Every State Has Child Death by Abuse/Neglect, Only a Few Make the News
(SHARE THIS WITH YOUR CIRCLES & STATE REP)
This from Idaho today. The tip the iceberg reported on by Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota recently. Add to this the Federal Government’s top child welfare official (Alex Adams) “Bonfire of Deregulation” millions of abused and neglected children will be underserved and many more will die of trauma and abuse in 2026.
From: Monique Peyre <moniquedoeshair@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 4, 2026 9:32:04 AM
To: Tracie Jefferson <admin@keeping-kids-safe.org>
Subject: Fwd: 12-Day-Old Nampa Infant’s Death Sparks Urgent National Call for System Reform After Authorities Ignored Repeated Warnings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Monique Peyre
Single Adoptive Mother, Child-Welfare Advocate, Founder of Isaiah’s Law Initiative
Idaho, United States
A single adoptive mother who previously fostered the parents’ surviving children says the tragedy was preventable, and Idaho legislators are now preparing emergency infant-protection legislation in the baby’s honor.
Idaho, USA, My name is Monique Peyre. I am a single adoptive mother of three children in Idaho, and a vocal advocate for systemic reform within our state’s child-welfare and protection systems.
This week, a 12-day-old infant in Nampa, Idaho, the newborn son of Brian Lemke and Allysen Armenta, was found dead. Both parents have now been charged with felony crimes related to his death and failure to report it. Local news outlets have covered the arrests, but the public has not been told the full story:
I warned authorities. Repeatedly.
In the days leading up to this infant’s death, I contacted Idaho Health & Welfare, local child-welfare workers, and law enforcement, begging them to conduct a welfare check on the newborn. I provided detailed information on the family’s documented history, previous abuse cases involving their other children, active warrants, and the hazardous conditions in which my own children once lived under their care.
Despite these warnings:
The CPS case was opened at low-level priority
Authorities delayed response for days
No welfare worker was available on the Sunday I helped law enforcement locate the family
The responding officer did not perform a welfare check
The infant died the very next day
Key Issues This Case Exposes:
History of abuse does not trigger urgency for newborn intervention
No mandated timeline for welfare checks on infants in high-risk homes
No protocol requiring law enforcement to visually confirm a newborn’s safety
No emergency CPS response team for weekends or freezing-temperature conditions
Valid witnesses with direct knowledge are dismissed instead of prioritized
Children of convicted abusers are not automatically treated as urgent CPS cases at birth
This tragedy was not sudden. It was not unforeseeable. It was not unavoidable. It was preventable.
My adopted children, siblings of this infant, were removed from this same home years earlier under extreme conditions of severe abuse and medical neglect. One of my children was days to weeks from death as an infant when he was placed in my care.
This is the firsthand history I pleaded with authorities to take seriously.
Now, Idaho legislators who were already working with me to introduce Isaiah’s Law, a child-protection bill focused on children of convicted abusers, are enraged. In response to this infant’s death, they are preparing to introduce emergency newborn-protection legislation in the baby’s honor.
This new proposed bill will be called:
“Benjamin’s Law”
Named after Baby Benjamin, who lived only 12 days before a broken system failed to protect him.
Monique Peyre Statement:
“A baby should be alive today. The public deserves to know that this was preventable. My family lives with the effects of this trauma every single day. I was a valid witness. I sounded the alarm. And I was ignored.”
“This is not just a tragedy — this is a system failure. If someone had done their job when I begged them to, Benjamin would still be here.”
Call to Action:
Send this post to your local and national media, State Legislators,
and child-advocacy organizations to:
Amplify this story nationwide
Investigate the gaps in Idaho’s infant-protection protocols
Interview the witnesses and caregivers who warned authorities
Cover the emergency legislation being introduced in his honor
Ensure Benjamin’s life leads to national reform
I am willing to speak publicly, testify, and provide documentation, call logs, and evidence supporting the timeline of my outreach and the preventable nature of this tragedy.
With respect,
Monique Peyre
kids at risk action / KARA / INVISIBLE CHILDREN
Republished from the Kids At Risk Action blog as written. No images from the original corpus appear in any form.
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