Where was the adult in charge??? Why was ANY child placed into the custody of someone that was NOT there for them?

This is very tragic but I don't understand. Was the child put in foster care and then beaten to death by another child, or what? If that is the case, then who was in charge of supervising these children? They should take some responsibility. After all, that is why children need to be supervised. They don't know the difference between right and wrong; or the consequences of their actions. Who is really at fault here.

This young child was a baby himself, majority of the so-called "foster parents" are well into it for the money. I spent eighteen yrs of my life..im now 45..in foster care..these parents dont give a white lily about the welfare and well-being of this children. for he not aware of the severe actions that he has caused..LOCK THE FOSTER MOTHER UP...where was she..was it customary for her to leave the kids with a kid his age..interrogate her tush and I doubt she will be deemed "the foster mother of the year"..May her young soul rest in peace !

Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself.

As I said before, you don't know all the facts, none of us do. Oh, but I forgot - the internet makes judges of us all.

Bab...you seem to be suffering from "talking out both sides of your face syndrome"..you accused someone of being "ashamed of themselves", if thats not passing judgment than perhaps I don"t know what is..The moral of the story is this baby was left in the care of another baby.
BAB is it..had this young baby been yours I assure you, you would reverse your "innocent before guilty approach"..The baby is gone, end of speculatiing !

where were the adults??? a 12, 4 and 2 yr old are too much for a 15 yr old to be responsible for (this day and age). And with all those folks in the house, how did he have time to beat this child to death? - Sad all the way around

Agreed!! This kid was NO BABY!!!! He was 12 years old, and at 12 you know right from wrong!! He probably just did this for kicks. This brat should be punished and so should the person in charge!!

Daphne,
You are sterotyping all foster parents. There are foster parents out there who do generally care about their foster children. Some of these foster parents actually care more for their foster children then a parent with their biological child.
This article does not say where the foster parent was or for how long the beating lasted. For all we know, the foster parent could have went to the neighbor's house to borrow a cup of sugar. It is possible that the 12 year old would only have to hit the 2 year old a couple of times before there was traumatic damage. You have to factor in the size and force behind the strike. Where was the 15 year old at? He was left in charge. Now, many people will say that 15 is too young to be left in charge, but think about this: the legal age for a person to drive a 2 ton vehicle at 55 mph is only 16. So, yes, I would say that the 15 year old was capable of being in charge. The fact is, we don't know. That is why we have a court system. Where proof has to be provided, and a jury of our peers decide if beyond a doubt someone is guilty. Thank God that we don't base our justice system on what people on the internet think.

Where were the parents???? The foster parent should share some of the punishment. Parents know, children fight all the time, whether yours or someone else's..You are constantly telling them to stop, instead of making them stop. Therefore, I am not convinced that the adult in this case did not know, this was going on and no way was this the first time And he or she left them alone with a 15 year old, who most likely handle it the same way the adults in that househould did. Which was nothing.....

Christina, if an apology is in order for my comment regarding foster parents well there you have it. YES, not all foster parents are money hungry people. I've had a bit of experience regarding the "dollar sign duty". Toward the later part of my childhood in the system I had a wonderful foster parent, she enforced guidance, discipline and made sure I was educated. Your child, biological or not is a product of you. From the moment of birth its up to you and how your child is raised, if he"s around violence, vulgar language, and not taught right from wrong, well, this is apparently the out-come.

I was a foster parent and believe me what you get from the state to help doesn't cover all the expenses. I fostered because I wanted to help and I wanted to adopt. I ended up adopting my son who had been placed with me as an infant. I do agree there are some bad foster parents, people that I wonder how in the world they ever got approved. On the other hand there are some great foster parents out there and I personally know some of them. All the children that came into my home where treated as if they had been born to our household, by us and my extended family. Some of the kids went on to be adopted by great families, some went back to their birth families (I didn't always agree that it was a good choice for them), some I only had until they could get all of the birth kids into one home so they could be together during such a difficult time in their lives. I keep pictures of all my "kids" on my fridge. I miss them and wish I could have kept them all. In my heart they will all be my sons and daughters and someday I hope to meet them after they are grown. As to leaving the children with the birth children in the home. I would have hoped that first the parents made sure that their birth kids were fully on board to bring foster kids into their home. If not then don't do it. I have a birth daughter who was 14 when I started fostering and I made sure she was fully on board with the idea especially since she was an only child. I did not leave a child in her care until she was 17.

