child abuse

Under current Missouri law, survivors of sexual abuse must take legal action before they turn 31. New legislation would expand that limit to age 41, to give victims “more time to work through their own pain and suffering."

Holy Trinity Catholic Parish announced earlier this month that Father John Pilcher had been appointed as its senior associate pastor. Pilcher was accused of sexual assault of a minor while working in Topeka, but the Kansas Bureau of Investigation could not substantiate the claims and no charges were filed.

Under current Missouri law, 16- and 17-year-olds are allowed to get married with parental permission to anyone under the age of 21. A new bill co-sponsored by Kansas City state Sen. Lauren Arthur would prohibit issuing marriage licenses to anyone under the age of 18 under any circumstances.

The starting salary for an child abuse investigator is around $43,000 a year. Missouri's inability to hire and retain staff resulted in a backlog of thousands of cases, prompting alarm from child welfare agencies and legislators.

In Missouri, the state’s Children’s Division is responsible for investigating abuse and neglect claims made through the state’s hotline. A bill would make it so the attorney general's office oversees juvenile officers instead.

Part of the Investigation Discovery series, which examines abusive practices in the Independent Fundamental Baptist Church, highlights two cases at religious schools in southwest Missouri. The docuseries is now streaming on Max.

The reports, which range from September 2022 to little more than a month before her death, warned that the child wasn’t supervised, was living in a home without utilities and was around drugs, among other allegations. A 25-year-old man has since been charged with capital murder, first-degree murder and rape.

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says a review of the Children’s Division, which has struggled for years to recruit and retain staff, may not happen right away because of staff constraints in his own office. Meanwhile, Missouri has a backlog of more than 10,000 open child abuse and neglect cases.

There are more than 10,000 cases of alleged child abuse and neglect in Missouri that remain open, including over 3,600 in the Kansas City region. The NPR Midwest Newsroom found that investigators in the state's Children’s Division are overloaded and dealing with a shortage of case workers.

As of August, Kansas City had 3,636 open investigations into child abuse and neglect. Across the state, there are more than 10,000 cases that have been open more than 45 days after being reported. Missouri officials acknowledge the problem and that fixing it isn't easy.

Officials agree that clearing the backlog at Missouri’s Children’s Division won’t be easy or quick. “I think this is a business decision when it comes down to it," says one Lee's Summit lawmaker. “If we value the children of Missouri, we have to do more.”

The legislation changes Missouri law by requiring judges start each child custody case with the presumption that “equal or approximately equal” parenting time for each parent is in the child’s best interests. But the bill, passed in the final hour of the legislative session, could make it more difficult for victims to escape abusive relationships and protect their children.