Madeleine Carole Butterworth

Madeleine Carole Butterworth

June 14, 2006  - January 6, 2012

Madeleine Carole Butterworth was born on June 14, 2006 to Lee and Christy Butterworth. She was given the nick-name "Maddy" by those who knew her. Maddy was called a 'born performer'. She loved dancing, and she could often be seen skipping down the hallway of her elementary school instead of walking. She also loved fashion, art, and especially "rock n' roll". She loved her teachers at school, and she was very excited about improving her reading and writing skills in her kindergarten class. Maddy's favorite color was pink, and she loved making up her own dance routines. She would perform her dance routines for her family, friends, and sometimes even her American Girl Dolls. She had a three and a half year old brother named Cooper who she loved very much. Three days before she passed away was the first day back from winter vacation at Maddy's school. Near the end of the day during the after school program that Maddy attended, she complained of headache. It didn't take long after this for teachers to notice that Maddy wasn't acting like her normal self. They called Maddy's mother, Christy, to tell her that Maddy wasn't feeling well. A short while later, they called her again and asked that she come to Maddy's school as soon as possible. By the time Maddy's mother arrived, medical workers were desperately trying to revive her five year old daughter who was now unconscious. She was taken to the hospital, and then transferred to another hospital. Doctors tried to revive Maddy, but they were unsuccessful. Five year old Maddy had died of a brain aneurysm.

The Yates Children

Noah Jacob Yates

February 26, 1994 - June 20, 2001

Noah Jacob Yates was born on February 26, 1994. Noah found almost everything interesting. He found bugs very interesting and he loved drawing. Two of his favorite things to draw were butterflies and rainbows. He also liked to swim, and do summersaults. He could even do summersaults underwater. He also liked to build things.

John Samuel Yates
December 15, 1995 - June 20, 2001
John Samuel Yates was born on December 15, 1995. He loved playing with balls and he liked trucks. "Truck" even happened to be John's first word. John also liked going to the pool and jumping off the diving board over and over again. He also enjoyed playing T-Ball.

Paul Abraham Yates
September 13, 1997 - June 20, 2001
Paul was born on September 13, 1997. He was known for his love of cuddling. He also would dance when he heard music. Paul loved pretending like he was a fireman. He got to visit the fire station twice, and he enjoyed it both times. He had a fireman hat that he wore all the time. He also was fascinated by rockets.

Luke David Yates
February 15, 1999 - June 20, 2001
Luke was born on February 15, 1999. He liked to help his mother plant things. Luke was quite a brave little boy, but one thing that did scare him was thunder. He had a favorite blanket that he affectionately called "dim dim". He was a very good older brother to his only younger sibling, Mary. He would help feed her by bringing her bottle to her. He loved all of his siblings.

Mary Deborah Yates
November 30, 2000 - June 20, 2001
Mary was born on November 30, 2000. She was known to be a very good baby who rarely cried. She loved all the attention she got from her four older brothers, but seemed to especially like it when Paul or Luke held her.

They were all born to their parents Rusty and Andrea Yates. On June 20, 2001, Rusty Yates went to work, as usual. Andrea stayed at home with her five young children. Dora Yates, Rusty's mother, was going to come and care for the children in about an hour.

After Rusty left for work, Andrea began to fill up the bathtub with water. Andrea then called Luke into the bathroom. He was two years old. She held his head under the water until he had drowned. Then she called three year old Paul into the room and drowned him as well.

Next she called in five year old John and proceeded to drown him too. She placed her three dead sons on a bed and covered their lifeless bodies with a sheet. Andrea then retrieved her only daughter, six month old Mary and put her in the bathtub as well.

When Mary had died, Andrea called in her oldest son, Noah. When Noah came into the room, Mary was still dead in the bathtub. Noah came into the bathroom and asked "What happened to Mary?" Noah ran away when Andrea moved toward him.

Andrea chased her oldest son all around the house before she finally caught him and drug him into the bathroom and held his head under the water. Noah put up more fight than her other children, and even managed to resurface a few times for air. Noah's last words were "I'm sorry." Eventually, Noah died at the hands of his mother as well.

