What went wrong in Teddy’s case?

What went wrong in Teddy’s case?

We saw, we knew, and we heard Teddy Foltz’s pain, but now, only in his death do we feel his pain. Teddy was an innocent boy who lived in an isolated world full of pain and fear. At times, neighbors, relatives, agencies, school teachers and police tried to enter that world wanting to help, but to no avail.

How could so many people have known about the abuse this little innocent boy suffered, and yet despite various attempts at intervention, nothing was done to prevent his painful death? And so now we repeat the questions that have been asked too many times before when such a horrible tragedy occurs: “What went wrong? What could I have done?”

Is it because we don’t want to get involved, because we have to follow procedure, because it is out of our jurisdiction, or any other reason that has been cited in cases of child abuse that have led to death? Today we are angry and sad and many of us have shed tears for Teddy.

Yes, the response and support of people in the community has been quite overwhelming. But what about tomorrow when we see, know, and hear the pain of another innocent child who is as helpless and afraid as Teddy was. What do we do then? Let’s remember how we feel today.

Rosemary D’Apolito, Boardman