Suffer the Little Children Podcast - Episode 31: Kerrigan Rutherford
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- When six-year-old Kerrigan Rutherford was found dead of unknown causes in her family’s rented home in Montgomery, Illinois on July 2, 2020, neighbors spoke up about the abuse and neglect they had witnessed taking place within the family. As it turned out, several people had made reports to police and to DCFS about the way Courtny and James Davidson treated Kerrigan and her younger sister. After an autopsy and toxicology tests revealed Kerrigan’s death was caused by an overdose of her mother’s antipsychotic medication, the girl’s mother and stepfather were arrested.
This is the tragic story of Kerrigan Rutherford.
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This podcast is written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.
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I am a nurse and l can tell you that it's extremely plausible that the child could eat an overdose. I know from experience growing up my own mother was a waste of space and my little brother ended eating a whole box of chocolate flavored exlax that she had in her bathroom. She couldn't keep us safe if her life depended on it and l know of at least a dozen circumstances alone that would have been ground for our removal and her charged with negligence, abuse, and even attempted murder. I was scapegoated by the time l was 8 and still live with the PTSD fallout. Nothing like growing up with a sadistic narcissist.
So when I was… maybe 3 or 4? I was a little lover of peppermint.
One day, I managed to find my way into the bathroom and ate well over half of a tube of toothpaste before my Oma found me.
It turns out? Toothpaste contains a lot of the same ingredients as soap, and also enough fluoride to cause major dental issues.
Diarrhea ensued.
This was not my grandmother’s fault. A 4 year old child playing quietly in her room doesn’t need nonstop supervision. And most of them don’t have an urge to consume entire tubes of toothpaste.
But kids do things like this. And it’s parsimonious to assume that if the sweet substance is within a child’s reach, the child risks eating it.
That being said, why were these pills not in a childproof bottle again?
It truly believe kids will eat tasty meds like candy. I have a 10 and 5 year old and they take probiotic gummies which are pretty sweet. They've asked me multiple times if they can have more than their daily dose, of which I've said no. I believe if they can get their hands on the gummies they could! This is why we always have gummy bears in our pantry. If they want gummies after taking their probiotic then they get a bag of gummies.
That's a good idea! I think it's essential, too, that we educate our kids on how dangerous medication can be, whether it tastes good or not.
Maybe not a bag though… that’s a lot of sugar
Don't take comments from trolls to heart. As far as I'm concerned you report each incident with a lot of research and consideration for facts and families of the victims. You're never disrespectful. I will continue to watch your episodes.
Apparently penmanship is something that can occur over typing now. 😂 Not surprised these people don’t know what it means. From what Lain has said, they’re not that bright.
Scapegoating remedial make up one of the lowest form of human being. Intellectually, or otherwise.
OMG Laine! These ppl r crazy!! When did it become ok to treat each other this way! I love you podcast .... heaven forbid you think critically about these cases! I think it’s a plausible reason n as you say, we don’t know what happened here! X
Thank you Laine for all you do. The way you report these horrific deaths, giving meaning and truth to each and every child, leaving no stone unturned.
Similar lack of action on part of protective services , social workers and police failed her, much like The Trials Gabriel Fernandez. The community should be demanding those caseworkers be legally held accountable as well. How sad ,beyond sad just horrific. Rest well sweet child ❤
I’m enjoying this podcast overall so far as a new listener, but the whole random twinkle twinkle little star Interludes throw me off and it messes up the pace of a whole podcast. It just comes in at random points that make zero sense.
I just use the transitions to break up the segments -- kind of like chapters. :)
if you like her work in these videos the very least you can do is click like for her work put into these stories.
Thank you so much, Des! I really appreciate that!
