SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County child abuse prevention advocates are calling on the community to speak up if they witness instances of abuse after two children were pronounced dead in separate cases in which parents were arrested.
On Sunday, San Antonio police responded to a call of a 12-year old found unresponsive in his family’s apartment, and he was later pronounced dead. The following day, a 5-year old was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He is believed to have been tortured to death.
In both cases, the children’s parents were arrested and charged. The autopsy for those children is still pending.
Yolanda Valenzuela with Kym’s Angels Foundation is calling on the community to step up and speak up for these children and others they know are being abused.
“This week is a defining moment for our county and our city that we need to do something more for child abuse,” Valenzuela said. “The church members, the next-door neighbors, people that say, ‘I don’t want to get involved in that.’ Well, you know what, if one of you all had gotten involved, maybe these two kids today would have been alive.”
Valenzuela said she worries that the severity of the abuse the children are experiencing is escalating. She said anyone who knows of a child suffering now needs to call Child Protective Services or the police right away.
“A lot of people knew these things were happening, but they say, ‘It’s not my business.’ It is your business. Saving the life of a child is everybody’s business,” Valenzuela said.
To become an advocate for Child Advocates San Antonio, click here.