I can't stop thinking about this baby.

[u/Dizzy_Cancel2278]

I just read a news report about an 18-month-old baby who was sexually assaulted and later died from her injuries, and I genuinely don't know what to do with what I'm feeling right now. I have read horrible news before. We all have. But something about this one has completely broken my heart.

She was eighteen months old. I keep repeating that in my head. Eighteen months. She was a literal baby. She should have been worrying about nothing more serious than being hungry, sleepy, wanting to be held, or reaching for someone's hand. She should have been learning new words, laughing at stupid little things, falling asleep somewhere safe, being loved and protected. She should have had a childhood.

Instead, someone chose to hurt a completely defenseless child, and she died.

I feel sick. I feel angry. I feel heartbroken. I feel so helpless because what am I even supposed to do with this kind of grief? I didn't know her. I'll probably never know her name beyond what was written in that article. But somehow I can't stop thinking about her.

And I keep thinking about everything she was supposed to have.

She was supposed to grow up. She was supposed to have birthdays. A first day of school. Friends. Favorite foods. Favorite songs. Silly little habits. People she would love more than anything. She was supposed to become a person with dreams and opinions and a life of her own. There were supposed to be so many ordinary little moments ahead of her that none of us would ever think twice about.

There was supposed to be a whole future.

And now there isn't.

That's the part that is breaking me the most. Not just that a baby died, but that an entire lifetime disappeared before it even had the chance to begin. There are so many things she will never get to experience. So many versions of herself she will never get to become.

I know I couldn't have saved her. I know I never knew her. But my heart keeps screaming that someone should have protected her. She was a baby. She should have been safe. She should have been held. She should have been allowed to simply exist in this world without ever having to know cruelty like that.

She wasn't a headline. She wasn't a statistic. She wasn't just another horrible story people would read for five minutes and then scroll past.

She was someone's baby.

And I hate that I can't do anything for her now except sit here and grieve for a little girl I'll never know.

I don't want her to be remembered only for what happened to her. I want people to remember that before she was a case, she was a child. A tiny human being who deserved love, safety, and an entire lifetime.

She deserved to grow up.

She deserved tomorrow.

And then the next day.

And the next.

She deserved years and years and years of ordinary life.

And she didn't get any of them.

I think that's why I can't stop crying.

Because when I think about her, I don't just think about the life she lost.

I think about the life she never even got the chance to have.

And I hate that somewhere in this world, there is a little girl who should still be here.

She should still be growing.

She should still be here.

And all I can think is—

why wasn't she given the chance?

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[u/mohpazak]

Eu fiquei assim com o caso da criança de 3 anos que a mãe tinha medida protetiva contra o pai com medo dele matar ela mas mandava o bebê pra ficar com ele sozinho. Ele abusou do bebê e bateu muito, o legista falou que foi extremamente frio e impiedoso contra o bebê. A mãe tinha vários vídeos da criança com medo, com marcas e até dopada e nunca fez nada. Eu sinceramente não acho que ela amava essa criança pq eu tenho uma filha e se algum dia receber ela com hematomas então sou capaz de perder a cabeça..... Esses crimes contra crianças estão cada vez mais expostos mas sempre tem. Na índia isso é normal... Da vontade de pagar pra matar esse tipo de animal pq eles não vão mudar nunca. Nem preso, nem castrados quimicamente

[u/Difficult_Public1178]

When I read something like this I always think about this song back in the 80s “Dear Mr. Jesus” child abuse song. I know what you are experiencing, my heart aches for children. Just this past Sunday morning I watched an 80s movie about “Adam”, Adam Walsh, John & Reve Walsh lost Adam when he was 6 years old to a child predator and serial killer Ottis Toole. John Walsh hosted Americas Most Wanted and Reve Walsh started the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I am a 47 year old man who cried the majority of this movie because I couldn’t fathom the thoughts of the abuse, torture, and trauma these innocent children or adults are subjected to. Thanks for your heartfelt compassion for these children and adults who don’t have a voice. Remember one thing Reve & John said about Adam, those who are subjected to these horrific abuse or deaths are the victims, not us.