Jeffrey Baldwin was an innocent 5-year-old boy who died from septic shock and bacterial pneumonia caused by prolonged starvation. This happened while he was in the care of his grandmother and her common-law husband. Jeffrey’s case has been called the worst case of child abuse in Canadian history.
His story is one of tragedy, abuse, neglect and disappointment. There is not enough space here to detail his complete story, but some things should be told because this little boy and the abuse he suffered need to be remembered. We need to remember to care for little children.
Elva Bottineau, his grandmother, had a background of child abuse, and yet the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto did not check its owns files until after Jeffrey’s death. She was paid by the government to take care of Jeffrey and his three siblings. She did not. He and his older sister were both neglected and mistreated, but his sister managed to survive because she was allowed to go to school, where she was provided food and drink. He was kept in a room that was, by the best descriptions, terrible. He was beaten and starved. When he died at age 5 (almost 6), he weighed 21 pounds — one pound less than he weighed at age 1.
When emergency personnel arrived at his house, they were shocked. Jeffrey’s body was skin and bones. Bacteria covered his body, and fecal matter clogged his lungs. The little boy had no pulse and was not breathing. He was officially pronounced dead later, at the hospital. None of the six adults who lived in the house seemed to care. Toronto Fire Department captain Royal Bradley said, “No one shed any tears for that little guy — except for a lot of firemen and police officers.”
Jeffrey died on Nov. 30, 2002. His grandparents were later charged with first-degree murder. Their trial began on Sept. 8, 2005. On April 6, 2006, they were both convicted of second-degree murder and given life sentences. After the grandmother had exhausted all her appeals, a coroner’s inquest began on Sept. 9, 2013. Just recently, the coroner’s office completed their work and presented 103 recommendations for improving the system in Canada that is supposed to care for children.
Part of the jury’s conclusion at the coroner’s inquest was the hope that a permanent memorial could be established for Jeffrey “to provide the important and ongoing public safety message that the protection of vulnerable children in Ontario is every citizen’s responsibility.”
A bench and a plaque had already been erected in Toronto’s Greenwood Park. The plaque reads: “In remembrance of a forgotten child who lived his short life locked away in hungry darkness kept out of sight, out of mind, starved of love, joy, and kindness. But smile now, child, be free now, child. Your sweet face will live forever in our hearts, and we will remember to listen to small voices and watch for sorrow in their eyes.”
A father of three in Toronto, Todd Boyce, heard about Jeffrey’s case. He started a fund to enlist the services of famed Toronto sculptor Ruth Abernathy to create a bronze statue of Jeffrey in his Superman costume. Wearing his hero’s costume seemed to bring him the most happiness in his otherwise painful life. Most of the contributions came in from around the world through the Internet. The goal was $25,000. In a few weeks the goal had been exceeded. Work began on the project so, as Boyce put it, “Jeffrey would not be forgotten.” However, DC Comics refused to allow the logo of Superman to be used on the statue — until there was an enormous public backlash. They soon relented, and now the statue will be placed with the bench and plaque at Greenwood Park this fall.
Jeffrey Baldwin was an innocent child who was forgotten and abused. It seemed that his life fell through the cracks. At nearly every turn in his short life, people, agencies, relatives, etc., failed him. But though his death was tragic, it awakened multitudes in Canada to the plight of child abuse. Changes in the systems that deal with children are already underway.
In America, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, the leading type of child abuse is neglect. More than 1,600 children die each year from abuse and neglect in this country. Amazingly, 80.3 percent of the perpetrators of child abuse are parents. Biological parents abuse their children approximately 85-to-1 more often than adoptive parents.
Child abuse is a problem, and abortion is child abuse. The win-win solution to abortion is adoption, especially since adoptive parents are much less likely to abuse their children than biological parents.
As Christians, we have the privilege to demonstrate the love of Christ for these little ones. We should teach them the gospel, but we also must be committed to protecting their health and lives. We will not be able to see them saved if we don’t work to keep them alive.
Jesus cares about children. We all need to remember to care for children.
It is not only our duty and our ministry — these children are the future of our civilization.
In Mark 10, Jesus emphasized that we enter the kingdom like a child. The context in Mark is that children were being brought to Jesus for blessing, and the disciples rebuked the people for bringing them. Verse 16 says, “And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hand upon them.” May we likewise serve as the hands of Jesus for blessing, and not for harm. Remember to care.