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CNN Live Today

Suffer the Children

Aired January 07, 2003 - 10:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to focus on New Jersey and a community that's searching for answers after a grim and heartbreaking story of abuse. Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a woman named Sherry (ph) Murphy. She is accused of leaving three young boys locked in a basement strewn with filth, and one of those children died. Police say Murphy is a relative of the brothers, and they were left in her care while their mother was in jail. Over the weekend, authorities found one of the boys, a 7-year-old, dead in a plastic container in a locked room of a Newark house.
The surviving boys, ages 5 and 7 were discovered in another locked room. They're being treated for burns and malnutrition at the University Hospital in Newark. While the children were in the relative's care, they were also under the watchful eye of the division and youth and family services that. That agency is also under scrutiny, and joining us to talk about the case is Newark Mayor Sharp James.

Mr. Mayor, thanks for joining us.

First of all, can you give us an update on the two brothers and how they're doing today?

MYR. JAMES SHARPE, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Well, they have been a success story. Two wonderful boys in the hospital, Getting a lot of attention. They are hungry for food, for love, for caring, and we've all adopted them, and They're in good spirit and good health today. That's the tragedy, two of them we've saved, but Fahim (ph), the 7- year-old twin brother, now deceased, and now we're in a 24-hour manhunt for Miss Sherry Murphy (ph). We believe she's fled the state of new jersey. We've issued a warrant to follow her across the border, into some Southern states, looking for her.

KAGAN: Many questions to ask you this morning, Mr. Mayor.

First of all, on Fahim (ph), on the 7-year-old who died, any more information about the conditions that led his tragic death, sir?

SHARPE: Well, the autopsy has now come out clearly indicating perhaps starvation and blunt forces to the body, which would make this a criminal case, and that's why we've updated from child endangerment to really murder or homicide, to question Miss Sherry Murphy (ph). It's no longer child endangerment. It's no longer child abuse. We're talking about murder. And we have a 24-hour hunt to find this young lady to ask her questions.

But the two boys in the hospital, they're well, they're happy, and it's a success story to see them craving for love, craving for attention. And I think I failed, I couldn't get the toys opened fast enough for them. They had to come and help me.

KAGAN: Mr. Mayor, a lot of interest in the story but a lot more questions for you, If you can just hang on just one second, we have some breaking news we want to get on. We'll come back to you in just a moment.

(INTERRUPTED BY BREAKING NEWS)

KAGAN: Let's bring the mayor of Newark back in, Mayor Sharpe James. I apologize for that interruption, but we did have breaking news, and we will check up on that story.

I want to challenge you on one point. You call this a success story, Mr. Mayor, but I see it as a complete tragedy. These boys were let down not just by their mother, not just by this woman, who was supposed to be taking care of them, but by the state who received reports of abuse of these children, and clearly nobody stepped in to save one brother's life and to take the other children away.

SHARPE: Since the day they came into the world, they didn't ask to come into the world, is a clear pattern of child abuse by the mother, and of course by the more recent miss sherry Murphy.

So clearly, here are three boys who have been abused historically. When you look at them, to see the burn marks on them, to see the malnutrition, to see the scar tissue, to see how they're unable to walk freely because of other injuries, a clear pattern of child abuse. So I think, of course, the Division of Family Youth Services will have to answer those questions.

But while we look at the agency's responsibility, I don't think we can ever forgive parents and surrogate parents who have a responsibility to care for their children as well. So, it's a case of abuse by, unfortunately, everyone who has come in the life of these children, except some loving aunts and uncles who cared for them.

But they are well today. And I think the challenge now is to encourage them to educate them, and who knows, they might be the next mayor of Newark.

KAGAN: And what will happen to these boys after they get out of the hospital, Mr. Mayor?

SHARPE: The one thing that we have agreed on, they have been passed from one family to another, and they've been abused. The most important thing now, if any family will adopt these two youngsters, they have to go to a family where there is a complete record that they will be cared for, they'll be given love and they'll be taken care of. We cannot risk them being given to anyone who might abuse them again. They have had a history of abuse.

KAGAN: That they have. And let's hope the next adults that come into their lives don't let them down, as you point out, as so many have in their short lives. Mayor Sharpe James from Newark, thank you for joining us.