This kid should be in adult trial for 1st degree homicide, sentenced for life in a prision not a kiddy day care for 20-25yrs with out parole...get this mother charged with accesory to this killing and for not watching over the kids...the 15yr old apparently supposed to be watching all these kids should also be charged in the death of this poor toddler and if all these kids are hers then all of them should be immediately taken from her and placed in foster homes..lf this kid gets charged in kiddy court then this judisal system needs a big repair...all this will get will be placed in kidddy trial till he is 18 or 21 and set free and no counseling will correct his problem..he is going to kill again cause this kid is a social path with no way of treatment to make him normal....so if the state had any sense he needs to be put away for life....or have someone take his life for what he did...i would if he did this to my toddler...and i wouldnot regret doing it at ALL..

Christina, where I see your point that a 15 year old should be old enough to take care of another child, I don't believe a 15 year old is able to take care of 3 children when one of them is almost the same age. Especially when they are all most likely from different backgrounds or family situations. If they are not related there is a large possibility that they have nothing in common and share very few interests, making it that much more difficult to keep them all together. This is tough enough for a grown person let alone a child. It should not have been done. I feel sorry for the 15 year old because that child might carry a big guilt around for the death even though he or she had nothing to do with it. The article states the suspect's father performed cpr on the 2 year old. Where was he when this happened and why wasn't he called to keep an eye on the children?

don't blame only the kid, but the parents. In Maryland, foster children are not to be left alone with any one under the age of 18. Maybe DSS was not doing their job, or letting things slide.

children in foster care already come with a ton of problems--we don't know how many of these kids are foster children and to leave a 15 year old in charge of 'problem'children is just plain stupid--perhaps the 12 year old couldn't handle the influx of children needing attention into his home

This kid needs HELP not to be locked up and raped or whatever himself....only a sick person could do something like this. My prayers go out for that little baby girl who is in heaven now and being given love and the attention she never got on earth.

Having lived in Kentucky for several years, I saw many folks who had foster children. A gentleman I saw regularly in town seemed to have a different child with him when he was out and about. Seems like a new child every several months. Also, having known a lady who had a daughter that worked at a "home" for troubled girls was very informative. The hateful things this daughter told her mother she did to these girls made me cringe. And sadly they laughed about at her antics. I was horrified when I heard what had been done to these girls. How would you feel if you were told to organize your drawer and upon inspection it didn't quite suit them and all of your drawer was dumped to the floor? Just mean little things like this was discussed and laughed at. These poor children have been through hell. I feel like everyone else. Where were the parents and why were the younger children left with anyone but an adult? Very sad situation for all concerned. Especially when children are sometimes used as a "meal ticket".

Why is everyone talking about FOSTER CARE? No where is it mentioned that anyone was in foster care. They aren't advising who the kids lived with but the article says that the 'suspects' father tried CPR on the 2 year old. It could be a bunch of different family members sharing the same house. No foster care appeared to be involved but hopefully now there will be. The 12 year old should be removed from the household and evaluated. If he is a sociopath, there is NO CURE. He should be in a facility the rest of his life or he will kill again.

I agree. If he's old enough to do the crime than he's old enough to do the time.

Daphne shows amazing sexism. Why would it be the mother's responsibility more than the fathers? Also, anyone who raised kids knows an awful lot can happen in the 10 minutes it takes a parent to take a shower. Clearly the situation warrants more investigation, but all this conjecture just feeds hate and blame. Perhaps we should remove the 12-year-old from where he can hurt others (done) and then get him appropriate psychological help. If we allowed schools to provide psychological help without the parents' permission, a lot more children would grow up to be functional adults.

