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It is tragic and disgusting. I had a friend in Utah who said a father in the neighborhood was finally arrested for beating his kids. My friend told me "I should have known, once the kid had a big bruise and I asked why and he said 'my daddy beat me'."

I was shocked and asked my friend (who is a really great guy and father himself) "well why the hell didn't you call the cops?". He just sort of looked a little distracted and said "yeah, you're right, I feel we sort of missed a chance, we probably should have.".

I guess for good people it's especially hard to make such an accusation, we're afraid of ruining someone's reputation.

Personally, when I see a big bruise, and especially multiple bruises, I'm calling the police! If it turns out to be nothing I can always apologize later.

I wouldn't call over bruises because all kids get those for innocent reasons but with what this guy had been told by the little girl, he should have done something. I don't blame him though near as much as I blame the mother and the extended family of this little girl. Actually I blame the mother more than I do the piece of crap that killed her. She knew he was a sewer rat but stuck by him and had two kids with him all the while he is beating her other kids, starving them, and allegedly sexually abusing at least Nixzmary. That woman needs to be executed and that's no joke.

I guess for good people it's especially hard to make such an accusation, we're afraid of ruining someone's reputation.

It's not just a worry about ruining someone's reputation - it's a worry about taking an innocent parent and subjecting them to the risk of facing a particularly capricious Child Protective Services worker. Clearly, you have to do what is necessary to save a child's life - but a report to CPS is not to be taken lightly, either.

Personally, when I see a big bruise, and especially multiple bruises, I'm calling the police! If it turns out to be nothing I can always apologize later.

My 3 boys always have bruises. I hope you use more discretion than just that. Because apologizes won't help after the state has taken my kids away from me for nothing.

"I should have known, once the kid had a big bruise and I asked why and he said 'my daddy beat me'."

Personally, when I see a big bruise, and especially multiple bruises, I'm calling the police! If it turns out to be nothing I can always apologize later.

When a child says, "My daddy beat me" that's an indication to call the police. Seeing a bruise on a child is not a reason to call the police. My children are constantly bruised - multiple bruises all the time. They play hard and fall down. They are clumsy and walk into dresser drawers. They punch each other. Being bruised is part of being a kid.

If my neighbors or the kids' teachers called the police every time there was a big bruise or ... gasp! ... multiple bruises, the cops would have to open a precinct in my front yard.

If you called the police because of bruises on my kids and my children were removed from my home and became wards of the state during an investigation and I had a file started on me by DFCS because of your hysteria and overreaction, I would rip that apology out of your hide and shove it down your throat so you choked on it.

The reason these things happen is that we live in a society that places very little value on children. We condone the hitting of a child because it's discipline (I always hear, "Who are we to tell parents how to discipline their child?")
Who cares if a child is beaten--it's discipline, right? We as a society condone this behavior. Why are we so shocked that this little girl was starved? How many times have we heard stories like, "If you're bad, you're going to bad without supper?" Withholding food from a child as a form of punishment? What sadist thought this up? I am deeply angered by what happened to this innocent child, but when we as a society look away and condone the physical punishment of children, what else do we really expect?