Kelsey Briggs lost her life before the age of three due to Child Abuse.
It is a Tragic story but one that must be shared. Hopefully Kelsey's story will touch your heart and you will be willing to step up to the plate and help children who can't help themselves.
Please Read her story below...
Kelsey Briggs was born in Oklahoma on December 28,2002 after her parents Lance Briggs and Raye Dawn Smith were divorced.
At the end of 2004, Raye Dawn Smith started dating a man named Michael Lee Porter.
The first reported incident of suspected child abuse regarding Kelsey was made on Jan.17, 2005.
Raye Dawn Smith married Michael Lee Porter on April 18, 2005.
On May 3, 2005 Kelsey was taken out of her home by OKDHS.
May 4,2005 Kelsey was moved to her maternal Grandmother, Gayla Smith.
After months of documented abuse which included a broken collarbone, multiple abrasions, new bruises, and faded bruises from head to toe, and two broken legs court hearings followed, but after it all on June 15,2005, Judge Craig Key sent Kelsey back to her mom and stepfather.
The judge said "Kelsey's abuser was unknown."
Kelsey remained in state custody and was to be supervised by state agencies.
Her biological father Lance Briggs was a soldier in Iraq. He was in the process of checking out from his duty in Fort Benning, Georgia.
On October 11, 2005, she was murdered apparently by her stepfather, Micheal Lee Porter, but that is up for debate. Raye Dawn and Michael Porter were the only ones with Kelsey in the hour leading up to her death.
Raye went to pick Whitney up from school. Whitney is Mike Porter's biological daughter from a previous relationship.
Raye claims Mike killed Kelsey while she was gone.
Mike claims Raye killed Kelsey before she left and left him to take the fall for it.
The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen, it was ruled a Homicide.
Kelsey Briggs died just days before her father was to return.
Two weeks later Porter was arrested on first degree murder.
Her mother was later charged with two felonies of Child Neglect and Enabling Child Abuse.
In April of 2006, Kelsey's body was exhumed for a second autopsy where sexual abuse was documented.
The stepfather's charges were amended to add the sexual abuse.
Porter and Smith divorced after Kelsey's death.
On February 2, 2007, a plea negotiation was entered and approved by the paternal family.
The stepfather plead guilty to a reduced charge of Enabling Child Abuse and received 30 years in prison.
He has no possibility of parole for 25.5 years.
Kelsey's mother Raye Dawn Smith went on trial July 9, 2007. She has since been found guilty of enabling child abuse, she will serve 27 years in prison. Without the possibility of parole for 23 years.
The court says she knew or should have known about Kelsey's abuse.
A lot of people failed Kelsey.
Remember her story the next time you think a child is being abused.
Please report it!
If you don't... that child may suffer the same fate as Kelsey.
Please don't let that happen.
A new law has been named for Kelsey in Oklahoma to prevent this type of failure in the Oklahoma State System.
Song:"Somewhere over the Rainbow"
- Eva Cassidy
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