the ER.
I dont know if 103.8 degree fever justifies a trip to the ER. I think we would have to determine if this is the best course of action. I am not a medic so I would have to look this up.
I have had kids with fever that high and we certainly stayed up and watched over them, but we didnt go to the ER for it. The fever came down eventually on its own. Fevers are a way to burn off stuff in our bodies and are also a warning that something serious could be wrong if it lasts a long time.
I think we need more details.
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....that a fever of 103.8° would prompt a prudently immediate visit to the ER.
I dont know if 103.8 degree fever justifies a trip to the ER. I think we would have to determine if this is the best course of action. I am not a medic so I would have to look this up.
I have had kids with fever that high and we certainly stayed up and watched over them, but we didnt go to the ER for it. The fever came down eventually on its own. Fevers are a way to burn off stuff in our bodies and are also a warning that something serious could be wrong if it lasts a long time.
I think we need more details.
You are taking my statement out of context from the rest of that paragraph which, in this case, is quite pertinent.
Let me refresh your memory:
It seems to me, when you're dealing with a kid who may or may not have unpredictable reactions to certain medications, who appears to have been involved in some activities that may or may not involve levels of physical stress that her body may be unfamiliar with, and with whom staff members themselves are less than fully familiar with (she had only been at Boys and Girls Town for 35 days), that a fever of 103.8° would prompt a prudently immediate visit to the ER.
[/list]
I should also say that all of the above could easily mask something more serious as well. It is best to be prudent.
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The Legacy.com Memorial/Obituary for Heather Marie Hopkins (http://http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/stltoday/obituary-preview.aspx?n=heather-marie-hopkins&pid=141569437&referrer=1441) has already slipped into the pay-per-view, but here is another Obit that is still readily accessible:
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Archived Obituaries
Information
Name: HOPKINS, Heather Marie (http://http://www.alternativefuneralcremation.com/index.php/obituaries/archived-obituaries/details/338-hopkins-heather-marie)
Date of Death: Apr 2, 2010
Location of Service: Alternative Funeral & Cremation Services - Saint Peters
Category: Archived Obituaries[/list][/size]
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(http://http://www.alternativefuneralcremation.com/images/eventlist/events/small/heather_hopkins_1276783629.jpg)
Heather Marie Hopkins, age 18 passed away April 2, 2010. She was born March 31, 1992. Loving daughter of Stephen Dale & Debbie Sue Hopkins. Loving sister of Steven Christopher Hopkins. Loving step-granddaughter of Charles Arnett. Loving granddaughter of Roger & Mary Lee Hopkins. Loving niece of Sheila & Brian Gales, Jennifer & Chuck Banderbol, Chris & Lisa Hopkins and Matthew. Was a loving aunt to many nieces & nephews. She was preceded in death by grandfather James Bowman & grandmother Flora Arnett. Funeral Services will be 10:00 A. M. Friday April 9, 2010 at West County Assembly of God 13431 N. Outer 40 Rd. Chesterfield, MO 63017. Visitation will be 4-8 P.M. Thursday April 8, 2010 at the church. Burial will be in St. Charles Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the family.
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Location Name Alternative Funeral & Cremation ServicesMap
Location of Services: Alternative Funeral & Cremation Services
Street: 2115 Parkway Drive
ZIP: 63376
City: Saint Peters
State: MO
Country: us[/list][/size]
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Let me refresh your memory:
It seems to me, when you're dealing with a kid who may or may not have unpredictable reactions to certain medications, who appears to have been involved in some activities that may or may not involve levels of physical stress that her body may be unfamiliar with, and with whom staff members themselves are less than fully familiar with (she had only been at Boys and Girls Town for 35 days), that a fever of 103.8° would prompt a prudently immediate visit to the ER.
[/list]
I should also say that all of the above could easily mask something more serious as well. It is best to be prudent.
I agree, Ursus, a high fever could mask something more serious. But we are missing information. If a childs temperature spikes to 103.8 I dont think it necessitates a trip to the ER. I dont believe a doctor would tell you to go to the ER either based on 103.8 fever. I believe there are time frames involved like how long the fever lasts before you take action. What medications were being administered , how much and when. Did Tylenol reduce the fever at all? Motrin? Was it given?
In hindsight, sure, the girl should have gone to the ER. But they didnt have that visibility nor can we go back.
