Our Story:

On November 25, 2014 my 3-year-old granddaughter, Brielle Eternity Gage, died while in her mother's custody. On January 2, 2015 Katlyn Marin was charged with second degree murder.  We, her extended family, are absolutely heartbroken that our little angel's life ended so abruptly under such horrendous circumstances.  Here is a link to the local television news story:
Three-Year-Old's Death Ruled a Homicide

Her Death was Preventable:

No family should ever have to suffer the pain we are feeling.  We want to bring awareness to the issue of child abuse and how DHHS and the court system failed my granddaughter. Brielle was returned to her mother last summer by family court -- while felony child abuse charges were still pending against her mother and the mother's boyfriend. I tried to get temporary custody of my granddaughter, but I was ignored by the court.

I am reviewing DHHS guidelines and related statutes to see if they can be improved upon. I am also working with state legislators to propose legislation and guideline changes that will provide more protection for children who are currently in the system. I am working on five major areas:

 1) Allowing grandparents to attend all hearings/trials in abuse/neglect cases instead of shutting them out.

   2) Grandparents with no criminal background, who are not the parent of the accused, should be considered viable candidates for placement of their grandchildren in abuse/neglect cases (I was shut out last spring).

   3) Child victims of abuse and neglect should never be returned to the alleged abusers while a related criminal case is being investigated.

   4) DCYF has entirely too much autonomy in these cases.  I am reviewing relevant portions of New Hampshire Statutes and the APA to determine if any sections need to be amended or clarified.  

   5) In our case, the child witnesses apparently have "competency issues" and are afraid to testify against their abusers due to fears of retribution.  At the present time New Hampshire courts have the victims testify in open court. I am hoping that New Hampshire will adopt the method used in other states of allowing traumatized victims to testify via closed circuit TV. Otherwise, abusers have a greater chance of beating the charges.

We need your support to accomplish this.  Please sign this Petition and "like" my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/RIPBrielleEternity?ref=hl to show solidarity and be kept up-to-date on our progress.