I agree lock this murderer kid up for life and the 15 year old who was in charge at the time of the beating (murder) They both need to be locked up!

this just makes another case for abortion rights--1 baby dead 1-12yo-life ruined

Yes, the 15 y.o. should suffer some type of punishment. The adult who left the 15 y.o. in charge should have all of his/her finger and toe nails removed with pliers before being shipped off to prison. Many here are calling for the 12 y.o. to be locked up for life. I agree with that, but we all know that will never happen. Depending on how the laws are written, the 12 y.o. may be free at the age of 21. This boy is a definite sociopath. He will more than likely be sent to a state hospital until his 21st b-day. I wonder how many animals he tortured and killed prior to this incident.

HTF can you judge the baby sitter when you know none of the facts. The dumbest among us are the quickest to judge.

Really???!! That's your answer, to throw away both kids?! The father was there to perform CPR so where was he during the beating? If these kids were in foster care and in MD it is illegal to leave foster children in the care of anyone under the age of 18 then the blame starts with the foster parents. Yes, the 12 year old has definite issues which clearly need to be addressed, but internet users are hardly capable of diagnosing a sociopath. For starters, all children in this home need to be immediately removed by CPS; the 12 yr old evaluated by competent psychologist to see if he is a sociopath and could possibly be rehabilitated. The 15 yr old also needs to evaluated for his therapeutic needs. Would I consider bringing the 12 yr old into my home? Well, that would depend on the diagnosis given but I do not believe that the first reaction should be to automatically throw a 12 year old into a jail with hardened criminals to be abused and taught to be more criminalistic in their own behavior. He could be a sociopath, BUT there is the slim chance he is not so for now lets keep him locked up in protective custody and evaluate him properly BEFORE we toss him away. We mourn the 2 year olds death, the foster parents should be charged with negligent homicide, reckless endangerment of a child, and other violations appropriate for neglecting the duties of a foster parent; DA should push for maximum sentence. Send a message to all foster parents to do the right thing.

There are some strong lynch mob, ignorant, mentalities here. The first paragraph says she was in Foster care. One thing is pretty certain, that the 12 yr old has more than likely exhibited violence on other occasions. Much violence between children is not addressed until an incident like this occurs to get someones attention, sad, but true. Look around. So while all of you want to string up the various parties involved...lets take a serious look and unravel how this happened . PUNISHMENT as a concept does NOT WORK. Look at the prison system...I rest my case. People that think 'spanking" is a form of discipline are breeding violent kids, many of who will end up in prison. Hey, but dont take my word for any of this, do some research, instead of judgement diarrhea of the mouth, having no clue about what you are talking about! The mentality of many here is not just annoying, it is DANGEROUS, because it does not produce any result that goes FORWARD and help us understand why our culture is escalating in violence at younger and younger ages. Start thinking and curb speaking!!!

AMEN

I completely agree!

Like others, I agree.

You forgot - she pooped her diaper and I didn't want to change it.
You are absolutely 200% correct on sociopaths. They can't be fixed. The kid needs to be locked away for life or someone else will suffer the same fate when he's let out.
Of course some bleeding heart attorney will get the case and plead him out and then they'll be some other group protesting him being put in a facility. Society has to learn to stop being sympathetic to murderers!

I rest my earlier case. Who said this child was a sociopath. You dont even have the basic facts of the case because they were not given????????????

The kid is too far gone. If a bear kills a human, they have to be put down as they will forever have that taste of blood in them and cannot be "fixed" mentally. Other killers and this 12 year old are such animals....For what he did, lethal injection is too humane for the little beast. Not the bear, he doesn't know any better and injection is fine for him.

So would you welcome this kid into your families home after he is "rehabilitated"? That's what I thought!..lol

I am so sorry to hear that your 12 year old daughter is being beat up by a group of teenagers and the police are not doing anything about it!!??? In my opinion You need to document everything that happens to your daughter and take it to an attorney. I bet a public defender will take your case. Get all the names of the teenagers and give their names to both the police and your attorney. If anything bad happens to your daughter (and I pray it doesn't) you can sue both the parents and the state for neglecting to do anything about this outreageous behavior. But please do it now. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING AND DATE IT!

Go to these kids parents and talk to them and document it. Get a lawyer if this doesnt stop and sue them. This is unreal, the cops need to do something about this.

