Sean Paddock
I’ve been really saddened by the story of Sean Paddock, the 4 year old Smithfield kid who apparently was fatally abused by his adoptive mother, Lynn Paddock. There is evidence that this mother tied him up, beat him, withheld food from him, and other sick things.
The kid had a tough life. According to the Wake County Child Protective Services statement, Sean was born into a family of domestic violence. He and his three siblings lived in a filthy, often unheated home. Sean’s father was accused of sexual abuse of one of his siblings. Occasionally they would have to stay with relatives, moving in with Sean’s uncle’s family in January 2003.
The burden of raising the kids became too much for Sean’s uncle. Two months later, he told the county he had to give them up. They then went to a foster home in June while their parents were counselled on parenting responsibilities. In October of that year Sean’s mother was told that if her kids returned, it would have to be to a home without Sean’s abusive father. She refused, leading Wake to terminate their parenting rights in July 2004. In September the search began for an adoptive family. What followed was one report after another of phsyical abuse from the foster families.
Eventually Sean and his siblings were placed with the Paddocks, who at the time were given high marks as an adoptive family. Immediately after Sean arrived at the Paddocks, a report was received of physical abuse. Sean had bruises on his bottom, which Lynn Paddock claimed were the result of Sean falling out of bed. Sean told his foster mother that in fact he was spanked by Lynn Paddock for playing with a dog.
Sean’s life went downhill from there. From the reports I’ve read it seems Lynn Paddock ran her house more like a prison than a loving home. Sean spent his last night bound in his bed, suffocation ending his sad little life.
Did Sean ever knew what love is during his short and stormy life? Where could he turn when those who were supposed to love and protect him did neither?
I can hope that monsters like Lynn Paddock somehow slipped through the cracks. Still, I worry about all those other kids in violent homes, foster and otherwise. Society failed Sean. I’m saddened to think how many more kids are also failed by society. We must be unwilling to accept this. We can’t be willing to accept this or we’re failures. All of us.
Look again at Sean’s face. Its a face that haunts me.
Something good must come from this tragedy.