child abuse

Legislation to restrict marriage for Missouri residents under age 18 had been stalled by Republican critics for years. The law also stops child sex abusers from using non-disclosure agreements to silence their victims.

One lawmaker said Missouri runs the risk of becoming a "sanctuary state for pedophiles" if the General Assembly doesn't pass a bill that would give victims of child sex abuse more time to press civil charges against their abusers.

The bill has been called “Trey’s Law,” referring to the late Trey Carlock, who died by suicide in 2019 after being sexually abused at the Branson-based Kanakuk Kamps. It passed as part of a larger public safety package.

Three years after David Schneider was sentenced to 50 years in prison, his former gymnasts and their families live with the emotional scars of the offenses and the trauma of going to trial. Schneider continues to appeal his conviction.

Bipartisan supporters of the bill say that nondisclosure agreements are often used to silence underage victims and prevent them from speaking out. The bill is named for Trey Carlock, who was assaulted at a Christian summer camp in Branson and later died by suicide.

Sara Smith is in her first month as director of the Missouri Children’s Division, which oversees the state’s foster care system and child abuse investigations.

Last year, 314 foster children resided in hospitals and 85 are currently living in treatment centers out of state. A wide-ranging bill passed by the senate this week could save the state $13 million a year by moving them to facilities in Missouri.

Spurred by sexual abuse allegations at Branson-area Christian camps, the bill would extend the amount of time survivors have to file civil action against a perpetrator. Survivors would have until age 41 to file civil action, rather than age 31.

In the wake of child sex abuse incidents at southwest Missouri’s Kanakuk Christian sports camp, Branson-area lawmakers are filing bills in the Missouri House and Senate aimed at making it easier to file lawsuits seeking damages from perpetrators.

Dozens of criminal charges for abuse have been filed against operators of Christian boarding schools in Missouri. Survivors say it was only because of TikTok that law enforcement and the Missouri Attorney General finally took action.

Incoming Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin said Missouri’s Children’s Division has failed in its core mission and needs to be restructured to protect vulnerable children.

Logan Yandell, a survivor of sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri, alleges that the camp’s CEO misrepresented prior knowledge of past misconduct allegations in order to convince his parents to sign a non-disclosure agreement.