The question is did the school follow best practices when dealing with this girls illness. I dont think we have enough information to determine if they did or not.
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An interesting event that may help to shed some light on the death at Boys and Girls Town of Missouri
Link (http://http://wbztv.com/health/flu.death.clinics.2.937214.html)
A 12-year-old boy has died from complications of the flu, becoming the first child in Massachusetts to fall victim to the virus this year.
Four children died from the flu last year in Massachusetts. DPH officials said there has been a spike of flu cases in the state within the past week, particularly among teens and pre-teens. The flu season's peak typically hits sometime in February or March.
When asked at what point should parents take their children to see a doctor, Dr. Anita Barry with the Boston Public Health Commission said, "If that person has a fever that can't be controlled, problems breathing, someone whose temperature goes down, and a few days later the fever comes back, can't keep fluids down."
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Three Rivers Publishing
Meningitis may have killed girl at BGTM (http://http://www.threeriverspublishing.com/TRP/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5733:meningitis-may-have-killed-girl-at-bgtm&catid=66&Itemid=264)
Written by Chris Daniels
Thursday, 13 May 2010 15:14
(http://http://www.threeriverspublishing.com/TRP/images/stories/images/2010/May/hopkins.jpg)
Eighteen-year-old Heather Hopkins died April 2 at Boys and Girls Town of Missouri.
More than a month after their daughter's death, a Missouri couple is still waiting to find exactly what killed her the night she died at the Boys and Girls Town of Missouri campus near St. James.
The investigation into the death of Heather Marie Hopkins, age 18, has still not concluded, despite the fact that she died more than 40 days ago on April 2. The girl was found unresponsive in a commons area at 4:40 a.m. that morning.
After emergency medical procedures were administered at the scene, the teenager was taken to Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla, where she was pronounced dead. The Phelps County Sheriff's Department and St. James fire and ambulance departments all responded to the scene after the girl was found. An autopsy was conducted in St. Louis at the request of Phelps County Coroner Larry Swinfard, but that report has not been made public.
"When I talked to the coroner two weeks ago, he was writing the report," Debbie Hopkins, mother of the deceased, said this week. "I don't know what the hold up is. I don't know why this is taking so long."
Mrs. Hopkins was contacted at the end of April with an unofficial cause of death, and according to her the official report was being drawn up at that time. She said then she was told her daughter died from some form of meningitis, but no specifics on the exact disease were given to her.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both bacterial and viral meningitis can cause serious illness, although bacterial meningitis is the most serious and can lead to death. Bacterial meningitis is contagious, but can be treated with antibiotics if it is diagnosed correctly.
According to the CDC website, high fever, headache, and stiff neck are common symptoms of meningitis in anyone over the age of two. These symptoms can develop over several hours, or they may take one to two days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion, and sleepiness. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. If symptoms occur, the patient should see a doctor immediately.
Mrs. Hopkins reported earlier that her daughter had told her the day before she died that she had a fever of 103.8 degrees. Boys and Girls Town of Missouri has licensed nursing staff on all of its campuses, or on call, 24 hours a day.
"If there is any indication that a potential illness may be contagious, nursing staff is notified and appropriate clinical procedures are followed," said Marie McGeehan, senior director of communications for Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. "Procedures were followed in this situation and a nurse examined the child."
The Hopkins family is eagerly waiting to find out why their child is no longer with them. The family has been in contact with the Missouri Department of Health, but is still waiting for an official cause of death. Family members are extremely frustrated with the lack of information that is being released on their daughter's death and want the investigation to move forward.
Swinfard was contacted this week in an effort to get a copy of the autopsy report, but he was not available for comment.
Funeral services for Heather Hopkins were held April 9 at the West County Assembly of God in Chesterfield, Mo, and she was buried at the St. Charles Memorial Gardens. Her family lives in the O'Fallon, Mo. area.
Copyright © 2005 - 2010 Three Rivers Publishing.
