Indications of Neglect...Part 1

After reviewing the pictures shared by Selena Johnson, some people have come to the conclusion that from the pictures alone, there are indications of neglect. Many things have been so one-sided it's ridiculous, and this is another one of those things.

If you have ever had the "pleasure" of observing a home that actually IS a danger to a child's health and welfare, you're not going to see just dust, dirty floors, worn furniture, or what appears to be an older home in need of a good cleaning. Not at all. You might see cat/dog/human feces piled on the floor, in buckets, or smeared on the wall. The floor may be so nasty that you cannot even take a step without your shoes sticking to it. There will be dishes unwashed and moldy food left out. Clothes strewn all over the place. You are not likely to see toys, because the house is so cluttered and filthy that there is absolutely no area for the children to play. One of the worst parts, that you cannot see in the pictures, will be the smell. It will be so rank that you will want to throw up or run (literally). Aside from the condition of the home, the children are likely to be filthy or malnourished as well.

You don't see any of those things in the pictures released by Selena Johnson. You really are not getting a total feel of the house based off of 23 or 24 pictures, most of which are not even taken at the home. Did the home appear to be in the best condition? No, but again, that depends on a variety of things. Your standard of "clean" isn't the same as the next person's. CPS cannot take a child from a home just because it's unclean. Something in the home has to be an actual danger, and I guarantee you that what you observe in those pictures does not rise to that level.

The pictures supposedly show that Ayla "was a child who was not thriving, miserable, and possibly abused or neglected." The second two are stated as opinion, I guess, but how can you tell from a picture that a child is not thriving? Usually, that means a child doesn't gain weight properly, is underfed, or fails to meet milestones. Again, she looks healthy in the pictures, and none of us know how well she was doing as far as milestones go. From the pictures and video, we see that she appears to be a normal child for her age, but that's no definite.

"Looking at her surroundings in the pictures also show that the house cluttered, dirty, and not safe for toddlers." Now, that is a statement that could only be made by someone of low intelligence. I hate to sound like that (really I don't), but how does a cluttered or dirty house automatically amount to unsafe conditions? Furthermore, this is an overstatement of what is actually shown in the pictures. Trista had gone to the house, and there is NOT ONE interview where she says the house itself was unsafe. She's suing DHHS for failing to perform background checks. Not for failing to remove her child from a house that was inherently dangerous.

Now, the "pieces of the puzzle" according to a certain blogger are as follows:

Trista, her sister Jessica, and her mother all reported that when Ayla went to visit Justin she came home with bruises. This WAS reported in the MEDIA, but how does anyone know whether or not it was reported to CPS? The people who had the ability to do something? Trista says she did not go and take Ayla because she thought Ayla was okay and well cared for. Trista also says she had been to the house. Why are bloggers trying to discredit even what Trista said based off of a few pictures? Why is Trista contradicting herself, by releasing information about possible "abuse" and then excusing her own inaction by saying she thought Ayla was okay? I bet none of Trista's mouthpieces will answer those two questions without spinning or finding a way to blame Justin.

In addition to the injuries that befell Ayla while in Justin's care, he also refused to allow her to have regular communication with her mother, the only person she had known since birth.  Does anyone know why the regular communication would be cut off? Does anyone know that it was Justin's doing and not Trista's failure to go and see her daughter? Talking on the phone with an almost 2 year old is NOT regular communication, unless one is deployed or lives a long distance away. Children that young need to see you; they develop attachments to and trust the people who are providing for them consistently. Also, Trista does say that Justin wouldn't let Ayla spend the night, but wasn't she homeless? She never says he would not let her see Ayla at all. Even after December 8, she only says he made excuses for the phone calls. Here's a clue: get in a car and go check on your child. How about that? How about call the police and ask them to go and perform a welfare check, because you're concerned? Sound like reasonable things that parents who are truly concerned would do.

Ayla was not checked on for 12 hours. I'm sorry, but so what? Of all the things people point to, this is one of the most nonsensical. Without knowing Ayla's regular sleep habits, it's pointless to comment on this. For every person who says that amount of time is abnormal, there's another person who will readily admit to not checking on their child either.

It is also safe to assume that Ayla, while in the care of Justin, had spent ample time at the Portland apartment while visiting his girlfriend, it is also safe to assume that there were drugs and/or drug use in the house at the same time Ayla was in the home. It is never safe to assume anything. You do not know that Ayla had ever been to that home. You also don't know when the drugs got there. Briana got caught with a rather large amount of drugs, but people who are trafficking drugs don't normally hoard them away for long periods of time. They are trafficked. Sold. Moved. Further, you don't even know that Justin took Ayla with him when he went to visit Courtney. It has been said that Courtney usually went to Waterville to visit Justin on the weekends.

When the pictures of Ayla were released by Ayla's maternal side of the family, we got the image of a vibrant, happy, beautiful little girl. You got the best pictures, and Trista probably had more to choose from than the DiPietro family. Trista had her for almost 2 years, Justin for 2 months. There's no comparing the opportunity for picture taking, it's extremely one sided. Trista saw Ayla in real life, and never once has she said, "I could see a change in Ayla's personality." Does she say that, or again, are bloggers just wildly speculating?

At a Doctor's office, you fill out a questionnaire before your children's wellness visits, these questions and your responses are to give the medical practitioner insight into possible abuse and/or neglect. I have never heard of this before, but tell me this. How honest do you think a neglectful or abusive parent would be on such a form? It is up to the doctor to look for other signs, such as failure to thrive, obvious bruising, or a developmental delay can indicate abuse in some cases.