Angel's Child Abuse Memorial

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Kelsey Briggs is a little girl whose name is listed on the first page of this website. The daughter of a US soldier, Kelsey was beaten to death by her stepfather, while her birth father was away at war.
Kelsey's story is particularly sad because she had family members who were trying everything they could to rescue Kelsey. Kelsey's paternal grandmother, who had visitation rights with Kelsey while Kelsey's father was in Iraq, had gotten DHS involved and was documenting every injury she noticed and every suspicion she had. At one point, Kelsey was removed from her mother's home and placed with her maternal grandmother. But a judge sent Kelsey back to her mother and stepfather, saying that it couldn't be proved that her mother's home was where she was being injured.
Not long afterwards, Kelsey died from a blunt force to her abdomen, while living with her mother and stepfather. Later evidence showed that Kelsey's stepfather also sexually abused her.

Kelsey's family continues to do a lot to keep Kelsey's memory alive, and to attempt to make the world safer and better for other children. An Oklahoma law called the Kelsey's Smith-Briggs Child Protection Act was passed to change the ay the Oklahoma system handles cases where child abuse is suspected. The law makes everyone in the system more accountable for their decisions regarding children being removed or returned to homes.
The first Christmas after Kelsey's death, the family donated the gifts they had bought for Kelsey, and also some of her gently used toys, to children in foster care. The following year, other people decided to get involved, and toys were collected and given to 200 children in foster care. The family continues to do this each year.
They also started their own chapter of Hugs Across America , an organization that collects and distributes teddy bears to children in crisis.
Please visit the memorial Kelsey's grandmother has built for her.

NEVER, EVER,EVER HURT A CHILD!