From One Girl's Tragedy, Comes Hope for a New Future : Guest Blog by Stephen McCaskill
July 26, 2008
[Stephen McCaskill is the author of Crime Scene Blog]
From the smallest acorn grows the mighty oak, or so the saying goes. And with the death of 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown (photo here), we may be seeing the development of a movement that might grow to become a powerful force for child safety.
The body of Nixzmary was found in her home in Brooklyn, New York, on January 12, 2006. She apparently had been bound to a chair, tortured, sexually molested, and went without food for weeks. Finally she received a massive blow to the head and was killed. The death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy found the child died from a brain hemorrhage caused by blunt impact to the head, said medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove.
On the evening of January 11, 2006, Nixzmary's siblings were given a treat of yogurt, but she was not to have any. According to her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, she was being punished. And when a cup of yogurt was found missing from the refrigerator, he naturally blamed her. He took the 36 pound girl into the bathroom where he repeatedly dunked her head under water in the bathtub. When he pulled her up the last time, her head slammed against the faucet, which would become the final blow she would suffer in her short life. He took Nixzmary and put her on the mattress in her room and left her there. Her mother came in shortly after and changed her into dry clothes, but apparently did not check on her injuries. She left to attend to her youngest child.
At 4:30 a.m., Nixzaliz Santiago found her daughter unconscious and called 911. Emergency medical technicians who responded to the call pronounced her dead at the scene. They found indications of abuse, citing both older and more recent bruises. There were also ligature marks on her ankles and wrists, indicating she had been tied up.
Police arrested both Santiago and Rodriguez, charging them with a host of crimes, including second-degree murder.
I had just recently started my Web site, Crime Scene Blog, when I saw this story come across during my news searches. It touched me, and I decided to write a post about this young girl who had endured such a short and tragic life.
That post, and every other one after it have been met with shock, anger, tears, and pity from my readers. But a few decided to do more than rant on a Web site. They began to communicate with one another, initially through the site, but later through personal email and phone calls. They banded together to form Nixzmary's Soldiers and their goal was to put a stop to the senseless deaths of children like Nixzmary.
They came from all over the country. Mothers mostly, from Texas, Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey, along with young people from universities in the northeast who began to formulate plans on what they could do to make children safer.
They came up with Nixzmary's Law, which pushes for harsher sentences for folks convicted of abusing or killing a child, up to life in prison without parole. It also promoted the idea of mandatory sentencing for those convicted.
But having an idea for more legislation would never get them anywhere. They needed to get the word out and generate support from the masses in order to get their ideas before lawmakers.
That's when the idea for the Nixzmary Brown Rally came about. Again they banded together through email, phone calls, and comments on the site to organize a rally that would give them a public arena for promoting their plans.
On July 20, 2008, on a hot Sunday afternoon, they came together for the first time in person in City Hall Park in New York, NY. Coming from Philadelphia and even as far as South Carolina, they met and saw the launch of what they all hope will be the beginning of a nationwide movement to stop the abuse and murder of children at the hand of those that are supposed to protect them.
The rally was a rousing success. After five hours in the heat of Manhattan, they left with over 100 signatures on their petition, a new feeling of camaraderie, and the knowledge that this was only the beginning.
Already plans are underway for another Nixzmary Brown Rally in September, when Nixzaliz Santiago is due to go on trial. They want to expand the organization into other states, in hopes of getting a national law that will severely punish those who would hurt our children.
Watching these folks join together to fight for something they believed in was terrific. And after meeting them, I have no doubt that they will succeed in bringing more attention to the problem of child abuse and neglect. Who knows, maybe we will even be in your town soon, holding a rally and asking for your signature.
Please note that Investigation Discovery does not necessarily endorse any of the views expressed by guest bloggers and Investigation Discovery is not responsible for the information contained in guest posts.
Comments