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• Autistic teen found naked living in filth, charges against caretakers suspended Play Video

  May 17, 2013 10:07 PM

  Police found shocking discovery at a home on the northeast side of Colorado Springs when they responded to a welfare check Thursday night: a 13-year-old autistic boy naked, living among dead and live rodents and human and animal excrement. The boy has been in the care of a former... more »

• Edible pot treats pose problem for kids Play Video

  April 1, 2013 7:43 PM

  April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month, and some doctors are pointing to Colorado's lax marijuana laws as potential risks for children. Doctors at Children's Hospital in Denver are reporting a significant increase in hospital visits due to kids getting their hands on marijuana treats like brownies. Between 2005 and... more »

• Ft. Carson soldier arrested, suspected of child abuse resulting in death

  August 25, 2012 12:36 PM

  An active duty Fort Carson soldier is arrested after the death of a 10-month-old boy. Last night, Sand Creek officers when to a home on Brant Hollow Court where the young child was unconscious but breathing. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors found multiple bruises on his... more »

• Local group hopes child abuse prevention training isn't underutilized

  July 15, 2012 7:38 PM

  Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky waits on his sentence; he was found guilty of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year span. As the case has gone forward its increased discussion about child abuse nationwide; continuing on topics like how to prevent it, but also focusing on... more »

• Young couple may face child abuse charges

  May 18, 2012 6:28 PM

  Pueblo Sheriff's officials say a Pueblo West couple may be charged with child abuse after their toddler was hospitalized with a head injury. The 20-month-old child was taken to Children's Hospital in Denver on May 7. Doctors determined there was a brain injury and said it was not accidental.... more »

• Police search landfill for missing baby

  April 13, 2012 4:33 PM

  COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) - Commerce City police and the FBI are searching a landfill for the body of a missing 7-month-old boy after the mother was charged with child abuse resulting in death. Twenty-two-year-old Sharrieckia Page was formally advised of the charge on April 4. Commerce City police started... more »

• Child abuse cases on the rise in El Paso County Play Video

  December 13, 2011 12:15 AM

  27 year old Melissa Alexander is accused killing her boyfriend's 1 year old baby daughter. It happened back in November when police say the baby was found unconscious and not breathing while in Alexander's care. The baby died this weekend and now Alexander faces 1st degree murder charges. As awful... more »

• 2 children under 5 found wandering in DougCo

  November 8, 2011 8:27 PM

  CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) - A Douglas County grandmother could face charges of child abuse after two children under the age of five were found wandering alone outside in temperatures reportedly just above freezing. The Denver Post reports that the two children, as well as a 16-year-old under the... more »

• Mom pleads guilty to child abuse in baby's death

  October 28, 2011 6:59 PM

  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado Springs woman whose baby drowned in a tub of hot water while she was across the street buying cigarettes and chicken wings has pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. Twenty-three-year-old Estella Toleafoa faces 24 to 48 years in prison at... more »

• Verdict reached in child abuse death

  October 3, 2011 2:30 PM

  A jury reached a verdict today in the case against George Peters. He's the man accused of fatally injuring 2 month old, Nicholas Johnson, in February. The jury found Peters not guilty of 1st degree murder in the infants death but found him guilty of child abuse resulting in... more »

• Child abuse cases double in Pueblo

  October 2, 2011 2:45 PM

  Board members for Pueblo Child Advocacy Center say child abuse is on a sharp increase this fall. The center typically helps around 200 children a year, but in the past three months that number has doubled. The center held a Run or Ride fundraiser Sunday morning at the Pueblo... more »

• Warning signs a child has been sexually abused

  August 4, 2011 2:23 PM

  The headlines are shocking even to those who work with abused children on a daily basis. A Pueblo man, among 72 people charged on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in an international child pornography network. Federal prosecutors says the suspects used a website called Dreamboard which was "dedicated to the... more »

• Toddler hit by car

  June 17, 2011 8:59 PM

  AURORA, Colo. (AP) - Police say a Denver-area woman whose daughter died after being hit a by van was checking her messages on Facebook while the toddler was outside. Authorities say 30-year-old Karen Pena of Aurora faces charges of child abuse and child abuse resulting in death. Pena was... more »

• Monument residents react to Lynch plea deal

  May 7, 2011 6:22 PM

  As we reported last night, Monique Lynch is reportedly making a plea deal with prosecuters to lower her charge of 1st degree murder to child abuse resulting in death. We are speaking with Monument residents and getting their reaction to the news. We'll have more on News First 5 at... more »

• Getting help to prevent child abuse

  April 26, 2011 10:33 PM

  So far in 2011, a babysitter, a mother, and a father are all accused of killing a child younger than a year old in Colorado Springs. "A child under the age of one requires 24/7 care. And I think that's frustrating, and if you don't have coping skills and... more »

• Calhan man pleads guilty to sex assault of step granddaughter

  March 21, 2011 5:57 PM

  A Calhan man admitted in court Monday to sexually assaulting his step granddaughter on multiple occassions dating back several years. John Cullyford, 70, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, a class 3 felony. He was taken in... more »

• Woman accepts plea agreement in toddler's drowning

  March 12, 2011 4:22 PM

  GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - A woman who told police she was playing games on Facebook when her 13-month-old son drowned in a bathtub has pleaded guilty to negligent child abuse in a plea agreement. Thirty-four-year-old Shannon Johnson of Evans entered her plea Friday in Weld County District Court in... more »

• Father charged with child abuse for removing child from hospital

  March 9, 2011 6:15 PM

  The father who apparently removed his child from Memorial Hospital this morning has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse. The father is identified as 21 year old Gary Criss. He was served by police on the charge today and released from custody. The charge relates to the potential danger... more »

• Woman charged with locking son in dog crate

  March 8, 2011 8:23 AM

  OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (AP) - Police say a Connecticut woman is facing charges for making her son sleep in a locked dog crate because he was acting out and soiling his bed. Kathlyn Anthony of Old Saybrook was released on $100,000 bond following an initial court appearance Monday on... more »

• Colo. woman sentenced in death of adopted son, 3

  January 15, 2011 6:48 PM

  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado woman has been sentenced to six years in prison after she pleaded guilty to fatal child abuse in the death of her 3-year-old adopted son. Michelle Dosdall of Peyton was charged in the March 29 death of her son Tristan. She was... more »

• Colorado man sentenced in Haiti abuse

  December 21, 2010 6:01 PM

  NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A Colorado man has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for sexually abusing children at a school that he founded in Haiti. Federal Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven imposed the 19 years and 7 months sentence Tuesday on Douglas Perlitz,... more »

• Girl allegedly punched at ski area

  December 21, 2010 5:34 PM

  BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) - A Georgia man has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly punching a 14-year-old girl in the face after she ran into his son at Colorado's Beaver Creek Ski Resort. Forty-one-year-old Scott Filler of Decatur allegedly hit the girl after she bumped into... more »

• Woman arrested for child abuse

  August 18, 2010 7:25 PM

  A woman is being held in Pueblo County Detention Facility on child abuse charges. Nancy Galvan-Hernandez, 30, is charged with child abuse resulting in serious injury as well as being in the United States illegally. She's being held on $100,000 bail. According to an arrest affadavit she was babysitting... more »

• Accused child killer in court today

  August 4, 2010 9:47 AM

  Monique Lynch, accused stuffing a little girl's lifeless body into the crawl space of a Monument home, will face a judge in Colorado Springs for the first time today. Lynch waived her right to a video advisement last week. Today, she's expected to be formally charged with child abuse... more »

• Colorado man gets 40 years for infant son's death

  July 22, 2010 8:30 AM

  A Colorado man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the death of his 4-month-old baby, who had a skull fracture, bruising and bite marks on his face. Twenty-seven-year-old Benjamin Koller of Lafayette wept at his sentencing Wednesday during a slide show of his son, Jack. ... more »

• Trial of murdered Pueblo West teen begins

  July 15, 2010 8:31 PM

  The trial of a Pueblo West man accused of the murder and sexual assault of a teenage neighbor is underway in Pueblo. Paul Stark is charged with murder, sexual assault and child abuse in the death of 14 year-old Ashley Patterson. Ashley's body was discovered March 29, 2009 by... more »

• Baby in critical condition; child abuse investigation underway

  June 25, 2010 11:13 PM

  Colorado Springs Police are investigating a possible case of child abuse. A 2 month old baby was brought to a local hospital today suffering from brain injuries and bleeding. The baby was later rushed to a Denver hospital in critical condition. The cause of the child's injuries is still... more »

• Accused priest counseled teens in Colorado Springs

  April 28, 2010 9:43 AM

  A Denver area Roman Catholic priest accused of sexual misconduct with a minor in the 1970s was a chaplain at St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs in 1970 and 1971. Divine Redeemer Church officials on Sunday announced that the Rev. Mel Thompson was a pastor at the church and... more »

• 2 decades after shaking baby, father jailed again

  April 17, 2010 2:06 PM

  A Florida man whose severe abuse of his infant daughter in 1986 led to her death nearly two decades later is back in prison - this time for her murder. Christopher Michael Wells was charged with the murder of his daughter Christina after she died in 2006 at age 19.... more »

• Woman accused in death of 3-year-old adopted son

  April 3, 2010 9:12 AM

  A 39-year-old woman is in jail after authorities accused her of being responsible for the head injury that killed her 3-year-old adopted son. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says Michelle Dosdall, of Peyton, Colo., faces first-degree murder and child abuse charges for the death of the boy, who was... more »

• Mom accused in preschooler's death surrenders

  April 2, 2010 2:04 PM

  A mom accused of murdering her 3-year-old son is in jail. Michelle Dosdall turned herself in to the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center Friday morning. She's charged with First Degree Murder and Child Abuse Resulting in Death. Dosdall is being held without bond. According to El Paso County... more »

• Man gets 25-year prison term for hitting son

  March 30, 2010 9:26 AM

  A Colorado Springs man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for leaving his son brain-damaged after hitting him in the head when the child was less than a month old. Twenty-five-year-old Michael Anthony Douglas received his sentenced Monday after a jury convicted him in January of child abuse. Authorities... more »

• Mother sentenced to 20 years for son's death

  March 20, 2010 10:35 AM

  A Denver woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her 2-year-old son's scalding death. Twenty-four-year-old Isela Reyes-Talamantes was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in January to child abuse resulting in death. She originally was charged with first-degree murder, but the charge was dismissed in exchange for her... more »

• Colorado Springs dad of injured baby in custody

  March 15, 2010 9:09 AM

  A Colorado Springs man suspected of abusing his daughter is back in custody. Authorities say 23 year-old Jesse Kaizen failed to return to a courthouse in Colorado Springs after a break in a bond-revocation hearing last Thursday. Kaizen was arrested Saturday, and bond was set at more than $200,000. Kaizen... more »

• County settles lawsuit over child's death

  March 3, 2010 8:35 AM

  El Paso County will pay $300,000 to the mother of a 2-year-old girl who died in foster care. The county commissioners approved the out-of-court settlement Tuesday in the lawsuit filed after Alize Vick died in 2007. Officials say the settlement means all claims brought against the county's Department of Human... more »

• Colorado Springs woman convicted in child's death

  February 19, 2010 2:59 PM

  A Colorado Springs jury has convicted Jules Cuneo of two counts in a child abuse case which ended the life of a toddler more than two years ago. Cuneo was convicted of Child Abuse (knowingly and recklessly causing death), and Reckless Manslaughter. The prosecution had asked for a murder... more »

• Conflicting stories heard in child's death

  February 6, 2010 8:13 AM

  A foster mother accused of killing a 2-year-old girl told a sheriff's investigator that she pushed the child because the youngster hadn't talked to her in a week. The interview was played to jurors Friday in the first-degree murder trial of 36-year-old Jules Lynn Cuneo. She's accused of causing the... more »

• Shaken baby deaths on the rise

  October 13, 2009 7:18 PM

  There has been a dramatic spike in the number of shaken baby deaths in El Paso County this year. Thus far, six babies have died, twice as many as in 2008. Another 18 child abuse cases have also been reported that are likely related to shaken baby syndrome. ... more »

• State-run social services idea not getting local approval

  October 5, 2009 10:38 PM

  Seven children have died from abuse in El Paso County so far this year, according to the Department of Human Services (DHS). Many of those cases never made it to DHS. “That worries me,” says Child Protective Services Intake Manager Marian Percy, “the calls we... more »

• Police: Teen frequently tied up, kept in closet

  September 29, 2009 12:07 PM

  Police say an Oklahoma woman accused of beating her 14-year-old son frequently kept him tied up and had a lock installed on a bedroom closet where he often was kept. Oklahoma City police Sgt. Gary Knight says investigators continue to conduct interviews and examine evidence as they prepare a criminal... more »