09/03/2026
WARNING: This post discusses Child Abuse, attempted child homicide, child coercion, and Psychological Abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
A Child Weaponized: When the Person You Trust Teaches You to Kill
Some of the deepest scars of abuse are not left by bruises. They are left when a child is taught that violence is normal, obedience is survival, and fear is stronger than love.
In Florida, authorities allege that a 36-year-old woman used the online gaming platform Roblox to instruct her 10-year-old daughter on multiple ways to kill a two-month-old infant. Investigators say the child was told to drown the baby, burn him with scalding water, or drop him onto the floor. The infant ultimately suffered a skull fracture after being dropped onto a hard kitchen floor but survived his injuries (Burke, 2024).
During a forensic interview, the 10-year-old reportedly told investigators she acted because she was terrified of her mother. She believed that refusing the instructions could result in her own death. No child should ever have to choose between harming another person and fearing for their own life.
This case is especially heartbreaking because there were two child Victims. One suffered severe physical injuries, while the other was allegedly manipulated into believing that violence was the only way to survive. Abuse can twist a child's understanding of love, trust, and right from wrong, leaving emotional wounds that often last long after physical injuries have healed.
Authorities also allege the mother instructed the girl to kill the adults caring for her by attacking them in their sleep and setting their home on fire. Thankfully, those plans were never carried out, but the allegations reveal the devastating psychological control an abuser can have over a child.
This case is a painful reminder that abuse is not always visible. It can involve manipulation, intimidation, coercion, and the deliberate destruction of a child's sense of safety. Children living in fear are often trying to survive, not making choices with the freedom adults have. When an adult weaponizes a child's trust, the trauma can shape that child's sense of safety, relationships, and self-worth for years to come.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, hundreds of thousands of children experience substantiated abuse or neglect each year, with caregivers responsible for the vast majority of cases (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024). Every report taken seriously, every intervention, and every safe adult can change the course of a child's life.
Behind every headline is a child who deserved protection instead of terror, guidance instead of manipulation, and love instead of fear.
Together we can help break the cycle of abuse by supporting prevention, education, and healing for children and families.
