Eric HicksTime and again the headlines are filled with stories of young children left home alone. Typically they're found fine, and we all fret about what could have happened. In Joplin, Missouri, however, it's what did happen that's heartbreaking.
According to The Joplin Globe, Eric Hicks, 28, was watching his girlfriend's 18-month-old son, Emjay Corn, Saturday morning. He had an appointment at a methadone clinic, but instead of taking the boy with him or finding alternative care for him, he just left him there, alone in his crib. Sometime later the boy was found dead.
The boy's cause of death is still under investigation, and Hicks has been charged with felony child endangerment. Other details are murky as to why police arrived at the house when there was no record of a call being made to them that day and where the mother was. But regardless of the specifics, on the surface, it's such a blatant and sad example of why young children should never be left home alone -- not for an hour, not even for a couple of minutes.
It's hard to find child care, I know. And for some who have to work to pay the rent or keep medical appointments, leaving the children alone may feel like the only option, perhaps especially so for someone coping with drug addiction. But it never can be. Even children who are sleeping or otherwise engaged can get into a dangerous situation in no time at all. People who don't understand that shouldn't be left in charge of them.
I feel for this entire family. I can only imagine their pain and suffering right now as they piece together what happened, contemplate what they could have done to prevent it, and beat themselves up for the rest of their lives over what they didn't do. But that's the thing when it comes to our children's safety -- we don't get do-overs, and that's why we have to put it first, above anything else.
Do you know people who leave young children home alone? Have you ever?
Image via KTTS
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Comments 293
just an FYI, this case gets even sadder. it turns out this guy is getting charged with murder, the poor little kid died from blunt force trauma to the head. that doesn't happen from being left alone. the child was left in his care, he was the mother's fiance. and he was the only one to come in contact with the child since the child was last seen alive. so it's not from leaving the poor kid alone, this sick f*ck beat him to death. and THIS is why i NEVER EVER want to (purposely) become a single mom. you may love somebody and think you can trust them, but they could end up hurting your kids. i really do feel bad for single moms in that aspect, besides not having time to date, sometimes people just can't be trusted around children and you don't find out until it's too late.
Not all people who use methadone are bad people. Methadone is used to treat recovering drug addicts and if u use the program right it has great results.
I am so angry with the people who abuse the drug that if used properly gets good results. Don't let the actions of a few people that use methadone and do stupid things convelude your opinions on the rest of the world that are using the drug to do the right thing and become a productive member of society again after being in the gutter for such along time
So were you not going to tell us how the baby died? Maybe he killed the baby and then left. Hmmmm. Stupid article. You gave us nothing here!!!
Another story that makes me wish we could include sterilization for all parties involved..the boyfriend because he;s such a major flockup and the mother because anyone who has a child and doesn't care enough about it to keep it away from flockups like this guy..needs not to EVER have another child