It's interesting that her family members did not step in. My mother never needed any help or assistance from any ACS or police teacher or any one else for that matter, to step in and take her grandkids from any of her own children. My mother was present and involved with all her grandkids, five or which she raised she raised seven children of her own without ever giving us away or wanting to hurt us. Oh well she might have felt like hurting us (LOL) at times but never to abuse. She also stepped in when her own brother's grandchildren needed a safe and secure home to live. Kudos to my mother who did not depend on anyone but family to take care of family. We all were involved in some way or another THAT'S HOW MY MOMS WORKED LIKE IT OR NOT.

The Stepfather and Mother need to get exactly
what they did to Nixzmary in prison. A hero did I hear someone say the stepfather was a hero???
A real asswhole you meant to have said. I believe anyone that said this is just trying to get a rise out of the rest of us that know it is wrong to murder and especially your own flesh and blood. I know they don't really beieve that unless they are as messed up in the head as Rogriguez and doing the same things to their children. Maybe the police need to check them out.

Nixzmary Brown may have saved two children here in Conecuh County, Alabama. The Mobile Register reported today that over a week ago, a woman driving from her mother's Katrina damaged home in Mississippi stopped in Evergreen Alabama to get fuel. In the store she noticed a 3 year old girl, with vacant eyes, and spoke to her, she asked if her mother worked in the store, and a man stood up and asked, "Are you trying to find a new mommy, Elizabeth?" The little girl went to the door and kept trying to open it, the woman held the door shut, but something about the child bothered her enough that she drove around the side of the building, and got the tag number. When she called dispatch, they said the tag went to a different vehicle, but the store owner told 911 that the man and girl were regulars. She asked them to look at the security tape in the store, the dispatcher said they would have to have a warrant. It haunted the woman, she called Missing and Exploited Children, called back to the authorities, all this from her home and job in Atlanta, and felt she was not getting any attention for this child. She got on the Internet and saw a little girl missing from Ohio that looked like the little girl in the store, and she called John Walsh, of America's most wanted show. Finally, she and friends drove back to Evergreen, a four and a half hour drive, one way, to see if they could do something, while they were at the store looking at the security tape, without a court order, a deputy walked in and she shared her concerns with him. He promised he would find the child. He found her, along with a 17 year old male, in a shack on highway 84, and a woman and the man. The adults gave several names, one of which is the name of a convicted sex offender. The authorities say the man and the woman may be father and daughter, but they won't know til fingerprints tell them who they really are. The boy shows evidence of sexual abuse and the 3 year old shows signs of being "raped repeatedly". If it had not been for a woman and her friends taking the time to come back and push this, the little girl might be dead too. Maybe Nixzmary is watching over children from heaven now, because this is too much to just be a coincidence.

A few random thoughts:

People do not abuse their kids because they have poor parenting skills. They particularly do not systematically torture, starve, and rape their children because they have poor parenting skills. Poor parenting skills means you do not know how to best nurture and teach your kids. Abusers do not want to nurture or teach anyone, they want control, they want a punching bag for their rage, and no amount of "parenting classes" are going to fix that.

Please, don't try to justify the miserable job the ASC did here by taking about heavy caseloads and the restrive laws that are all aboout the parents rights. All it would have taken is one caseworker who gave a damn to go for a warrent when the parents would not cooperate, a judge would have granted it, and what they saw in that home would have gotten Nixzmary out of there.
I am a social worker, so don't tell me I do not "get" the system.

The "parents" did this and child protection failed to act on what they saw. The family and neighbors may have looked the other way, but any way you cut it the blame falls first on the parents and next on the ASC.

WHY LOOK FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME?IT IS FUTILE.BLAME THE IGNORANT MOTHER WHO KEPT HAVING KIDS AND DID NOT PROTECT HER CHILD.BLAME THE ABUSED,MACHISHISMO SADISTIC STEPFATHER WHO KILLED THIS LITTLE GIRL.BLAME THE SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS THIS ABUSE TO CONTINUE DESPITE WARNINGS.IT DOES NOT MATTER;THIS LITTLE GIRL IS DEAD.HER SHORT LIFE OF SUFFERING IS OVER.MAY HER MOTHER AND STEP-FATHER SUFFER IMMENSE ANGUISH AS SHE DID.UNBELEIVABLE THAT NEIGHBOURS AND FAMILY MEMBERS FAILED TO NOTICE AND REPORT WHAT WAS GOING ON;MAY THEY BURN IN HELL TOO.I HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO WISH TO ADOPT AND WOULD MAKE GREAT PARENTS,WHY ARE THESE IGNORANT AND CRUEL PEOPLE ALLOWED TO KEEP PROCREATING?THEY SHOULD ALL BE CASTRATED AND STERILISED.

