KARA is seeking volunteers & funding to increase in depth reporting on child abuse death and tracking of egregious incidents against our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. Read this investigative report from Minnesota & help KARA assemble this information for your state.
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Ne’Miya Duncan, age 6, Newark (March 2025) – Beaten to death by her mother three days after a child‑welfare visit, despite three hotline reports and a long DCPP history; eight staff were disciplined and a statewide review of 1,400 multi‑report families was ordered.
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Hillsborough brothers, ages 5 and 7 (January 2026) – Two young boys found dead in their Hillsborough home; their mother was charged with murder, with law enforcement characterizing the scene as a violent domestic incident.
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Lakewood infant manslaughter case (2025) – A Lakewood father pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter after his infant daughter died from blunt force head trauma, including a skull fracture and subdural hemorrhage.
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2021 NJ abuse‑/neglect‑related fatalities (18 deaths) – The state Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board found 22 child fatalities/near‑fatalities were due to abuse or neglect in 2021, including 18 deaths, most perpetrated by parents.
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2021 NJ child homicides (21 cases) – The same report documented 21 child homicides that year, three‑quarters involving children under age five, with many linked to inadequate supervision or direct abuse.
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Unsafe sleep and infant deaths (2021) – New Jersey logged 49 sudden unexpected infant deaths, 88% involving unsafe sleep conditions (no crib/bassinet, co‑sleeping, or other hazards), often with DCF involvement.
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DCF‑reviewed drownings with neglect (2021) – Fourteen accidental child drownings occurred, mostly ages 1–4; in ten cases the Board found inadequate supervision contributed to the death.
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NJ child‑care setting abuse, injuries, and deaths – State child‑care safety tables show substantiated abuse, serious injuries, and occasional fatalities occurring in licensed child‑care programs over recent years.
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Foster‑care sexual abuse verdict, $25M (Middlesex County, 2024) – A jury awarded $25 million to a survivor sexually abused in three DCPP‑licensed foster homes beginning at age 6, calling out systemic oversight failure.
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Foster‑care sexual abuse settlement, $6.75M (2024) – The state paid $6.75 million to a woman raped by multiple foster fathers in state‑licensed homes starting at age 8, reflecting “egregious” lapses by DCPP.
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Foster‑care sex‑abuse verdicts/settlements cluster (1969–1972 abuse, resolved 2020s) – Multiple large New Jersey verdicts and settlements (including a 1969–72 Atlantic County foster‑home case) show long‑standing, severe sexual abuse in foster care and institutional failures to stop it.
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Atlantic County foster‑home abuse, $19.5M settlement (2025) – A brother and sister secured $19.5 million after proving repeated sexual abuse by their foster father in a DCF‑approved home, with the state accepting 100% liability.
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Foster‑care sex‑abuse settlement series under Child Victims Act – Recent New Jersey cases demonstrate that multiple state and county employees knew of ongoing foster‑home abuse yet failed to intervene, leading to very high payouts under expanded civil‑rights windows.
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Medical‑neglect death and risk to siblings (DCPP v. C.R.A.G. & R.G., 2024 opinion) – An appellate case describes a child who died following parents’ failure to obtain essential medical care, leading to abuse/neglect findings and removal of siblings.
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Emotional/psychological harm as egregious abuse (A‑4135‑23/A‑0240‑24, 2025) – NJ courts detailed serious and lasting emotional and psychological harm inflicted by parents’ actions/inaction, qualifying as abuse even absent visible physical injury.
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Abuse‑related critical events tracked by NJ (child fatalities tag) – Child welfare monitors and state reports document multiple recent New Jersey “critical events” (fatalities and near‑fatalities) tied directly to abuse or neglect, underscoring recurring system failures.
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Pattern of 15 DCPP‑involved child deaths in 3 years (through about 2020) – A legal analysis highlighted at least 15 child deaths over three years in families already known to DCPP, raising concerns about screening, investigation quality, and oversight.
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Long‑term trauma outcomes for NJ foster‑care abuse survivors – Survivors of New Jersey foster‑home sexual abuse described lifelong PTSD, addiction, and instability, illustrating how the state’s failures created decades of harm beyond the original abuse.
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Legislative response: A4684 (2025) after foster‑care abuse cases – In response to severe foster‑care abuse cases, New Jersey passed A4684, easing tort‑claim requirements so survivors of sexual abuse, including in state care, can recover for pain and suffering without proving permanent physical injury or high medical costs.
KARA / KIDS AT RISK ACTION / INVISIBLECHILDREN.ORG
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