Too bad the police don't do anything, because that could be the start of these kids thinking they could get away with murder, and most of the time they do...it should be nipped in the bud, right away. I am sure they are thinking the police don't do anything, then, we can kill that kid, they didn't show like they cared.

A Williams, it is unfortunate that your daughter is subjected to such violence. Just wondering if you ever approached the teens' parents, in order to diffuse the situation. That is a step that can be taken to deal with the situation. Most parents do not tolerate that type of behavior. As for the police coming and not taking a report about your complaint. Contact the Police Captain for your area because this being jumped and tormented is serious business.

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter. As for police not doing anything, that is typical. I am not sure where you are from, but it happens a lot where I am from as well. I was put in hospital after being beaten by my ex boyfriend; I had a small fracture to my skull (still have the lump), my windpipe was nearly completely crushed, several huge bruises and sever nerve damage to my upper arm. And because he got a few black and blue marks himself from me trying to fight him back they threatened to arrest me. So it is not just with kids that they refuse to do anything. I later turned around and got a hold of a public attorney and my ex is now in prison where he belongs. I agree with Trisha, get the names of these kids, go to your local police station get the reports you have filed *if they did actually document them they will have them*, Report this to her school as well as taking the list to a public attorney.

I think she was just giving examples of excuses that courts usually hear. And those excuses usually let the kids get off with just counseling and ankle bracelets for murder. She made a good, but sad, point.

AND HE WILL KILL AGAIN!

Today there is more counseling and therapies and psychology at every turn yet the problem is far worse so lets fix it with more of what didnt work

The child may very well be a sociopath. They cannot be helped. So if this is found to be the case, try the kid as an adult and either lock him up or, better yet, give them the death sentence and get them out of society as well as the jail system. Save money. Sociopaths and not innocent sweet kids, they are killers.

WHY BRING ONE BACK TO LIFE.......SO HE CAN KILL SOMEONE ELSE!

"your little heart is broken" This is what is wrong with our country today... bleeding hearts. The kid is most likely a sociopath. Forget therapy, a sociopath cannot be helped... period. It's a fact. Only one child died, and if the other proves to be a sociopath or psychopath, then kill him and be done with it. We need to stop whimpering over his "little broken heart" and do what needs to be done to keep a healthy and productive society.

AMEN!

Hey TINA PAGAN.....After some "therapy" would you welcome it into your home with YOUR family?...LOL..That's what I thought!..Allison is spot on....execute the little beast, and lethal injection is to humane for the animal!

thank-you, for your THOUGHTFUL comment. Its the first one I have read. Most are too busy judging without any facts.

THEY ARE TRYING TO AVOID THE 15 YEAR OLD BEING TRIED AS AN ADULT. SAYING THE 12 YEAR OLD DID THIS WHEN IT WAS THE 15 YEAR OLD. THERE'S MORE TO THIS STORY.

That may be, but perhaps the 12-year-old is a violent psychotic. The 15-year-old may have been terrified of him and not know what to do and feared getting involved. It was not the 15-year-old's responsibility to start with; it was the foster parents. So blaming the 15-year-old is ridiculous. I'm sure he didn't want or ask for the whole mess; it was pushed onto him to babysit. So people should lay of the 15-year-old as the scape goat. The foster parents and the sociopath are the two to blame. Quit trying to pass the buck.

Sociopath behaviors are not learned; they are twisted and abnormal processes of the mind that as of date cannot be helped with therapy. This 12-year-old would not be considered a sociopath at this point, he is a psychopath.

You don't know for sure that the child is NOT a psychopath, so you should not be running off at the mouth in rebuttal either.

Pfft maybe some people, but no way in HECK! I'll tell my kids that! But I do get your point. But, here is the main problem. Government says: "Spank your kids =10+ years in jail" See the problem? When I was little and I mouthed off to an adult, or hit another kid I got spanked, grounded ect. I believe EVERYONE involved in this babies death should be punished! The foster parents, the 12 year old, the 15 yr old, ect.

This is just terrible. This is not the first time I have read about a child around that age killing a younger child. I really feel that if a child is mentally that bad off by the age of 12 or so that they can do murder, I would seriously question if they could be rehabilitated. In most cases I have read about people do NOT change! We do need to keep our society safe.