In my opinion the people at her school were the only ones trying to get something done for her. her grandmother lived in Puerto Rico so i don't see how she could have known.its not like she was able to drop in every week.i put the blame mostly on acs and her mother. i mean the guy.. i have no words for him its obvious he is sick, a monster, an animal. i feel her mother had a duty to protect that child. regardless of the fact that she too was abused. i would never in a million years let a man put a hand on my child. as a mother i would have gladly stepped in front of my child. even if it meant i got the beating or that it was my life taken. the way i see it is he would have HAD to take my life to get to my child.the same way any sane loving mother would step in front of a bullet for there child. ACS is also very much to blame when you have not one but two parents abusing that child. no one helping her
That's when they are supposed to step in and take her from that situation. That's they're job. regardless of how many others knew or didn't know what ever the case no else was doing anything And so it was up to them to do something for her.

The attorney for the mother says she is a sweet and loving mother. Bull, it is a heartless, gutless beast that would walk away from a hurt child "crying mommy don't leave me". I hope they both rot in jail and then in hell. Part of her punishment should be a recording of those last words of that poor child played in her cell night and day. Where were the grandmothers. I am a grandmother and I would die before I would let anyone hurt my granddaughter.

I feel that society as a whole failed this child. You cannot put a band-aid on this problem by having agencies like ACS and others. It stems from a much deeper problem in our society. We fail to provide anyone lessons on how to parent a child. We require a license to drive a car, but no one ever tests our abilities to parent, except our children and then it is too late. Our government has failed to identify prevention as a means to alleviate this rampant disease called child abuse. Agencies provide voluntary parenting classes, available to those who are interested, have the time and have childcare. Parenting should be as mandatory in schools as reading and writing. I also feel that we have failed as a united country to provide mothers and/or fathers with the time they need to do what they need to do for their children. We are a country driven by business; economics do not accomodate needs for a growing child.
As a result, this situation perpetuates and will continue to perpetuate. A parent knows no other way to parent except that which he/she observed. If what was observed was violent and abusive, that is how he/she will parent. The answer lies within our system. Businesses put such a low importance on family that it extends into every aspect of life. There is no one thing, one person or one agency that can fix this. We have to decide as a country, what is more important: the death of one little 7 year-old due to the insuffiency of our system or large corporations doing well, a strong economic outlook and achieving the American Dream.

All of you that read this or have posted on this site, think about what you can do to inflict change. Is there something you do as a parent that is inappropriate, but you are too busy to correct it? Do you know someone who slaps and yells at their child on a regular basis? What kind of person do you think this child will grow up to be? Think about how you were parented...is there something you would change if you could?
Without change,we are on an endless, vicious cycle that will never end, and unfortunately part of the cycle means that a some child, somewhere at sometime will die at the hands of his/her parent.

Is this person kidding with the hero statement? A hero who beats a 7 year old girl to death. Huh? Please, dont associate this piece of garbage, low life loser with our troops fighting for your freedom. A little 7 year old girl had NONE at the hands of this LOSER......... give respect where respect is due. I HOPE THIS "VET" (im laughing right now) GETS WHAT HE DESERVES

I have to comment on Brian IraqVet statement! I have to say....SHAME ON YOU! He is not a hero! He is a piece of crap.... A child suffered and died because of him. He beat her, rapped her and did things that no person should have to go through to her. He is NOT a hero but, a evil person who should have the same but worse done to him. I can't believe that you believe he shouldn't be tried for a horrible crime that he and his wife did to Nixzmary. Don't tell me that anyone who criticizes him hates troops! My father is a vet, my brother is a vet and my brother in-law served in Irag and is still in the Army! I am proud of our troops and proud to be an American. But, I am not proud of any man or women who kills or harms their child no matter if they are a vet or not.

