Unfortunately, it's all too common to hear about child abuse cases where the victim's pain was

ignored by those who saw the signs but didn't step in, or maybe suspicions of abuse were

reported to the authorities and dismissed until tragedy forced everyone to pay attention.

We've heard way too many stories about children who are left to suffer

in horrible living conditions for an unfathomable length of time. For example, the case we

just covered recently about a 32-year-old man who set fire to his house to escape imprisonment

that had gone on for almost two decades at the hands of

his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, who allegedly abused, starved, and neglected him throughout his

whole life. In the cases when families are investigated leading up to the ultimate turning

point, adults accused of these crimes tend to spin countless

stories to explain the signs of abuse away. However, I've noticed that usually, whenever a case of

child abuse does make its way to the public's attention, society tends to respond to the

victims with an outpouring of sympathy, empathy, and overwhelming concern.

Communities share their heartbreak and outrage over the abuse allowed to go unchecked right next door.

People from all over offer their support to the victims unless it's too late to save them.

When an abuser goes so far as to end a child's life, vigils are held in the victim's honor, attended by loved ones and complete strangers

alike. Excuses and lies told by the perpetrators are scoffed at, dismissed, and flat out rejected by most. Their sob stories may have

worked on CPS agents in the past, but from what I've seen, the public reacts much harsher to any

attempted justifications. That's where Natalia Grace's case differs from most other cases of

child abuse I've come across.

When she shared her story of manipulation, neglect, and abuse at the hands of her adoptive

parents, Christine and Michael Barnett, the world took notice. Everyone was talking about the

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