e-mail
I have been following this story for several days now, and each article that comes out gives more disgusting details.
One of the leaders of the Illinois Council on Adoptable Children is under investigation for child abuse against three girls in her home. The initial report stated that Patricia Cooper permitted her biological son to sexually assault the girls over an eight year period. The son, Christopher Cooper is now being held in jail without bond and is being charged in these assaults.
Through the series of articles it has been revealed that the girls went to Patricia and told her what was going on. She threatened them if they revealed the abuse. Is it any wonder kids are afraid to reveal abuse?
To make matters worse, Ms. Cooper has been investigated on child abuse allegations twice before.
The latest report indicates that Ms. Cooper and her biological daughter also physically abused the girls. One girl has reported that both Ms. Cooper and the oldest daughter would pour bleach over one of her foster daughters when the girl had not cleaned to Ms. Cooper’s satisfaction as well as beating the girls. Ms. Cooper and her daughter have not been charged for the physical abuse at this point. However, Ms. Cooper has been charged in permitting the sexual abuse of a child.
Having been through an abuse investigation myself I know how horrible these are. I don’t wish it on anyone, but many of them are justified. This appears to be one of them.
Ms. Cooper’s position with the Illinois Council on Adoptable Children may have made her denial of the abuse more credible, and I ache for the children that had to remain in this abusive environment. Reports indicate that more than seventy children have passed through Ms. Cooper’s doors. How many of these children have been abused but were too afraid to disclose what happened to them? The other investigations were in November 2006, and January 2008.
I would expect a foster parent to have had allegations leveled against them at some point. After all, foster parents have a 1 in 8 chance of going through an investigation. The fact that these three allegations have come in less than two years should be an alert. If they had been spaced out over several years, I would not have been surprised.
To add insult to injury and to make you wonder how many other victims there are at the hands of this family, Ms. Cooper brought a guest to two of her adoption support meetings…. Her son Christopher. I wonder how many victims he found through these meetings?
I am going to play devil advocate here and say WHAT IF these allegations are not true. This woman has had over 30 foster children through her home in over 20 years and adopted nine children. Yet these three sisters are the obly ones claiming abuse? I hope if the reports are true that justice is done, but if they aren’t….what a nightmare for this woman and her biological children.
Kim, you’re not off base. I wondered the same thing myself. I know that the level of evidence needed for a criminal conviction is much higher so it makes me wonder what they have as evidence.
Well, this has to go down as one of the most appalling stories of the year. My head is spinning…