Five child homicide cases currently under investigation, according to Jackley

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The Office of the South Dakota Attorney General is investigating and prosecuting five child murder cases that have happened in the past year and a half.

All five cases are in East River communities and involve children under the age of three. Most of the children suffered from head trauma or other internal injuries.

Some defendants have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, while in other cases the investigations continue, according to a news release from the Office of the Attorney General.

Attorney General Marty Jackley says they released the statement to raise awareness of this issue.

“We’ve just seen a variety of different circumstances that have resulted in a death of a child and most of these are preventable and so we strongly urge young parents, those who are taking care of loved young ones, if you got questions or you are not comfortable to seek some of the resources to ask to help,” he said.

If anyone suspects a child has been abused they should immediately call local law enforcement Jackley said in the news release.

To learn more about resources for parents, child safety, or how to spot signs of abuse you can go to the following links.

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