KARA Tracks and Reports Child Abuse and Child Protection
Email us for a current review in your state:
Info@invisiblechildren.org
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Individual criminal and Florida Child Abuse cases
Learn how to report child abuse in Florida here:
https://youth.compliance.ufl.edu/child-abuse-reporting/ )
Why Florida Child Abuse Reporting Matters
Florida’s child abuse and neglect is just one part of KARA’s reporting mission and our nation’s child‑death problem. Florida reviews hundreds of abuse‑related child deaths each year. This is an investigative report recently completed in Minnesota that needs to happen in all states.
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Former DCF worker and guardian ad litem accused of murdering adopted daughter
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A Sebring woman, a former DCF employee and guardian ad litem, is charged with first‑degree murder and aggravated child abuse after her 13‑year‑old adopted daughter was found dead, emaciated, malnourished, and covered in wounds in what the sheriff called one of the worst crime scenes of his career.
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Same case, focus on adoptive mother as DCF worker
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Coverage highlights that the girl, Selena, had been in foster care, was later adopted by a DCF employee, and investigators allege that this adoptive parent killed the 13‑year‑old, raising questions about screening and oversight of caregivers who work within the child‑welfare system.
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Brevard County mother facing possible death penalty for killing 3‑year‑old son
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Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a West Melbourne mother accused of abusing her 3‑year‑old son for weeks, withdrawing him from daycare to hide injuries, and causing his death; the medical examiner ruled the cause as “battered child syndrome.”
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D.C. father charged in death of 20‑month‑old daughter at Florida vacation rental
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A father visiting Florida is charged with aggravated manslaughter after allegedly falling asleep with his 20‑month‑old daughter in a hot tub at an Airbnb, where she drowned; investigators say his negligence caused the child’s death.
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Foster child fatally injured by foster parents (Florida Child Advocate)
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A Florida Child Advocate article describes a foster girl removed from her parents and placed with foster parents who later fatally injured her, using the case to illustrate how outdated laws and weak standards allow dangerous foster placements to persist.
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Jacksonville toddler abuse homicide (example of severe, prolonged abuse)
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In a Jacksonville‑area case, a mother is accused of weeks of abuse leading to the death of her toddler; the medical evidence in similar Florida prosecutions often shows extensive bruising, internal injuries, and patterns consistent with long‑term maltreatment rather than a single incident.
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Hot‑tub drowning and charging decision in Osceola County
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The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office describes the hot‑tub drowning as preventable and driven by parental negligence, underscoring law enforcement’s willingness to bring manslaughter charges when a caregiver’s conduct shows gross disregard for a child’s safety.
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DCF negligence, lawsuits, and claims bills
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Torture and catastrophic injury of 21‑month‑old H.H. after missed DCF interventions
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A Florida Senate Special Master report details how 21‑month‑old H.H. arrived at a hospital with life‑threatening injuries after multiple abuse reports; investigators found videos of the toddler crying and text messages describing torture, and the report criticizes DCF for closing investigations and failing to protect her.
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$28 million claim for L.P., stabbed 14 times after DCF left her with abusive mother
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Another Special Master report explains a jury’s 28‑million‑dollar judgment after DCF closed an investigation and left a child, L.P., with her mother, who then stabbed her 14 times and tried to drown her; the claim argues DCF breached its duty to protect a child already deemed at imminent risk.
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$3.8 million claim for L.E., substance‑exposed and left in unsafe home
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A separate 2025 Special Master report describes an uncontested $3.8‑million claim for L.E., a child injured after DCF verified substance exposure and household violence but failed to maintain protective oversight; internal notes later acknowledged the child had been unsafe.
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Foster‑care class actions over egregious abuse in Broward County
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Litigation summaries recount how foster children in Broward County experienced widespread physical, sexual, and emotional abuse linked to systemic flaws in Florida’s foster‑care system; one class action described an “epidemic” of institutionalized sexual abuse of children in care.
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Prior foster child severely burned under a foster parent later involved in L.P. case
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The L.P. Special Master report notes earlier records that a toddler had been severely burned while under the same foster parent’s care, showing that DCF had warning signs about dangerous caregivers even before subsequent catastrophic harm.
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Florida foster‑care sexual‑abuse settlement (Nassau County)
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A national foster‑care abuse settlement roundup describes a $2.9‑million settlement in Florida where three former foster children alleged sexual abuse in a Nassau County foster home, claiming child‑welfare officials placed children there despite knowing older children in the home were sexually aggressive.
System‑level death‑review and fatality data
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Florida Child Abuse Death Review 2024 report (covers 2023 deaths)
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The state Child Abuse Death Review annual report notes that in 2023, 237 child fatalities were formally reviewed out of 282 eligible abuse‑ and neglect‑related cases, within a total of 472 child‑death cases overall, highlighting the ongoing scale of child deaths with maltreatment findings.
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Florida DCF Child Fatality Prevention website
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Florida DCF’s Child Fatality Prevention site aggregates all hotline‑reported deaths alleged to result from abuse or neglect, making available case summaries, timelines, and reviews that document individual children who died after contact with the system.
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The Florida Abuse Hotline is 1‑800‑962‑2873 (1‑800‑96‑ABUSE), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for reports of suspected child abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
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