Andrea put Mary's body next to her brothers' and covered them all with a sheet. She did, however, leave Noah's body in the bathtub. Andrea then called her husband and told him that she needed him to come home. He asked if anyone was hurt, and she answered "Yes, the children."

He then asked who was hurt, and she answered "All of them.". Rusty returned home to discover all five of his beautiful children dead. When asked why she drowned her children, Andrea answered that it was because she was a bad mother, and by drowning her children, she was saving them from Hell.

Andrea was sentenced to life in prison, but then retried due to false allegations. She was then found not guilty by reason of insanity. She was sent to a hospital.

Anna Celeste Lowe

Anna Celeste Lowe

June 13, 2005 - January 13, 2011

Anna Celeste Lowe was born on June 13, 2005 to Jamie Mercer. People who knew her called her by her middle name, "Celeste". According to her mother, Celeste was a beautiful little girl who loved to sing and dance. It was also said that Celeste loved to play dress up, and that her favorite food was fried fish. Celeste would only eat apples if they were peeled, and Jamie remembered that every night she and her daughter would read a book together, she would tuck her into bed, and then they would pray together. She would then kiss Celeste goodnight, and leave the room. 

Then, Celeste would say "Mama! Mama! Come cover me up!". Her mother would return and cover Celeste up, and then they would end the night by saying "I love you" to each other. Celeste not only had her mother, but her father, and her step-mother, Catherine Lowe. 

Catherine Lowe worked at the day care that Celeste attended. Other employees at the daycare insisted that something was wrong with Celeste, and they encouraged Catherine to take her to the hospital. Catherine refused. She took Celeste in her car past several hospitals, and finally stopped at the grocery store. She left Celeste in the car alone.

Celeste sat in the car, dying while her step-mother, Catherine went inside the store and bought a sports drink. Catherine then decided to take Celeste home. When Celeste's father, Wesley Lowe, saw his daughter, he took her to the hospital. By the time Celeste reached the hospital, however, she had already been dead for about two hours.

It was later discovered that if Celeste had been taken to the hospital sooner, she could have received treatment that would have potentially been able to save her life. Upon examining Celeste's body, it was discovered that she had been hit so hard in the stomach that her intestines had separated from her stomach. It was her step-mother, Catherine Lowe, that was responsible for doing this to her little five year old step-daughter.

Celeste had gotten home from Kindergarten the day before she died, and she was with her step-mother all afternoon and into that night, along with Catherine Lowe's two other children. After Celeste's death, Catherine's two children admitted that they had seen their mother go into the bathroom with Celeste and then they heard a loud thump, followed by Celeste vomiting.

Celeste had earlier been taken away from her mother after allegations of physical and sexual abuse, even though there was evidence that her mother, Jamie, had done nothing of the sort to her daughter. The officer handling the case wanted to see the results of the investigation done by social services before he returned the five year old girl to her mother.

Before Celeste's death, Jamie had been given visitation rights to see her daughter, but only got to see her one time on October 30, as Wesley didn't allow her to see Celeste again. Social Services then determined that Jamie had abused her daughter, their reasoning being some of the things that Celeste had said. Jamie was never permitted to see the things that Celeste said that allowed them to come to this conclusion.

At the same time, Celeste's father, Wesley, had been accused of abusing the two other children in his household, however, this complaint was never taken seriously. In December, one of Celeste's teachers noticed a bruise on her and reported it. When Wesley was questioned about this, he claimed that Jamie had hurt Celeste, causing the bruise. However, this couldn't be so because Jamie had not visited with Celeste since two months earlier. This excuse, however, was accepted by the people handling the case. No one ever questioned Celeste about the bruise.

The last time Celeste's mother saw her alive was the day after Christmas when she spotted her daughter in the store. Jamie had a restraining order, however, so she couldn't go over and talk to her daughter, though she did claim that her daughter's eyes lit up, and she had waved to her. 

