The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Mother's Day" ...
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Mother's Day Murder
The story provides a complete picture of what happened in a Mother's Day murder case.
Tags: murder; Mother's Day; evidence; DNA testing
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A Girl's Life
The single 7,500-word story chronicled the life and death of Acia Johnson, a South Boston girl who seemed to be doing everything right: getting good grades in school, becoming a standout basketball player with a chance at a scholarship to go to a good high school and taking care of her younger sister. That was until her house was set ablaze last April in what authorities said was a jealous rage by her mother's lover. Acia burned to death along with her three-year-old sister in her third-floor bedroom closet. Her mother stood, safe, on the ground with the family dog. Her father was in jail. It was the last in a long list of instances of neglect recounted in the story. Anyone could have saved her life--her parents, drug addicts and sometimes violent petty criminals who never managed to get straight' neighbors who knew about the violent family fights and often didn't call police; friends who did nothing though thought it unusual that Acia was left to care for her sister while their parents were out running thr streets; social workers who had declared Acia's parents unfit in 2003 and placed her in the custody of her grandmother but who never figured out that she was still living with her mother. They didn't figure it out even though they frequently visited Acia at her mother's house, including two days before the fire. They didn't figure it out even though her mother reported Acia was living with her when she applied for housing subsidies, food stamps and cash assistance. And they didn't figure it out even though her mother's house was listed as Acia's primary residence at her middle school.
Tags: social workers; arson; child death; neglect; custody; Boston
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Is Esmie Evil
In August 2005, Esmie Tseng was arrested for the stabbing death of her mother. Due to evidence at the scene indicating that the crime may have occurred in multiple sections of the house the 16-year-old Esmie lived in with her parents, the Johnson County, Kansas prosecutor tried Esmie as an adult. The local community's outpouring of compassion for Esmie as "a good girl who had snapped under pressure from her harsh parents" is only part of the story as the writer delves into Esmie's unhappy life, her diaries at Livejournal.com and Xanga.com and her "use of illegal drugs such as ecstacy (which) might have contributed to Esmie's faltering mental stability in the days leading up to her mother's murder." Esmie Tsang is now serving eight years after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
Tags: Esmie Tsang; juvenile offenders; patricide; ecstacy; Livejournal.com; Xanga.com
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Firm Beliefs
The idea for this story came to light during a murder investigation. WTVF uncovered evidence linking the child-abuse death of an 8-year-old boy in the Atlanta area to the teachings of his family's church. The church, located just outside of Nashville, was started by Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin. Despite Shamblin's denials, the investigation uncovered church tapes that documented how she had instructed her followers to severely discipline their children. Among the tapes: a conference call in which the mother was applauded for locking her child in his room for days.
Tags: faith teachings; religious teachings; religious teachings and child abuse; Gwen Shamblin; Tennessee
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She didn't have to die
This investigation reveals the circumstances behind the heroin overdose of a woman in the county jail. Through interviews and a review of sworn statements from inmates, correction officer logs, incident reports and other documents, Scott found that even after officers discovered a hypodermic needle in another inmate's bag, she was able to smuggle a large amount of heroin into the jail; the drug circulated among inmates for more than four days; and the woman, a 26-year-old mother of two, lay dead or dying in her cell for almost 11 hours before being found.
Tags: jail death; corrections officers; heroin
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War Without Victory
This series describes the facets of the war on drugs in Washington state, particularly areas that seemed too "small town" to have any drug problems. It involves a vivid description of the drug war in Snohomish County, the effects of drugs on newborn babies who carry on their mothers' addiction, how some drug offenders never spend a single day in jail, and also a study of how the legal system handles drug cases.
Tags: drug war; Washington; cocaine babies; drug-fighting agencies; Snohomish County
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Price of Polygamy
This story investigates the town of Colorado City, on the border of Arizona and Utah. The town is a religious community that has shirked social norms to live according to standards of a fundamentalist sect of the Mormon Church. The citizens practice polygamy, and young women are forced into arranged marriages as teenagers. People who have escaped from Colorado City share horror stories about rape and abuse. Furthermore, because men in these families only legally marry one wife, the other women in the household are considered single mothers and therefore qualify for welfare. What results is millions of taxpayer dollars going to a community where abuse is common and basic human rights are denied.
Tags: human rights; family; polygamy; child abuse; domestic violence; Church of Latter Day Saints; welfare abuse
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A Child Removed
In this extensive three-day series, Jeff Lehr of the Joplin Globe examined the Missouri Division of Family Services, and found a system riddled with problems -- from mothers fighting to get their children back after baseless accusations to children being removed from their parents only to be placed in dangerous and abusive foster care where they were injured or killed. The Globe found that Jasper County had one of the highest rates of removal of children from their homes by the state than any other county in Missouri, while at the same time it was more difficult for parents to reunite with their children. Innocent parents caught in the gears of DFS could spend years trying to clear their names and regain custody of their children. The series takes a hard look at DFS, the courts, and those who are supposedly responsible for removing children from the home. Statistics and tables, as well as the personal stories of people affected, potential reforms to Missouri's laws, and the problem of a "revolving door" of underpaid, under-trained social workers are discussed in detail.
Tags: DFS; division of family services; family court; children; foster care; social work; social workers; death; parents; law
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Troubled Past, Tragic Future
The Baltimore Sun follows the life story of Frank Zito, a mentally ill resident of Centreville, whose psychiatric problems went unchecked until he killed a police officer and a deputy sheriff. Zito has been nuisance and threat to his neighbors for many years, the story reveals. The Sun reports on a number of cases in which "Crazy Frank' assaulted his mother, stalked women, or exposed himself. Though Zito was arrested many times, he always returned in a few days, instead of being taken to a psychiatric hospital.
Tags: crime; murders; police; stalking; violence; abuse; assault; harassment; nuisance
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Living on the line
The Sun examines the question whether the poverty line needs to be redrawn. The story focuses on Jamillah Abdul-Saboor, a 29-year old single mother with two children. The Sun describes her life as "a series of trade-offs," in which Friday night Happy Meals equal less bus rides and only "relentless pursuit of bargains" helps stretching the dollars. The article reveals that Abdul-Saboor's before-tax income is $17,680, "well above the U.S. poverty line of $13,874 for the year 2000."
Tags: low-income; welfare; job-training; unemployment; social security; day care