On July 12, Elizabeth Escalona, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree injury to a child after admitting to beating her 2-year-old daughter Jocelyn and gluing her hands to a wall in September of last year. The Dallas mom’s three other children witnessed the abuse, which resulted in bleeding of the brain, a fractured rib and severe bruising. In a sentencing hearing scheduled for today, she faces a possible life sentence.

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Though her stepmother later said 10-year-old Zahra died on September 24, 2010, she didn’t report her missing until October 9. Read the tragic story of a young girl whose fight with cancer was an inspiration to those around her, and whose gruesome murder garnered international attention.

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The town of Aurora, Co., is once again in the headlines, this time as the location for the arrest of Richard Koca, 69, the founder of StandUp for Kids, a not-for-profit volunteer organization that reaches out to homeless kids and teens. Koca is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child.

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An Albuquerque midwife is facing charges of child abuse after police say she tried to hide her involvement in a complicated labor she assisted.

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Jhessye Shockley, 5, seems to have joined the growing ranks of children reported missing by their killer, often a parent. On September 6 police in Glendale, Ariz., arrested Jerice Hunter for the murder of her daughter Jhessye after she was indicted by a grand jury.

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A former internet sex crimes investigator with the McHenry County, Ill., Sheriff’s Department is facing federal charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sexual exploitation of a child. Gregory Pyle, 36, is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of sex and creating child pornography.

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The suspects’ older children believed that they were preparing for an exorcism. The mother was found buying a bat, two rolls of duct tape and two tarps at Walmart, while the father prayed loudly with the bound children.

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Police responding to a call about animal abuse found a baby infested and bitten by fleas, ticks and cockroaches. Investigators believe the baby was kept locked in a cage. The parents have a history of child abuse.

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On Sunday, an Oklahoma mom brought her son to the hospital with deep cuts on his legs. Concerned hospital employees called police, who questioned the mom. She explained to them that she spanked her son with an empty chip bag, unaware that it contained glass shards.

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An Ohio man is behind bars, charged with rape of a child under 10. On Saturday, police and EMS arrived at a Ravenna Township home, responding to a report of an injured 15-month-old girl. When the baby was brought to Akron Children’s Hospital, medical staff determined that her injuries were the result of a sexual assault.

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