KidsFirst

Suspect arrested in sex assault on 3-year-old

A fugitive accused of raping a 3-year-old girl on videotape was arrested quietly during a traffic stop, telling the officer, "I'm tired of running," police said.  Read more or watch the NBC News Video

Kidnapper: Boy persuaded me not to kill him

Michael Devlin, a former pizzeria manager, said Tuesday that he attempted to kill a boy he kidnapped and held captive in his apartment, but the child persuaded him not to do it. He pleaded guilty to kidnapping, sexually assaulting and attempting to murder Shawn Hornbeck, and received multiple life sentences.  Read More

Delvin sentenced for kidnappings

Delvin plead guilty to kidnapping Ben Ownby and plans to plead guilty later in the week for kidnapping Shaun Hornbeck.  Read More

Neosho Church Shooting Suspect Now Charged in Rape

The man accused in the Neosho church shooting now faces charges that he raped a 14-year old girl two days before the shooting incident.  Read More

"Be Aware Now" - Statewide awareness campaign

Since 2001, Missouri’s Child Advocacy Centers have served over 25,000 children who were alleged victims of child abuse.  Research suggests that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted before age 18 and 90% of children sexually abused are abused my someone they know and trust.

In April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, Missouri KidsFirst launched a statewide awareness campaign named “Be Aware Now” to educate parents, families and communities about these startling statistics.  The campaign which ran statewide highlighted how many children in Missouri are at risk.

Radio: "Scared" :30 MP3; "Dark Secret" :30 MP3

Next week, Missouri KidsFirst is co-hosting a statewide conference (PDF) aimed at bringing professionals together to prevent sexual assault.  Although this conference is a stepping stone to changing the future for children and families at risk, child abuse is a community problem that needs a community solution.  To find out how you can bring the Be Aware Now campaign to your community contact Rebecca Gordon.