I hope that everyone who knew or suspected that this unconscionable, unthinkable act was taking place never has a peaceful sleep again and they should bury their heads of shame.
Thank goodness that this "angel" got away from all of you, at least now she is safe and very happy.
Again to all of you, thanks for nothing.

The stepfather was a soldier and is an American Hero. Vets should never, ever be tried for crimes. Anyone who criticizes him hates the troops.

EVERYONE who never said or did anything is responsible but, mostly the mother. I've cried over this little girl who I don't even know. My heart aches so bad for her. WHY would someone do this to a child or anyone for that matter? The pain and hurt she went through is something that I can't even imagine. I have 3 children of my own. My middle daughter is the same age as Nixzmary. As a mother, I can't imagine allowing anyone to hurt my children. I would die for them. They are my life. Shame on the father and the grandparents....where were they. I don't believe that they didn't know what was going on. They just didn't care. And, finally, I hope and pray that the mother and step father get back 10 times and then some what they did to Nixzmary.

GOD BLESS NIXZMARY! MAY HE HOLD HER, NOW SAFE IN HIS ARMS!

As a DHS worker it is so difficult to read both the story of this innocent child and the criticism of ACS. If our society would start putting emphasis and funds into programs that make a difference, instead of other indulgences such as sports, we would deal with fewer tragedies. It’s as easy as this: ACS receives funding, they hire more workers, workers are able do a more complete assessment on each family that they work with because they are not swamped. Also, to keep in mind that a caseworker can not spend 24 hours a day with these families, we are not all knowing or all powerful.

My deapest sympathies,

Rachel Moyer

Ok I hear tell that this deamon that did this to a poor little girl is not even in jail but in a mental hospital. I am sure he is mental but come on he never touched any of the other kids and one of them is older than nixzmary was. I am sure that child did things to make the man mad at times. I only hope they do not let him get by with saying that he is insane. I know and all of the rest of you probably know there is something not right upstairs but does that give him the right to single out one child and do the things to her that he did? There are mentally retarted people out there everywhere that have children and they take very good care of them. And what kind of mother lets a man beat, starve, sexually abuse, and kill her child? I don't care if she did do things to the other children there is no reason for that kind of punishment. I did things to my brothers and sisters all the time when we were kids and now my children do things to each other just to make one another mad. That is what kids that are close in age do. It has been going on for years and probably go on for many more. I sit back and I think when I watch my children in the house, could you ever let someone do that to them? The answer is no. I don't care how many times the sick sob hit me he would be hitting me and not my child. I lived with a man for about a month one time and things were great until I found out that he was convicted of child molestation. I have a 10 year old daughter and I just couldn't take the chance of him doing something to her so I moved out. We had dated for a year and I didn't know this about him. I fell in love with him but because there was a chance he could harm my child I left and never looked back. I am just glad I never left her alone with him. The first time a man hits one of my children or refuses to let them eat it will be the last time I see them and it makes me wonder why nixzmarys mother didn't see things the same way. She had to know that the man she "loves" was doing things to that baby he should only be doing to her. Is love that blind for her or is she just stupid? If a man is going to get mad because a child eats something that belongs to him then he dosen't need children because I would starve before I would see my children go hungry.

I think the parents or "lack there of" of nixzmary brown should be beaten until they can't walk. Then left in a cold dark room to lay in pain until the next day when they should be beaten again just as hard. When the mother cries out in pain they should just walk away like she did. The step father should be beaten, starved, screwed by bubba, and soaked in cold water then be left in the dark cold and alone. I have ne remorse for these people. It was them that did this to her and noone else. Yea child welfare should have stepped in but they didn't as they will do with many other children in the world who go to school not able to walk. That is every day life. I can not believe this child so beautiful and small did not get the attention she needed. Someone should have noticed something when the child only weighed 36 pounds. I mean come on my dog weighs in at 25 pounds and she is a cocker spaniel. My five year old weighed 36 pounds at 3 and a half. This is crazy and the people of the world should take this as a learning experience. They should learn that if there is a sign act on it! Do a little more looking into it than just taking the word of the parent. They aren't going to tell child welfare yea I beat my kid. Of course they are going to lie to prtect themselves. The children that are victoms of the crime aren't going to tell you any thing because they have seen it enough to know that if child welfare dosen't think they are in danger they are going to leave them with the parents and life for them will get worse. Neighbors of children they hear screaming should report it and if they don't do anything and they keep screaming report it again. So what if you piss off the person you are reporting. Who cares if they are mad at you?

