Woman Arrested In Child Abuse Case After 2-Year-Old Foster Child Dies And 3-Year-Old Foster Child Is Severely Injured

Pulaski County Woman Arrested in Child Abuse Case

Pulaski County, MO. – A woman was recently arrested in a child abuse case after her 2-year-old foster child died and another 3-year-old foster child was hospitalized from injuries under her care. 26-year-old Alyssa Jackson of St. Robert was charged with one count of 1st degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in the death of a child, one count of abuse or neglect of a child resulting in the death of a child, one count of abuse or neglect of a child resulting in serious emotional or physical injury, and one count of 1st degree endangering the welfare of a child resulting in serious physical injury. 

Background

1. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office received a call on August 13, 2024, reporting an unconscious and unresponsive 2-year-old girl not breathing.
2. Deputies arrived at the residence and performed CPR on the child before she was taken to General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital.
3. The child was later transferred to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, where she succumbed to her injuries.
4. During the investigation, a 3-year-old boy, also a foster child under Jackson’s care, was found to have injuries consistent with child abuse and was taken to the hospital.

Conditions at Jackson’s House

• The house was in disarray with human feces on the floor and walls.
• There were stained mattresses, piled-up dishes in every sink, including bathroom sinks.
• Flies were present throughout the house, and there was molded food on the floors and in the children’s bed.
• Clothes were piled on the beds, and there was a strong smell of mildew and mold.

Medical Findings

Medical records for the 2-year-old victim showed severe hemorrhagic retina changes, disc and retina edema in both eyes, consistent with non-accidental trauma.

The 3-year-old victim had severe swelling, bruising, cuts to his face, and broken bones in multiple areas along his spine. All medical personnel agreed that these injuries were caused by non-accidental trauma and were consistent with child abuse.

Legal Proceedings

When confronted with the medical records, Jackson refused to speak with officials and requested an attorney, ending the interview. She is currently held in the Pulaski County Jail with a bond of $1,000,000 cash or surety.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio
   • Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age
   • Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable diseases
   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
   • Target 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol
   • Target 3.6: By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
   • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
   • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination
   • Target 3.a: Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
   • Target 3.b: Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all
   • Target 3.c: Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training, and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States
   • Indicator 3.1.1: Maternal mortality ratio
   • Indicator 3.2.1: Under-5 mortality rate
   • Indicator 3.3.1: Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age, and key populations
   • Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease
   • Indicator 3.5.1: Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial, and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders
   • Indicator 3.6.1: Death rate due to road traffic injuries
   • Indicator 3.7.1: Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods
   • Indicator 3.8.1: Coverage of essential health services (defined as the average coverage of essential services based on tracer interventions that include reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and service capacity and access, among the general and the most disadvantaged population)
   • Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution
   • Indicator 3.a.1: Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older
   • Indicator 3.b.1: Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national program
   • Indicator 3.c.1: Health worker density and distribution

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
   • Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education
   • Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university
   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship
   • Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations
   • Target 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
   • Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
   • Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability, and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive, and effective learning environments for all
   • Target 4.b: By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular, least developed countries, small island developing States, and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering, and scientific programs, in developed countries and other developing countries
   • Target 4.c: By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
   • Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
   • Indicator 4.2.1: Participation rate of children in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
   • Indicator 4.3.1: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
   • Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
   • Indicator 4.5.1: Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
   • Indicator 4.6.1: Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
   • Indicator 4.7.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
   • Indicator 4.a.1: Proportion of schools with access to (a) electricity; (b) the Internet for pedagogical purposes; (c) computers for pedagogical purposes; (d) adapted infrastructure and materials for students with disabilities; (e) basic drinking water; (f) single-sex basic sanitation facilities; and (g) basic handwashing facilities (as per the WASH indicator definitions)
   • Indicator 4.b.1: Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
   • Indicator 4.c.1: Proportion of teachers in (a) preprimary; (b) primary; (c) lower secondary; and (d) upper secondary education who have received at least the minimum organized teacher training (e.g., pedagogical training) pre-service or in-service required for teaching at the relevant level in a given country

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
   • Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
   • Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure, and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life
   • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
   • Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources in accordance with national laws
   • Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
   • Target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
   • Indicator 5.1.1: Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex
   • Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
   • Indicator 5.3.1: Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
   • Indicator 5.4.1: Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age, and location
   • Indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
   • Indicator 5.6.1: Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive health care
   • Indicator 5.a.1: (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
   • Indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
   • Indicator 5.c.1: Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: ozarkradionews.com