On January 11, neighbors saw Celeste getting on the school bus and said that she looked okay. This was the last time, however, that they would see Celeste looking "okay". She died two days later, and Celeste's mother wasn't notified of the circumstances until Celeste was already dead.

At about 3:30 p.m. on the ay of Celeste's death, her mother, Jamie, got a text message from her lawyer. She then called her lawyer and was told that something happened to Celeste, and that she was at the coroner's office, dead. Celeste's mother dropped her phone and screamed and cried.

The next time Jamie saw her little daughter, Celeste, was in a funeral home. Jamie held Celeste's little hand and saw bruises that makeup artists had tried and failed to cover up with makeup. Her mother told Celeste "I'm sorry. I'm sorry they hurt you.", and later said that she "just wanted her to wake up". 

Jamie filed a lawsuit about DCFS didn't investigate the allegations that Wesley had abused the other children in his home, and that if they had investigated this, they would have never put Celeste into his home to begin with. The suit also included details about Celeste's teachers reporting signs of child abuse, and complaints that Jamie was never allowed to see her five year old daughter, yet Wesley was still able to get away with claiming that Celeste's injuries were caused by Jamie.

Natalynn Lea Miller

Natalynn Lea Miller

June 18, 2005  - March 22, 2009

Natalynn Lea Miller was born on June 18, 2005. Her parents were Troy and Nicole. Natalynn was said to have an infectious smile. She was bubbly, playful, and she had a great personality. She was described as being "the perfect child".

However, people were suspicious of how Natalynn was being treated while she was in the care of her mother, and her mother's boyfriend. Natalynn's mother's boyfriend was named Ryann Jones. Other people who knew Natalynn noticed bruises on her after she had been visiting her mother and Ryann.

On March 22, 2009, Natalynn was left in Ryann's care while her mother went to work. While he was watching Natalynn, Ryann called 9-1-1. Upon examining her, it was discovered that Natalynn had thirty-two bruises on her small body. Natalynn died on that day. Ryann claimed that Natalynn fell at hit her head. He then claimed that he had done everything he could to save her, though it was quite obvious that her death was due to abuse.

Natalynn's father later said that Natalynn had expressed her fears about Ryann to him. He said that she was "terrified", and let him know this on many occasions. Ryann Jones was charged with child abuse and first degree murder. Natalynn's mother was charged with child endangerment.


 

Summer Marie Phelps

Summer Marie Phelps

July 6, 2002 - March 10, 2007

Summer Marie (Lytle) Phelps was born on July 6, 2002 to Jonathan Lytle and Elizabeth Phelps. Summer was known for being bright eyed and happy. She was close to her mother and her Nana. Summer's parents were not together anymore, and Summer lived with her mother. In August of 2006, Summer went to visit her father. Her father was now in a relationship with a woman named Adriana Lytle. Adriana was not happy about the little girl living in her home, and she showed her unhappiness by abusing little Summer.

Summer's father lectured Summer about how to be a "better girl", but Summer was only four years old. Summer was beaten with belts as punishment for being "bad". She was also bitten and shocked with a shock collar that was made for dogs. This abuse lasted for about seven months.

On March 10, 2007, Summer accidentally wet herself, as just about every four year old child does occasionally. Upon discovering Summer's accident, her step-mother, Adriana, filled the bathtub with cold water and threw Summer's soiled clothing in it. She made little Summer stand in the bathtub to wash her own clothing. Summer was sick at the time, but she was still forced to stand in the bathtub all day in an attempt to clean up her mess.

Eventually, Adriana walked past the bathroom and saw that Summer was now under the water. Summer's father decided that he should take Summer to the hospital. The doctor who saw Summer described her case as a case of "vicious abuse". Summer died that day as a result of her injuries. Summer's little brother was eight months old, and he was removed from the home of his parents, Adriana and Jonathan Lytle.