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Here are a couple of employee reviews for BGTM from Glassdoor.com (top possible score is 5.0):
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Boys and Girls Town of Missouri Reviews (http://http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Boys-and-Girls-Town-of-Missouri-Reviews-E316381.htm)
Company Rating Based on 2 ratings
2.5
Employees say it's "OK"[/list]Reviews are posted anonymously by employees (updated Jun 10, 2010)[/list]
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- Boys and Girls Town of Missouri Lead Youth Care Specialist - Columbia, MO Campus in Columbia, MO: (Current Employee)
"Dissatisfied Employee with Boys & Girls Town of MO, Inc. - Columbia, MO Location" (http://http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Boys-and-Girls-Town-of-Missouri-RVW526937.htm)
0 of 0 people found this helpful
Jun 10, 2010
2010-06-10 11:08 PDT
3.0
Details
Communication 2.0
Recognition & Feedback 2.0
Senior Leadership 3.5
Compensation & Benefits 2.5
Fairness & Respect 1.5
Employee Morale 3.5
Career Opportunities 3.5
Work/Life Balance 3.0
[/size]
Pros
Good trainings and career growth opportunities, Friendly co-workers and occasionally, Friendly and competent Cottage Life Supervisors, Some employee praise events, truly meet their mission and attempt to provide the best for their kids.
Cons
Severe communication problems, severe lack of consistency with programs, therapeutic activities, containment techniques, negative modeling behaviors by supervisors, poor communication with direct care staff and administrative officials and vice-versa, lack of activities to engage the youth, lack of quality programming and consistency with scheduling, no incentives to remain with the organization - poor pay, ridiculously poor raises and praise, the employee appreciation events are a joke, each cottage runs differently - thus extreme lack of consistency with the therapeutic environment of the organization. Simply put, very poor organization, problem-solving, communication, among many other skills. Additionally, a ton of internal, friend-based reasons and encouragements for advancement, rather than skills and qualifications. MUST LOVE KIDS TO WORK HERE!!!
Advice to Senior Management
1st and foremost, communication must be significantly improved, consistency is key for everything in the residential field and must be applied, the structure of the organization must be more succinct and in stone. Better care for the children and in my opinion the main people who help these kids are the direct care staff, as they spend the most time with them and build the true family-like and friendly yet professional relationships. Thus, to retain staff and increase the effectiveness and competence of direct care staff, higher pay is needed, more employee appreciation, trainings, and raises must be based on performance, not that each person gets the same raise after a year. I wish the best for BGTM and hope the Columbia Campus improves, especially for the kids.
[/li][/list]
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- Boys and Girls Town of Missouri Social Services Administrative Assistant in Springfield, MO: (Past Employee - 2010)
"Review of BGTM" (http://http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Boys-and-Girls-Town-of-Missouri-RVW475123.htm)
0 of 0 people found this helpful
Apr 23, 2010
2010-04-23 17:10 PDT
2.0
Details
Communication 1.5
Recognition & Feedback 2.0
Senior Leadership 2.0
Compensation & Benefits 2.0
Fairness & Respect 1.5
Employee Morale 1.5
Career Opportunities 2.0
Work/Life Balance 4.5
[/size]
Pros
Helping the children is very rewarding. The people are very nice that you work with and many of them reall care about the children.
Cons
Pay not equal with performance. It is also a job where more and more responsibility is placed on you with out thanks and with out increase in pay.
Advice to Senior Management
I would say that offering more feedback would be helpful. Many of the employees only get reviewed once a year.
[/li][/list]
Copyright © 2008-2010, Glassdoor.com.
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Speaking of employees, here's an oldish article about an alleged former employee of Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. I presume the "boarding school for troubled teens" in Burlington, Vermont, that she had been planning to work for might have been Rock Point School; however, I honestly don't know enough about that area to even be remotely sure...
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Missourian
Woman faces charges after police find daughter hidden in hole (http://http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/08/21/woman-faces-charges-after-police-find-daughter-hidden-hole/)
Thursday, August 21, 2008 | 10:25 p.m. CDT
BY ALAN SCHER ZAGIER/The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY — A 37-year-old mother embroiled in a bitter custody dispute with an ex-husband faces felony kidnapping charges after police discovered her 11-year-old daughter living in a hole cut into the woman's living room floor.
Rebecca Albrecht of New Bloomfield, who also uses the last name Vieth-Albrecht, was charged Thursday with felony counts of child abduction and perjury. She is accused of lying to a Cole County grand jury called to investigate the abduction of Bailey Vieth from her father's Jefferson City home.
Bailey was first reported missing on July 29 and initially considered a runaway. Investigators visited her mother's home in Callaway County several times in the ensuing weeks without discovering the child, Cole County Sheriff Greg White told reporters Thursday afternoon.
