Over the past decade, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the founder of the Center for Youth Wellness, in Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco, has emerged as one of the country’s strongest voices calling for a national public health campaign to raise awareness and a sense of urgency about the devastating and potentially lifelong health effects of childhood trauma. Since the original research … [Read more...]

(CNN)One morning in 1998, US District Court Judge Walter Smith called a deputy clerk into his chambers in the Waco, Texas, courthouse and closed the door behind her. "He basically came over to me and put his arms around me and kissed me, and I just froze. I couldn't move," the woman said in a deposition. "And he said, 'Let me make love to you.' And I just freaked out. ... And then he pulled … [Read more...]

Trigger warning: This article contains sensitive material relating to domestic abuse and child sexual abuse. If you or a loved one are in a crisis, you can view a number of resources for Protective Parents and find an expert who is ready to listen. To many, Maralee McLean's story is beyond belief.  It began when the Denver mom said she noticed her … [Read more...]

The trial will move forward for a father accused of drinking himself to sleep before a fire ignited at his two-story Rancho Bernardo condo, leading to the death of his two children. Henry Lopez appeared in court for a closed-door session Thursday that determined the case against him will continue with a preliminary hearing on Feb. 27.  Lopez faces five felonies including two counts of … [Read more...]

KALAMAZOO, MI -- The man who shot his 4-year-old son and then his ex-girlfriend before turning the gun on himself was bringing the boy back home after an overnight visit, family members told police. Nicholas Mitchell Jr. shot his son, Nicholas Mitchell Jr., 4, then shot his ex-girlfriend and son's mother, Julina Gibson, in the early morning of Nov. 9 before shooting himself. Police responded to … [Read more...]