Dominick Calhoun

Dominick Richard Calhoun

October 17, 2005 - April 12, 2010

Dominick Calhoun was born on October 17, 2005. He lived with his older brother and his mother. April 8, 2010 was just like any other day for four year old Dominick. He woke up that morning and made himself a bowl of cereal. He then went to sit on the couch. Being only four years old, Dominick occasionally has accidents, as every child has once in a while. He accidentally wet himself on the couch, leaving his pants and the couch a mess. 

His mother's boyfriend, Brandon Hayes soon discovered this. Upon seeing the accident, Brandon kicked and hit little Dominick. Brandon also held Dominick's little hands under hot water until they were burnt and swollen. Over the next three days, Brandon continued to abuse Dominick in various ways. Various people who visited Dominick's home throughout those days told his mother that he needed to go to the doctor, or the hospital to get medical treatment for his injuries. Dominick's mother refused to do this because she thought the doctors would think that she was the one who so severely injured her four year old son.

Three days after the first incident, Dominick was laying unconscious in his bed. Brandon dragged the boy out of his bed. He pushed in on little Dominick's eyes and he kicked and hit him multiple times throughout the day. A neighbor even heard pounding coming from the apartment, and Dominick's brother saying "Mommy, stop him!" On April 11, Dominick's aunt visits and finally gets help for Dominick. She called 9-1-1 and Dominick was taken to the hospital and put on life support. Dominick's mother, Corrine, was also badly beaten and taken to the hospital. The next day, Dominick was taken off life support because he was declared "brain dead".

Polly Hannah Klaas

Polly Hannah Klaas

January 3, 1981 - October 1, 1993

Polly Hannah Klaas was known as being "shy", probably because she moved around a lot. She was an average twelve year old girl with a nice sense of humor. Polly liked to read Archie comics and Judy Blume books. Polly enjoyed taking parts in school plays, and she loved being in the school band. Ironically, Polly had always been afraid of the dark, and often expressed fears of being kidnapped to her father. He always told her that she would be okay, and that he would always be there to protect her. Polly's parents had divorced when she was very young. She lived with her mother and her younger sister, Annie. She often saw her father, and they were very close.

On October 1, 1993, Polly was at her mother's house. She had invited two of her friends over for a slumber party. The girls she invited over were her two best friends, Kate and Gillian. They all played clarinet for their school's band. The twelve year old girl and her friends took turns posing with a Mickey Mouse hat that featured antlers. They also began playing with makeup. Polly put powder on her face and wore black lipstick in an attempt to appear as a ghoul. Polly soon washed off her makeup and she and her friends started to play a game titled "Perfect Match". 

Eventually, Polly and her friends decided they should be going to sleep soon. Polly got up and opened her bedroom door so she could go to the living room to find her friends' sleeping bags. When she opened the door, a strange man stood there. He told the girls "Don't scream, or I'll cut your throats." The girls all did as they were told, and when the man asked who lived there, Polly answered "I do." Later, Kate and Gillian both said that at first, they thought this was some kind of practical joke, as it was the month of Halloween, and Polly was known for pulling jokes.

The stranger told Polly that he was "just doing this for the money". Polly offered him a box that held fifty dollars, but he refused. He told the girls to lie down, which they did. He tied their hands behind their backs, and placed pillow cases over their heads. He told them again that he was just doing this for the money, and that he wasn't going to hurt them. Polly begged "Please don't hurt my mom or my sister.". It was then that the friends recognized the true fear in Polly's voice, and knew this wasn't a joke. The man picked up Polly and told her friends to count to 1,000 before they did anything else. He carried Polly away. Gillian and Kate did not count, however, they immediately struggled to get their hands free. At 10:45 p.m., Kate and Gillian woke Polly's mother and told her what had happened. She immediately called the authorities. 

On November 30, the police arrested a man named Richard Allen Davis for breaking his parole. Upon arresting him, the officer noticed him from the sketches that Gillian and Kate had described as the man who kidnapped their friend. His palm print had also been found at Polly's home. He was charged with the crime, and four days later, he lead police to Polly's body. Polly's remains were badly decomposed, so there is no way to tell how exactly she was killed, but Davis claimed to have strangled her from behind with a piece of cloth. He was tried and convicted for first degree murder.