As I read what softspot has said and as I learn every day by living in a house with the two children that I have I think, " if my child was to go to school with a black eye and a cut on their forhead what would the school do?" I will tell you what they would do. They would call acs and then call the police. Acs would then come to my home and investagate. Not just one time but many times over a six month period. How do I know this? When my daughter was born I had Acs called on me because she got what they call thresh mouth. I took her to the doctor and the doctor thought I wasn't cleaning her bottles. Come to find out the breathing treatments she was getting from the same doctor was giving it to her. For six months I was visited once a week. When they found out that it was the breathing treatments they still came it didn't matter and I understood they had a job to do to make sure my child was getting the best care possible. In this case I do blame ACS. Maybe not all of them just the one who failed to see what was going on. I blame the school only because where I live if a child misses more than 20 days they report you to the prociuter. Something should have been done. The day that animal pushed me out the door and locked it would have been the day I knew something was in there he didn't want me to see. I would have then called the police and had them go in for me just to ease my mind.Maybe i'm wrong but if her parents aren't gong to protect her who is? Isn't that what child welfare is for and if not why are all these parents so afraid to punish their children? I know that I can not bring myself to even spank my children on the rear because of the fear of child welfare. If child welfare is not to protect the children when the parents won't then why have them?

People who are willing to breed should be tested and licensed. I was a teen when I became a mother and was not fit to care for a child. Nobody cared. Thankfully I learnt quick not take out my frustrations on my daughter. But not all children are as lucky as she is. It is the society that is still debating the "legitamacy of abortion" that is to blame. Just because a human has organs to breed doesn't mean he and she are also capable of caring for an offspring. It is not so hard to figure out.

Nixzmary’s death is a tragedy for which we all mourn. I work for ACS, and I feel the need to defend what I, and most of my fellow colleagues do. I do not think that it is accurate for people to call us uneducated and ill-equipped to do our jobs. We are not the only ones who failed Nixzmary, and it angers me when we are the only ones left to take the blame. Look first to family and neighbors, who oftentimes know more of what is going on in homes like Nizmary’s, but fail to do or say anything to the authorities. I know of family members who have lied about a child being abused to protect their relatives. In the course of investigating a case, we do not reside with these families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We cannot possibly see everything that is going on. An abused child is also at times fearful to reveal what is going on at home because they hear the threat, “If you tell, they will take you away.” You would think an abused child will always want to be rescued from their abusive home, but that threat seems to instill a fear in them, and they don’t often reveal what is going on at home. I can tell you, that as an ACS worker, my job is overwhelming and difficult in ways that the general public could not possibly comprehend. The Mayor and ACS Commissioner will tell the public that the average caseworker has 11 cases. That is a LIE! Sometimes, we get three cases in one day. How can we police all these homes and protect all these children when we are overworked. We are stretched to the maximum. We work long hours that keep us away from our families. We do not get any thanks for this, just a lot of criticism and blame in cases like this. I wish everyone would stop being so critical. Talk is oh so cheap. If you, the public, is so quick to judge, and you think ACS can do a better job, then come work for us. We definitely need more workers on the frontline. Stop being so quick to judge when you cannot possibly grasp the magnitude of our tasks. Stop blaming the ACS workers, the fault does not lie with us, and we certainly aren’t killing children. Just like the police can’t prevent all crimes, we can’t stop every child from being abuse or killed. We have certain constraints, and when we operate under the premise that the parents have rights, we cannot simply violate their rights, which the law always seems to protect. If you want results, demand that the laws be changed. We all need to look to within to find the person deserving the blame.

