How to Help Kids You Fear Are in Danger
Phobe Jonchuck. Photo: WFTS
There are numerous senseless aspects to John Jonchuck’s horrific murder of his 5-year-old daughter Phoebe. Yet one number sticks out from all the tragic details: Five. That’s the number of people the 25-year-old father of St. Petersburg, Florida reportedly spoke to in the days and hours before he threw his little girl off of a 62-foot-high bridge into Tampa Bay on Thursday.
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"He’s out of his mind, and he has a minor child with him, [and is] driving to a church now. I should have kept the child [here],” attorney Genevieve Torres told 911 when she called to report that Jonchuck, whom she had just met, was behaving erratically in her office that morning regarding his custody case with Phoebe’s mother. “I was supposed to file his paperwork for a case. And he’s like, ‘Well, don’t file the paperwork. It’s not going to matter any more…that really scared me.’” Torres also called the Florida Department of Children and Families hotline that afternoon and told them she believed Jonchuck was “depressed and delusional.”
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After Johnchuck’s lawyer visit, he spoke with a priest. (A former roommate reportedly said Jonchuck had ranted about God and the Bible earlier this week). During his visit with Phoboe to St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Father Bill Swengros told WMAZ TV that the man said he wanted to join the church and be baptized and seemed “anxious and agitated.”
And at least two deputies met the Johchucks at St. Paul’s and interviewed the father – who had three previous arrests on his record for domestic violence and two previous reports involving Child Protective Services – but determined he wasn’t a threat and that Phoebe appeared “happy,” according to the sheriff’s report.
The fact that Jonchuck fell between the cracks of the system wasn’t lost on Florida’s child welfare agency. Phoebe’s death has already prompted them to revamp how they deal with calls to their abuse line, requiring response within four hours if a caregiver seems to be having a psychotic episode.
But if anything has become clear in the wake of this tragedy, it’s that there’s always more that can be done to help children in danger. And the numbers from the latest annual Child Maltreatment report from the U.S. child protective services agencies (CPS), shows that, sadly, there are many.
During 2012, an estimated 3.4 million referrals involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6.3 million children were made to CPS agencies. About one-fifth of pursuant investigations found at least one child to be a victim of abuse or neglect. An estimated 1,640 children died.
Professionals (think law enforcement, teachers, social service staff and doctors) logged 59 percent of these reports of alleged child abuse or neglect. The rest came from friends, neighbors, sports coaches and relatives.
The National Crime Prevention Council’s Michelle Boykin tells Yahoo Parenting that anyone who senses a child is in a dangerous situation can help him or her. “If you have a sense that something’s not right, if those hairs on the back of your neck stand up, trust your instincts,” she urges. “Speak up.” Her strategies:
1. Pay attention
If you notice something isn’t right, note the details. Bruises, malnourishment, even appearing disheveled and having worn the same clothes for a few days straight, can signal that a child is being neglected. With an event you witness, it’s vital to get specifics too: The time it occurred, the location and exactly what happened. “The more concrete you can be about what you saw the easier it makes for professionals to investigate and act on it,” says Boykin. “A good eyewitness helps them know exactly what they’re investigating and how quickly they need to move.”
2. If you see something, say something
Contact local child protective services and law enforcement if you’re concerned about physical danger to a child. “Go to the professionals,” she says. “It’s your civic responsibility to do something. I’m not saying take matters into your own hands but if you see something suspicious, notice odd behavior, say something.”
3. Give kids resources
"You can encourage children to talk to trusted adults about what’s going on,” says Boykin. “And tell them about the safe places they can go if they feel something is wrong or they’re afraid." Point out police departments, fire houses, safe-house programs and explain to them that they can reach out any time.
“We all have a responsibility to prevent crime and to watch out for our neighbors, especially children,” she says. “If you see something you need to act on that, even if it winds up not turning up to be a big deal. Isn’t it much better to say something and have the proper authorities investigate than to wish you had when it’s too late?”
