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Police: Child On Life Support After Stepmother Violently Assaults Her

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 07:57 PST, Sep 22, 2016

A 4-year-old New York child is on life support after police say her stepmother violently assaulted her. News 10 ABC reports that 22-year-old Marissa Bickford-Rice has been charged with felony crimes in association with the incident, which took place on Wednesday.

Police say they responded to the family’s home on Wednesday morning, just around 11 a.m., and found the 4-year-old girl unresponsive. Detectives are calling what happened “a brutal assault.” Four-year-old Kaiden Starr Rice suffered numerous injuries, including a fractured clavicle (collarbone), a fractured arm, brain bleeding, and a fracture in her skull. The young child, who is not the biological daughter of Marissa Bickford-Rice, is currently on life support.

The Times Union reports that the 22-year-old New York woman has confessed to brutally assaulting her 4-year-old stepdaughter, which facilitated the numerous injuries that has the girl clinging to life in an area hospital. Police say that the woman not only beat the child, but she is also accused of picking her up and throwing her, causing her head to hit a hard floor. The assault, which occurred on Wednesday, has reportedly caused serious brain injuries to the 4-year-old victim.

Unfortunately, cases of child abuse at the hands of a stepparent aren’t entirely uncommon. In fact, a psychological phenomenon, called the Cinderella Effect, reportedly illustrates a higher presence of child abuse by stepparents than by biological parents. Instances of stepparent-on-child abuse also tend to show up frequently in mainstream media reports.

In 2010, a man named Oliver Longcake was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment in association with the death of his 13-month-old stepdaughter. The 21-year-old man reportedly stomped on the child’s stomach during a violent assault in a bid to make her stop crying. He did stop her crying, but it was by committing the grisly murder of a helpless infant.

In 2013, a Colorado man named Nathan Sloop and his wife, Stephanie, was arrested in association with the horrifying murder of his 4-year-old stepson. The couple had only just won full custody of the little boy just days before he was severely beaten and burned. Ultimately, the Colorado man pleaded guilty, but it wasn’t until four years after the child’s murdered body was discovered.

Even celebrity couples aren’t immune to accusations of child abuse. Most recently, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have shocked the world by splitting up after years of being (apparently) happily married. Now, there are reports claiming that Pitt may have abused the adopted and biological children that he and Jolie shared.

Even former presidents have come from abusive homes. Bill Clinton’s stepfather was a reported alcoholic, who would abuse both his mom and brother.

As for this latest case out of New York, authorities have confirmed that the child is indeed on life support. However, the four-year-old victim is expected to make a recovery. Meanwhile, the child’s stepmother has been charged with reckless assault of a child. Marissa Bickford-Rice is being held at the Washington County Jail on bond in the amount of $250,000. Authorities have confirmed that the New York woman could face further charges, as the DA’s office deliberates on the case.

The biological mother of the child victim hasn’t spoken to media sources, nor has the child’s father. Reports have stated that multiple children live in the home where the alleged assault took place, but no clarifications have been made about whether or not any have been removed from the New York woman’s custody.

[Featured Image by Washington County Sheriff]

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