Brittany was my 5 year old niece.
I will start with a series of events just days before the Rape of Brittany. It is important to know that my sister, Christie, was then addicted (chose to use crack to the severe detriment of her children) to crack and was seriously neglecting her children.
My mom stopped by my apartment one Friday night. She asked if I could watch the kids for the weekend. I said sure, I have always loved all of my nieces and nephews. I frequently babysat them and never charged a dime. All of my nieces and nephews loved their Uncle Tyler. I informed my mom, I had client appointments on Monday so or Christie had to pick them up Sunday evening.
Brittany had no underwear so I took her to the department store and got socks and underwear for her and her two year old brother. I had a great time with Brittany and her two year old brother.
I did get a little sad when, driving Brittany, and explaining her that it is a grown-
Sunday evening came. At six or seven, I still had not heard from my mom or Christie. I called both repeatedly. No answer anytime Sunday evening. On Monday morning, I had to call my client and reschedule for later in the week. It was no big deal, I had the same customers for years.
However, all Monday morning, Christie and mom still would not answer. Having more customers scheduled for Tuesday, I headed, with the kids, to the Macomb County Youth Home. Christie and my mom had abandoned the children with me. To this day, I believe I did the right thing.
The kids were only there temporarily. I informed CPS that the kids were being severely neglected. CPS, as in the past, and, as in the future, would fail this time. I at least got CPS to condition the release of the kids back to Christie with a restriction that the kids could not go to the Cross’s. I felt good. The CPS Director had the Cross’s when she was a case worker, and remembered the house as being abusive and even dangerous.
Christie was quite mad at me and CPS. A couple of weeks later, Christie, to prove that ‘nobody can tell me what to do with my kids,’ left Brittany at the Cross’s.
Brittany was RAPED by one of the Cross Grandsons. Christie told Brittany, my mom, and others to not report the rape as it happened at an address that Brittany was not allowed to be at. Christie was afraid she would lose her rights to the kids if the authorities found out what she did.
I did not know this until months later. My sister Amanda did know and made the report.
See the redacted report at Report, Rape of Brittany. Macomb Prosecutor got involved
but the Blocks being so psychotic, they wouldn’t prosecute the rapist. CPS knew I
could help but chose to let the rape pass, rather than empower me. The master-
Prosecutor prosecuted the rapist on some minor criminal charge and he went to prison for a couple/few years. As far as I know, the boy never raped another girl. Prosecutor then had some success in preventing some rape, but only a little, and not in my family.
Brittany and Lauren were both raped and Sheriff/Prosecutor did not do enough to prevent or punish. Girls are at risk today.
The Rape of Brittany (1992)