SHARPE: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 7, 2003 - 10:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to focus on New Jersey and a community that's searching for answers after a grim and heartbreaking story of abuse. Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a woman named Sherry (ph) Murphy. She is accused of leaving three young boys locked in a basement strewn with filth, and one of those children died. Police say Murphy is a relative of the brothers, and they were left in her care while their mother was in jail. Over the weekend, authorities found one of the boys, a 7-year-old, dead in a plastic container in a locked room of a Newark house.
The surviving boys, ages 5 and 7 were discovered in another locked room. They're being treated for burns and malnutrition at the University Hospital in Newark. While the children were in the relative's care, they were also under the watchful eye of the division and youth and family services that. That agency is also under scrutiny, and joining us to talk about the case is Newark Mayor Sharp James.

Mr. Mayor, thanks for joining us.

First of all, can you give us an update on the two brothers and how they're doing today?

MYR. JAMES SHARPE, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Well, they have been a success story. Two wonderful boys in the hospital, Getting a lot of attention. They are hungry for food, for love, for caring, and we've all adopted them, and They're in good spirit and good health today. That's the tragedy, two of them we've saved, but Fahim (ph), the 7- year-old twin brother, now deceased, and now we're in a 24-hour manhunt for Miss Sherry Murphy (ph). We believe she's fled the state of new jersey. We've issued a warrant to follow her across the border, into some Southern states, looking for her.

KAGAN: Many questions to ask you this morning, Mr. Mayor.

First of all, on Fahim (ph), on the 7-year-old who died, any more information about the conditions that led his tragic death, sir?

SHARPE: Well, the autopsy has now come out clearly indicating perhaps starvation and blunt forces to the body, which would make this a criminal case, and that's why we've updated from child endangerment to really murder or homicide, to question Miss Sherry Murphy (ph). It's no longer child endangerment. It's no longer child abuse. We're talking about murder. And we have a 24-hour hunt to find this young lady to ask her questions.

But the two boys in the hospital, they're well, they're happy, and it's a success story to see them craving for love, craving for attention. And I think I failed, I couldn't get the toys opened fast enough for them. They had to come and help me.

KAGAN: Mr. Mayor, a lot of interest in the story but a lot more questions for you, If you can just hang on just one second, we have some breaking news we want to get on. We'll come back to you in just a moment.

(INTERRUPTED BY BREAKING NEWS)

KAGAN: Let's bring the mayor of Newark back in, Mayor Sharpe James. I apologize for that interruption, but we did have breaking news, and we will check up on that story.

I want to challenge you on one point. You call this a success story, Mr. Mayor, but I see it as a complete tragedy. These boys were let down not just by their mother, not just by this woman, who was supposed to be taking care of them, but by the state who received reports of abuse of these children, and clearly nobody stepped in to save one brother's life and to take the other children away.

SHARPE: Since the day they came into the world, they didn't ask to come into the world, is a clear pattern of child abuse by the mother, and of course by the more recent miss sherry Murphy.

So clearly, here are three boys who have been abused historically. When you look at them, to see the burn marks on them, to see the malnutrition, to see the scar tissue, to see how they're unable to walk freely because of other injuries, a clear pattern of child abuse. So I think, of course, the Division of Family Youth Services will have to answer those questions.

But while we look at the agency's responsibility, I don't think we can ever forgive parents and surrogate parents who have a responsibility to care for their children as well. So, it's a case of abuse by, unfortunately, everyone who has come in the life of these children, except some loving aunts and uncles who cared for them.

But they are well today. And I think the challenge now is to encourage them to educate them, and who knows, they might be the next mayor of Newark.

KAGAN: And what will happen to these boys after they get out of the hospital, Mr. Mayor?

SHARPE: The one thing that we have agreed on, they have been passed from one family to another, and they've been abused. The most important thing now, if any family will adopt these two youngsters, they have to go to a family where there is a complete record that they will be cared for, they'll be given love and they'll be taken care of. We cannot risk them being given to anyone who might abuse them again. They have had a history of abuse.

KAGAN: That they have. And let's hope the next adults that come into their lives don't let them down, as you point out, as so many have in their short lives. Mayor Sharpe James from Newark, thank you for joining us.

SHARPE: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com