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The former Jefferson County judge has served as the leader of the agency investigating child abuse and neglect since 2021. Missey inherited an agency with major staffing issues and a huge backlog of unfinished cases.
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A new federal lawsuit filed against Circle of Hope Girls Ranch, a now-shuttered Christian boarding school in Missouri, says a 13-year-old girl faced “abuse, harassment, forced servitude, assault, fraud” and other mistreatment by the camp owners.
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The Children’s Division is almost fully staffed now — a “remarkable turnaround” from the hundreds of vacancies it had in recent years. Now, the majority of overdue cases are from the Kansas City area.
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Starting salaries for Missouri Children’s Division investigators are often much lower than those in other governments and the private sector.
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Stephanie Householder, who ran Circle of Hope Girls Ranch with her husband Boyd Householder, faces 21 charges of child abuse and neglect alleged by former students. Her husband, who died last month, had nearly 80 charges that include allegations of sexual abuse.
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The Salem Republican says the definition of neglect is often so broad that children can be removed from homes due to impoverished living conditions.
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Boyd Householder faced 78 felony charges — including rape — stemming from his years directing the Circle of Hope Girls Ranch near Humansville. Householder’s wife, Stephanie, is scheduled for her own trial in late October on 21 similar charges.
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Missouri child advocates and legislators are alarmed over the sporadic use of a program to steer parents to drug rehabilitation and keep their children out of foster care. It's especially underutilized in Kansas City and St. Louis.
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Sarah Gonzales-McLinn was 19 when she murdered 52-year-old Harold Sasko in January 2014. He had allegedly raped her, controlled her financially, coerced her into getting plastic surgery, and held her captive in his Lawrence home for months. She is now seeking clemency on her sentence from Gov. Laura Kelly.
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Three women who say they experienced abuse at religious boarding schools in Missouri staged a demonstration this week in Springfield. Survivors have called on the state attorney general to investigate the private facilities.
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A state report found that 20 children under 5 died of fentanyl or in combination with other substances. It found that Children's Division investigators, who are tasked with following up on claims of abuse and neglect, “lacked essential procedures, missed warning signs and left vulnerable children at risk.”
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In order to work in Missouri, 14 and 15-year-olds must obtain a certificate from their school, with information from their prospective employer about the job, as well as parental consent and age verification. But a Republican-sponsored bill would eliminate that formal process, and only require a signed permission slip.