I totally agree with you Ellen we dont know this kids background.Me personally would never leave foster children unattended for the simple fact that you never know what they may be capable of.You ar absolutley right about a mature teen being distracted I have a 18year old and he becomes distracted I would dare leave him with the 7 tr old my house would be a wreck.

Not only distracted, but this 15 year old (who may have been a girl) could have been terrified of the 12 year old's rage. Older and bigger don't always prevail in a physical confrontation.

Ellen, if the 12 year old is a natural child of these parents and he has "learned" this unacceptable behavior, then why in the world would the parents be allowed to keep foster children? Obviously if beatings were commonplace and learned surely the system would never have allowed these parents to take on more responsibility and children....gosh I sure hope not.

I agree with you!! Please wait until all has been revealed! Do not forget, it doesn't take much to damage a toddler. one strike or even 2 strikes is all it takes.
To state that 12 yo is a sociopath is a long strech. I think more has to be known before such rush to judgement!!

Definitely agree!

You sound so sweet and liberal minded, wanting to "counsel' and "rehabilitate" him....Only if you agree to take him in and foster him with your family when they let him out in 4 month's..LOL..Thats what I thought!! Lethal injection is too humane for the beast.

Youth today is no different then we were kids the only. Wait let me rephrase that the only difference with youth today and the youth from past is today they get to speak up and say what they feel. Theres adults today making up reasons to excuse their behavior and the more you excuse the farther they will take it. Why do you care more about the 12 yr old and not one word to what the last moments of the 2yr olds life must of been like. I think that is just showing how crappy you are to care more about a killer then then killed.

I totally agree with you. That poor, sweet, misunderstood boy commited murder and not only that be brutally murdered an innocent toddler he deserves the death penalty.

Perhaps you'd be less likely to call a person, even a very disturbed person, an animal or beast if you used your real name and had to publicly own your comments. Based on your comment of "lethal injection is too humane [for this twelve year old]" perhaps we should assume you like to harm others.

Oh my aching back! It never fails that no matter the issue, George Bush and the Republicans get dragged into it. GET OVER IT, ALREADY. I think your anger toward "the other side" is just as out of control as this little thug who killed this child. Torture has been a military tactic for centuries and was not invented by GW Bush. You are a sad, angry, bitter being.

No, what is wrong with YOU? You make it sound like he's just the kid next door. He's a little demon.

Renee, he may very well be the kid next door. In reading the story it definitely states that the 2yr old was placed in foster care, not any of the other children. There are so many things left out in this story. Could it be that the 15yr old and 4yr old are biological children of foster parent & 15 yr old was left in charge of the 2yr old and the 4yr old. It states that the father of 12yr found the 2yr old. Could it be the 12yr old lived next door and left without asking to go next door to play. Could it be that the 15yr old let him in possibly and went to another room to get them all something to eat never imagining that the 12yr old could be capable of murder. Meanwhile father goes looking for 12yr old, knocks on door & 15yr old points him to the direction of his son. Honestly a 12 yr old boy in a state of "Full on Rage" with a rush of adrenaline could most likely render a blow that would have knocked the 2yr old unconscious in the first hit. No screaming. There are just too many unknowns in this story. It is truly sad and I only hope the 2yr old who had obviously suffered enough in her life felt nothing after the first blow. I do believe the 12yr old should be punished especially if he comes from a family with violent background. Anyone who says different should seek help.For him this may seem like normal everyday life and if he is a sociopath or psychopath, is that truly fixable? To the person who keeps asking would you let him in your home after rehab? My answer is no.

I agree with the part that while in foster care they can do anything you and you had no voice to stop the abuse. My grandparents kept foster children for years. My brothers and sisters and I witnessed their abuse. My parents reported my grandparents to the proper authorities and they did nothing. They didn't want to have to deal with removing them from the home and housing them until they found other homes. My grandparents did it just for the money and didn't give a crap about these kids. They would have 6 in one bedroom. Either the system never checked up on them with visits or did and didn't care. This was back in the 60's.....I don't know how it is today.