Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — A picture of the smiling face of 6-year-old Norlin Cruz sits in Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill's office as a reminder of his commitment.
"This is how you should remember a 6-year-old: happy, joyful, loving life. And I wish I could say to you that this is how Norlin is. Unfortunately, Norlin is not. Norlin was systematically tortured, violated, abused and ultimately succumbed to being killed by his own mother," said Gill. "I bring this here because this is what the human face on the work that we do is about. It is about advocating for those children who are the most vulnerable, who are often betrayed and may have no one else to speak for (them)."
Horrific, heart-wrenching, despicable and incredibly violent were just a few words used to describe Norlin's case by law enforcement and medical personnel. Reyna Elizabeth Flores-Rosales, his mother, was sentenced to consecutive life sentences following her trial in May 2023.
"What it took to bring a level of justice for Norlin — it took this office almost 4½ years to prosecute this case. It was over seven days of trial. We had over 12 subject matter experts from pediatrics, to neurology, to the medical examiner. There were multiple doctors, multiple DNA and multiple experts. There we had to translate several different dialects of Spanish," said Gill.
"This could have been a very easy case for us to just stop and put away because nobody would have complained. But this office and the men and women in law enforcement and our medical community that came together are sending a very important message that this kind of violence, no matter who you commit it to, will never be tolerated in this space, especially against the most vulnerable in our community. And that's the commitment that we make," he added.
That commitment was clear on Monday as the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office and law enforcement encouraged the community to come forward and report instances of child abuse. The event was held in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is April, and included the Children's Justice Center.
"I can't think of anything worse than a child going through a trauma like this, to have to go through it again and again and again. So our bottom line for us as law enforcement is we want these cases reported. They are not a nuisance to us; we encourage victims, people that are out there that see things, to report these incidents, so that we can help these children and to get them in a better place," said Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam. "We're in it for the long haul."
Nationally, at least 1 in 7 children has experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year. One in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys in the United States experienced child sexual abuse, and 91% of this child sexual abuse is committed by someone known or trusted by the child or the child's family members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rates of child abuse and neglect are five times higher for those with low socioeconomic status, cites that same CDC study.
"But this insidious crime is not bound merely by socioeconomic status. It affects children from all walks of life and all social and economic levels. And we are not immune here in Utah, as you can see in the boards that are in front of you, in terms of the issues that impact us in this day," said Gill.
Some statistics shared by the Salt Lake County District Attorney Office indicated that:
- Cases of child abuse or violence reported to the office in the past year included: 123 child abuse cases, 69 aggravated child abuse cases, nine cases or abuse or neglect of a disabled child, three child abandonment cases, and 675 cases of domestic violence in the presence of a child.
- Cases of child sex abuse reported to the office in the past year included: 192 cases of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, 69 cases rape of child rape, 17 cases of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, 51 cases of sexual exploitation of a minor, 127 cases of sodomy upon a child, 68 cases of lewdness upon a child and nine cases of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
"One case is far too many, let alone the volume that we see. And I wish I could say that that captured the totality of everything we do; it does not. As I said, that only captures those cases that were identified and actually reported, which continues to be an issue," said Gill.
To help children manage and work to heal from the trauma, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office created a Camp HOPE Program. The program is for children who have been witnesses to crime or are survivors of crimes themselves. A mother whose twins attended the program shared her experience.
"I got to meet so many wonderful parents that felt the same love and excitement as I did. We watch our children learn to trust other adults in a safe place," said Yvonne Argyle. "They were no longer scared of witnessing unsafe people trying to hurt them and putting them at risk."
Camp HOPE is certainly part of our family, their support group that goes above and beyond to make sure the kiddos can focus on being the best of the best," she continued. "Camp HOPE has provided my kids with the ability to take their power back and be kids again."