She was discovered Wednesday in a crawl space covered with plywood and carpeting, with a sofa over that material, after Albrecht's live-in boyfriend confessed that Albrecht "planned and arranged for her daughter to be removed from her father's custody," according to a probable cause statement filed in Cole County Circuit Court.
"Her health was as good as when she was taken to that residence," White said, adding that the girl did not appear to have been physically abused or deprived of food. "We're thankful that Bailey's alive, she's safe and she's healthy."
White added that two "very young" children other than Bailey were living with Albrecht and her boyfriend, Chris West. Court records show that West had a son whom Albrecht named in a financial statement.
Court records show that Albrecht and James Christopher Vieth divorced in January 2002, with custody awarded to each parent on alternating weeks. In July 2007, Albrecht sought court permission to move with her daughter to Burlington, Vt. Albrecht said in court documents she planned to work at a boarding school for troubled teens.
The court file had no record of a ruling in that case. On June 9, Vieth sought an emergency court order asking for Bailey's return and alleging that she had been "illegally restrained" in New Bloomfield by Albrecht since June 2. A June 19 court ruling ordered Albrecht to return the child to her father.
Lawyers for Albrecht and Vieth did not immediately return telephone calls from The Associated Press.
Additional arrests are possible, White said. He declined to indicate whether West, who is listed in court records as Albrecht's fiance, was among those still under investigation. No charges had been filed against West.
A second marriage to Matthew Albrecht ended in divorce in July 2004 after just six months, according to court records. Albrecht listed her job at the time with Boys and Girls Town of Missouri.
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Speaking of employees, here's an oldish article about an alleged former employee of Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. I presume the "boarding school for troubled teens" in Burlington, Vermont, that she had been planning to work for might have been Rock Point School; however, I honestly don't know enough about that area to even be remotely sure...
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Missourian
Woman faces charges after police find daughter hidden in hole (http://http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/08/21/woman-faces-charges-after-police-find-daughter-hidden-hole/)
Thursday, August 21, 2008 | 10:25 p.m. CDT
BY ALAN SCHER ZAGIER/The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY — A 37-year-old mother embroiled in a bitter custody dispute with an ex-husband faces felony kidnapping charges after police discovered her 11-year-old daughter living in a hole cut into the woman's living room floor.
Rebecca Albrecht of New Bloomfield, who also uses the last name Vieth-Albrecht, was charged Thursday with felony counts of child abduction and perjury. She is accused of lying to a Cole County grand jury called to investigate the abduction of Bailey Vieth from her father's Jefferson City home.
Bailey was first reported missing on July 29 and initially considered a runaway. Investigators visited her mother's home in Callaway County several times in the ensuing weeks without discovering the child, Cole County Sheriff Greg White told reporters Thursday afternoon.
She was discovered Wednesday in a crawl space covered with plywood and carpeting, with a sofa over that material, after Albrecht's live-in boyfriend confessed that Albrecht "planned and arranged for her daughter to be removed from her father's custody," according to a probable cause statement filed in Cole County Circuit Court.
"Her health was as good as when she was taken to that residence," White said, adding that the girl did not appear to have been physically abused or deprived of food. "We're thankful that Bailey's alive, she's safe and she's healthy."
White added that two "very young" children other than Bailey were living with Albrecht and her boyfriend, Chris West. Court records show that West had a son whom Albrecht named in a financial statement.
Court records show that Albrecht and James Christopher Vieth divorced in January 2002, with custody awarded to each parent on alternating weeks. In July 2007, Albrecht sought court permission to move with her daughter to Burlington, Vt. Albrecht said in court documents she planned to work at a boarding school for troubled teens.
The court file had no record of a ruling in that case. On June 9, Vieth sought an emergency court order asking for Bailey's return and alleging that she had been "illegally restrained" in New Bloomfield by Albrecht since June 2. A June 19 court ruling ordered Albrecht to return the child to her father.
Lawyers for Albrecht and Vieth did not immediately return telephone calls from The Associated Press.
Additional arrests are possible, White said. He declined to indicate whether West, who is listed in court records as Albrecht's fiance, was among those still under investigation. No charges had been filed against West.
A second marriage to Matthew Albrecht ended in divorce in July 2004 after just six months, according to court records. Albrecht listed her job at the time with Boys and Girls Town of Missouri.
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Lovely type of person to work with kids. ::) God, these people really do live by the belief that the end justifies the means. :eek: