One day, Rayne Perrywinkle and her three daughters went on a little shopping trip to a discount store. Perrywinkle’s daughters needed more clothes but she was having a hard time figuring out how she was going to pay for them. After exiting the discount store 61-year-old Donald Smith was standing outside waiting to speak to the four women. He had been standing around them in the discount store and noticed the mother struggling to afford the clothes. Smith offered to take them to Walmart and make some purchases for them. Rayne was not quite sure about accepting the offer, but Smith told her that his wife would meet them at the nearby Walmart. Rayne gave in because she was convinced that he was just being a good Samaritan that wanted to help her family out. After realizing the wife had never shown up, Rayne stated that her daughters were getting restless because of how late it was, and they had no dinner. Smith offered to buy them McDonald’s, which was located inside the Walmart. Rayne’s 8-year-old daughter Cherish Perrywinkle followed Smith to the McDonald’s and twenty minutes later she realized McDonald’s was closed and her daughter was missing. Cameras caught the man and little girl exiting the building but Cherish was later found mutilated in a creek.
Not having children of your own nor personally experiencing a child abduction situation I could not imagine how Rayne Perrywinkle was feeling sitting face to face in a courtroom with the killer of her daughter. In the United States, there are approximately 460,000 children that are reported missing every year (International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, 2019). The eye-opening thing about Cherish’s story is the fact the worthless old man more than likely bribed her out of the building due to the fact she was skipping out behind him. According to Attorney Melissa Nelson, “No one noticed. It looked like a grandfather and a granddaughter” (Dearen, 2018). Unfortunately, that is how this old man got away with the terrible thing that he did. No one would ever wish this upon someone else and you never realize the damage that it can do until it is done to your family. Although, Rayne thought Smith was just being a “good Samaritan”, we all must grasp the fact there are so many cruel individuals in the world today. In my opinion, there were warning signs written all over this man, but you can get so caught up in the moment and all she was doing was trying to do what was right for her children.
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Nowadays parents cannot take their eyes off their children because it only takes one second for them to get snatched up and taken. Teenagers constantly need to watch their backs anywhere they go because people like Smith are always watching and taking notes. In Cherish Perrywinkle’s case, her tragedy could have easily been prevented. It is hard to blame the mom because she was doing what was best for her babies, but it is hard not to blame her due to the fact she was wary about the offer but took it anyways. The main thing that would have saved Cherish’s life is the number one rule when in public with your children; never let them out of your sight.
One way the abduction could have been prevented is Rayne weighing all the options before getting into the white van and putting her children in danger. Smith easily could have approached the family inside the discount store where he first noticed the mother was struggling to afford the clothes, rather than waiting for them outside. Another way it could have been prevented is when the wife has never shown up at Walmart as Smith assured would happen, Rayne should have taken her children and left. The article does not specify if Cherish voluntarily followed the man to McDonald’s or if Rayne allowed it to begin with. If they all would have went together, then she would have seen it was closed and Cherish might be alive today. You never send your child off with a stranger no matter the situation. Also, it should not have taken Rayne 20 minutes to realize the McDonald’s inside the store was closed and her daughter was missing from her side.
Reporting the incident is the first thing that anyone should do when they witness or have reason to believe there is some sort of child abuse happening. Teachers, principals, doctors, and nurses are mandated reporters (Child Abuse-Reporting Procedures, 2018). For us nurses, this means we are responsible for making a report when we have reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been abused. Collect as much information about the incident as possible and if it is an emergency then calling 911 would be the first step. You would contact the local child protective services agency if there was not an emergency, but a suspicion of some form of child abuse. When calling, the person on the other line will ask questions such as details about the suspicion, the reason for reporting, whereabouts of the child, indicators of harm, etc. Even if you do not know all the information a report should still be made. After making a report, there will be ongoing responsibilities, such as: participating in conferences or planning meetings that pertain to the case, being a support person for the child, and providing written reports for future court proceedings. Never hesitate to call or contact your local police department because it might just save that child’s life.
There can be physical, sexual, behavioral, and emotional signs of abuse or disclosure where the child comes straight out and says they have been abused. We all hope that a child would come out and tell someone but, they are beyond terrified, therefore, you must look for other indicators. Some specific things dealing with the physical approach can be bruises, broken bones, and burns to the body, especially if the child is not able to provide an explanation for the injury. Some behavioral indicators can be wearing long pants or long sleeves when it is hot outside, not showing any emotion when getting hurt, or showing alcohol and drug misuse. Emotional signs are having constant worry about doing something wrong, not showing any interest in having friends, showing depression, and having low self-esteem. Some children may try to avoid going home or show fear of going home and that itself is a red flag.
Although talking to a child that is four years old versus talking to a teenager that is a victim of child abuse is different, your honesty and communication skills should be the same. For instance, from the ages of 2 up to 18 the main priority when communicating with these victims should be gaining their honesty, that way they are more comfortable with you. Being asked tons of questions and surrounded by many unfamiliar faces can be quite terrifying, no matter the child’s age, so therefore honesty and respect are key. You want to let the child know that they are no longer in danger and it is okay to feel hurt, scared, confused, or angry. Using terms and language the child can understand is important because if you’re using big professional words then that could possibly frighten the victim even more and you might not get the information needed.
Most cases dealing with child abuse involve someone that the child either loves or trusts a lot. Therefore, the main reason most incidents go unreported is due to the fact the child is scared to tell anyone because they fear getting someone else in trouble or being punished for it. One important thing to always remember when talking to child abuse victims is the amount of courage it takes to speak openly about the situation. Talking to them in the appropriate manner is vital because that can alter the way you can help the child. Usually, children only talk to people they trust about situations like these, so you do not want to react or talk in a way that is going to scare them. The one thing you never want to do is force the victim to talk because this could only make things worse, patience and understanding is important.
Communicating with family members that are not suspected of committing child abuse can be difficult because they have millions of thoughts running through their heads and their emotions are all over the place. The family is more than likely having a hard time coping with the situation just as well as the victim, therefore, it is important to give them tips and ideas on what to say to the victim and how to reassure them. According to “Help for Parents of Children”, you should remind the family that repeating I love you, what happened is not your fault, and I will do everything I can to keep you safe is very reassuring (2019). It is also important to talk to the family about how to react to the situation. Reacting with anger, anxiety, fear, sadness, and shock is not the way to go, you want to tell them that approaching in a way that can help the victim and family sort through the issues is best.
Communicating with family members that are suspected of child abuse can be difficult as well because at this point the person doing the talking has to keep their composure and professionalism together. You never want to talk to a family together, because you will never hear the true side of the story. Talking to each individual person in the family that is suspected of doing the abuse and talking to the victim separately is the correct thing to do. Pulling them aside into a quiet room where there are no distractions is the way to get the best feedback. There are usually investigators or people higher up in the food chain who come in and talk to the individuals suspected of doing the abuse. They are trained and know exactly how to pry the information out of individuals.
There are a lot of times when dealing with child abuse cases where the abuser shows absolutely no signs of being an abuser. Sometimes you need to dig super deep and way back into someone’s past to get down to the information that is needed. One way to tell if someone is a child abuser or not is by determining if they were abused as a child. A lot of times those who were abused are the individuals who are doing the abusing today. If you pay close attention sometimes the words someone says, or their actions can throw a red flag too. Sometimes a parent’s demeanor or behavior sends red flags about child abuse, such as showing little concern for the child, blaming the child for their problems, using harsh physical discipline, and severely limiting the child’s contact with others (Child Abuse, 2019).
In all areas of the United States, it is the nurse’s responsibility to report any possible child abuse incidents. In the state of Alabama, the nurse should immediately contact the Department of Human Resources office and tell them what was seen, if failure to do so is a misdemeanor they can be sentenced to up to 6 months in jail or a fine up to $500 (Alabama Child Abuse Laws, 2019). For the state of Florida, anyone who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect child abuse must immediately report to the Department of Children and Family Services, failure to report is a misdemeanor in 1st degree and false reporting is a felony in 3rd degree (Florida Child Abuse Laws, 2019). When reporting, the nurse needs to be prepared to provide information such as their name, the victim’s name, an address if possible, telephone numbers, dates of birth, a brief description of the abuse, any names of others that have a relationship with the victim, and the relationship the abuser may have with the victim.
Child abuse is so common today and it is sad to think most of the people doing the abuse are parents. There will never be a time when child abuse does not occur because there is no possible way of bringing it to an end. Anyone’s best bet in saving a child’s life is reporting any suspicions of child abuse or knowing for a fact a child is in danger.
References
- Alabama Child Abuse Laws - FindLaw. (2019). Retrieved from https://statelaws.findlaw.com/alabama-law/alabama-child-abuse-laws.html
- Child abuse - reporting procedures. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/child-abuse-reporting-procedures
- Child abuse - Symptoms and causes. (2018, October 5). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/child-abuse/symptoms-causes/syc-20370864
- Dearen, J. (2018, February 13). Tearful Mother Testifies About 8-Year-Old's Abduction. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2018-02-12/tearful-mother-testifies-about-8-year-olds-abduction
- Florida Child Abuse Laws - FindLaw. (2019). Retrieved from https://statelaws.findlaw.com/florida-law/florida-child-abuse-laws.html
- Help for Parents of Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused by Family Members | RAINN. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.rainn.org/articles/help-parents-children-who-have-been-sexually-abused-family-members
- Missing Children’s Statistics. (2019). Retrieved from https://globalmissingkids.org/awareness/missing-children-statistics/
- Possible Signs of Child Abuse. (2017, June 16). Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/children/child-abuse-signs#2
- Reporting Child Abuse or Neglect | The Florida Network of Children's Advocacy Centers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fncac.org/reporting-child-abuse-or-neglect
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