There was one time in my life that I was accidentally hit hard that I lost my breath and the pain was excruciating. This was at a softball game. Yes, believe it or not. But we have a different senario that it is at hand. The scene is as follows...a beautiful baby at the tender age of seven. Ready to start learning about the world. Reading exciting books, watching Dora the Explorer, going to birthday parties for friends, dancing, singing, acting silly, being mischievious, yes...getting into trouble from time to time(like most kids do). Having loving parents who read bedtime stories to them. This is the normal world that most 7 year olds live in...but Nixzmary lived in a darker world.. a demon's world...not a normal world...what a pity and a waste. What a absolutely beautiful child she was. What a shame..there are so many parents who would have given her the world. That's really what we all want isn't it? Just a normal life? Poor darling..I can't sleep at night sometimes because I think of her. Why didn't her parents think of her?

How do you think it feels to be starved, kicked, sexually assaulted, dunked in cold water, your head hit so hard you can't see straight. Yeah, I am asking dear ol mommy and daddy? Yeah you! Has anyone done this to you? Well, how does it feel? Your beautiful daughter knows....ask her! Oh, I forgot...you can't...she's dead!

Its easy to point fingers after the deed is done because no one wants to admit they failed a child. Society as a whole failed this and continue to fail many children on a daily basis, but everyone turns a blind eye until a child dies. Then all hell breaks loose and fingers get pointed at each other.Parents everyday, everywhere fail children,not only their own but those they see being mistreated but "don't want to become involved" or choose to "mind their own business". Its easy to blame child protection workers as it is "their job" after all. BUT, who makes the strict laws that these workers have to work under everyday, laws that "protect" parents rights or make it difficult for workers to gain access into a home where they feel a child may be in need of protection. The government in all their wisdom make laws that make it almost impossible or at the very least, very difficult, for protection workers to "protect" children. And if the protection worker does manage to get into a home, determine the child to be at risk, remove the child and place in a safe home. Once the worker gets into the court system and trys to make the child safe for a long period of time, the judge, in all his wisdom, decides that the parents have "changed" and are all of a sudden "good parents" and makes the decision to send the child home. The happy family heads off home, while the protection worker, hangs his/her head, crys a little tear and prays for the child to be safe. Then continues along in this thankless job to find his or herself another brick wall to bang their head on.

Anyone want to bet that "grand-ma," (oh, please, don't even get me started on grand-ma.) "biological dad," "name-sake dad," and all of the other relatives who were sobbing all over this child's coffin are going to be launching law-suits over her death. Someone is going to make money from this sad, pathetic seven-year-old-girl who lived and died in hellish misery--and no one did a thing to help her. Shame on all of them and on all of us for allowing this to happen. I hear the mother has gotten death threats. Throw both the mother and step-father into common at their vacation at Rikers. It would put an end to them from producing any more victims.

I think the parents of Nixzmary is responsible for her death. Child services are a bit responsible because they had information to stop this and it continued until this little child had to lose her life. What kind of parents does something like this to their own child. I pray that they get what they deserve. I don't know this child but it really breaks my hurt to see what happened to such a sweet innocent girl.I really blame the parents for this tragedy.

Everyone should be blamed. No one really helped her. I even think her biological father should go to jail for letting this happen. where were you when she needed you. Now you show up ! Hope your concious kills you. Why didnt the teachers or school insist in getting her help.

maybe if Nixmary,s father biological that is had of stepped up and accepted responsibility for his child she quite possibly would still be here today. where is daddy dearest?????

I think that the parents are to be blamed for what happened to the child. Also the Child Services should have done a better job, how could they ignore all of the signs that were presented to them?

The worthless parents (note I say that in the plural) who beat her to death are first and formost to blame. Next up is the worthless "family", like grandma, who did nothing to stop it, last but never least is NYC's joke of a Child protection system. Both of the "parents" ought to get life without parole, and all the morons who were connected to the case at Child Protection should be fired, follwed by a complete investigation of why a starving bruised kid was ignored by their wonderful case workers.

None of this is going to happen mind you, and in five or ten years we will have another dead poster child from NYC with everyone asking who is to blame.

Sorry for the cynical view, but this whole thing makes me so angry I could burst.

EVERYONE IS TO BLAME....NO DID NOTHING FOR HER

Everyone of them... Specially her parents and the system