Infant Christmas Dress

The Hardest Cases: When Children Die, Justice Can Be Elusive (Part One)

By  A.C. Thompson and  Chisun Lee , ProPublica, and Joe Shapiro and Sandra Bartlett, NPR

Her name was Isis Charm Vas and at 6 months old she was a slight child — fifth percentile in height and weight.

When the ambulance sped her to Northwest Texas Hospital on a Saturday morning in October 2000, doctors and nurses feared that someone had done something awful to her delicate little body.

A constellation of bruises stretched across her pale skin. CT scans showed blood pooling on her brain and swelling. Her vagina was bleeding, as well. The damage was so severe that her body’s vital organs were shutting down.

Less than 24 hours later, Isis died.

An  autopsy bolstered the initial suspicions that she’d been abused. Dr. Joni McClain, a forensic pathologist, ruled Isis’ death a homicide and said the baby had been sexually violated. McClain would later describe it as a “classic” case of blunt force trauma, the type of damage often done by a beating.

The  police investigation that followed was constructed almost entirely from medical evidence. In the end, prosecutors  indicted one of the child’s babysitters: Ernie Lopez.

Today, Lopez is serving a 60-year prison term for sexual assault and is still facing capital murder charges.

But in the years since Lopez was sent to the penitentiary, a growing body of evidence has emerged suggesting that McClain and the hospital staffers were wrong about what happened to Isis — and that her death was not the result of a criminal attack.

If Lopez is ultimately exonerated, his case will not be unique.An investigation by ProPublica, PBS "Frontline" and NPR found that medical examiners and coroners have repeatedly abused the death of infants and children, helping to put innocent people behind bars.

We analyzed nearly two dozen cases in the United States and Canada where people have been accused of killing children based on the work imperfect or biased medical examiners, and then later removed.

Some spent years in jail before court overturned their convictions. In 2004, San Diego prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against a man who’d been imprisoned for two decades for murdering his girlfriend’s son.

Others were freed more swiftly but endured hardships nonetheless. An El Paso, Texas, jury acquitted a woman of killing her child in 2010, but after spending 22 months in the county jail, she still had to wage a legal battle to regain custody of her other children.

Alternative Christmas Fancy Dress Ideas For Babies And Toddlers ...

Alternative Christmas Fancy Dress Ideas For Babies And Toddlers

Traditional Christmas Fancy Dress parties are very popular, but some of you out there may prefer a little variety away from the obvious Santa, Elves and Angels costumes. You will have to decide whether you’re going to stick to one theme or have a free-for-all. For the little ones in the family, there is an endless choice of costumes , some for fun, some pretty and others pretty hilarious. Here are a few ideas to look at.

TEDDY INFANT costume - there will be plenty of aaah when you take your little toy on Christmas day in this place. Designed for comfort babies, these brown chenille fur and flannel suits are cream colored belly and feet. They usually come with removable hoods that have cute bear ears. This is fine if it's cold where you live, but always remember when your baby is such a costume, make sure they do not overheat if you're in for a while. It is a very popular style of dress.

THEMES - Think of Disney and the choice of Fancy Dress costume is endless for both boys and girls from princesses to princes, from Snow White to dwarves, from Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella to evil Witches. We have traditional cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Scooby Doo, plus animals and superheroes in the style of Spiderman, Batman and Robin, X-men, Captain America, Iron Man and Power Rangers. Pirates, Ghouls, Monsters and Vampires are all high up the popularity list for those who don’t want traditional.

PUMPKIN INFANT Princess Costume - She'll be the head of the Pumpkin Patch in this little dizzy. A suit of magnificent vegetables often used for Halloween, it's just too good to be once a year. The dress consists of a frilly, puffy skirt in a bright orange with a green blouse imitating the section of the leaves. Have some sort of banner and your little darling will correspond to the center where you are.

INFANTS Buzzy Bee Costume - In the midst of fabulously fun costumes for boys and girls, Bumble Bee is a winner with children. For the girls, it’s all pretty and cute with typical black and yellow striped dress. For the toddler costumes, you will find most of these are elasticised around the chest for ease and comfort. Adorable detachable wings should fit on the back. Adding black tights and little ballet-style pumps creates a great finishing touch as your little bee buzzes around everyone’s feet all night. She’ll be an absolute honey all night.

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