I know an ex-paramedic (a woman) who left that field because of too many domestic abuse cases ---the last straw was when they went to save a woman that had broken ribs and a face like hamburger ---she had been beaten to a pulp ---and yet as they were trying to get her onto the stretcher, she kept trying to get off ---to get to the cops putting handcuffs on the husband ---because they were hurting him. She told me that she felt like pushing the injured woman to him and telling him just to kill her ---she realized she had lost her compassion so left the field for another one.
I've heard of many similar incidents. The burn out rate is very high. It's also very high with the few social workers who try to make a difference, because they're not just dealing with what sometimes can only be described as atrocities, they have to fight their own PC system which is constantly being effected by PC regs made by intellectually divorced people who's only experience with domestic violence seems to come from watching Lifetime.
It's unlikely we'll ever know the truth. In fact, public interest in this case gives it the potential to become another despicable media circus.
I just hope and pray the mother survives, that the children are able to overcome the horror they went through, and that the mother is psychologically able to aid her children in overcoming it.