You do a great job and the entire time you was telling her story I was thinking i bet this little girl ate those pills on her own. I remember when I was 6 my grandma left a bottle of mini thins in an old car we used to play in and we pretended they were our food and me and a few other of my cousins ate them. We obviously didn't die but we dam well could have. Also if she had been neglected and if she was hungry or ate out of a nervous condition or from anxiety if that's all she could find then she did what any normal 6 year old would do.. eat whatever she could find. Regardless her parents were still to blame but I feel like that is what happened. Usually kids that are abused have a body full of bruises. Kids that are neglected are ignored and eat potato chips for dinner. It seems obvious to me.
But screw those idiots that came after you.. dam web Karens...
We love you and we appreciate all your hard work.
Ignore the haters they are jealous that their brain didn't think of it first.
@sufferthelittlechildrenpodcast I cannot tell you how many times I have started watching, got heated, scroll down and start speed-typing, a response that never makes it to the comment section. By the time I get done typing I calm down and realize that I NEED TO WATCH THE WHOLE VIDEO. If I want to pass judgement, or choose to comment on these horribly tragic and heartbreaking situations the least I could do is take it all in and not be so quick to give an opinion, I should at least know the whole story, right? I am so sorry you have to deal with all the negative, judgmental people that do not know everything, that don't understand your mission. They truly couldn't be more wrong about anything you are an asset to these children, families and all the things you do, it is so commendable! You are a blessing.
When I was small ( about 8 years old) I found my moms iron supplements, and they were very red and very sweet, she used to put on the top of the fridge inside of a glass jar, and even my mom telling me they were not candy but actually medicine, I still felt compelled to eat it behind my moms back and I end up in a hospital with iron toxicity. I also had a cousin almost die as a kid because she drank a albuterol syrup because it was very pink and sweet cherry flavor, she was prescribed it for asthma, she drank the whole bottle and had a convulsion follow by a respiratory-cardiac arrest failure, she was around Karry age, and both my mom and my aunty was a very carefully parents. So yes is absolutely possible for Karry with her normal child curiosity got the pills herself, and just like you said that doesn't diminished her parents guilty due to negligence, specially knowing their backgrounds of their family dynamics and neglectful behavior.
If people aren’t civilized enough to have a mature conversation, and instead resort to this kind of overt childishness, you’re not dealing with people who can muster the credibility required to damage your channel. Pay them no mind.
Your doing a good job keep up with the good work
I live 5 minutes from the house really heartbreaking. The father was just found guilty on February 16 2022 a day before kerrigans birthday. She would have been 8. That poor girl boulder hill was nice in the 80s that ain't the case anymore. You did a good job on this case thank you.
Potato chip crumbs were in the body bag?! Like they were on her and then fell off into the body bag or the person loading her into the body bag was eating potato chips?! I know that's probably stupid question but I'm honestly wondering because it seems like every turn This Girl's Life had she was just completely disrespected, for lack of better word.
God love her!
And God love you for covering this case!
I do research for a True Crime podcast so I know it can't be easy to cover a case like this... 🙏🙏🙏
BTW you did a great job of covering this case. you definitely gave her the respect that she deserved in life. 💛
Thank you so much, Sarah! That's my ultimate goal, so it means a lot to me!
At 5, I ate an entire box of chocolate exlax while my grandparents were napping. It does happen
Hope those people are never parents. Imagine what their kids are going to get into because they don't think children are capable of doing anything that can accidentally harm them.
I grew up in a very dysfunctional alcohol riddled family. I can clearly remember pulling a chair up to the fridge and eating orange flavored aspirin when I was a child. Many times. I was very young and liked the taste. yeah it can and does happen.
That makes 2 of us. St.Josephs aspirin was the name of them. I also remember trying once a bottle of wine that my father said was grape juice. Point is, kids will get into stuff if you miss label or represent dangerous items.
I ate a whole bottle of flinstone vitamins my Parents are both alcoholics also.
@@samsalamander8147 I am sorry that happened to you. Then again in a weird way it’s nice to know it wasn’t just me. That makes me feel guilty but it’s true.
My mom gave me a dose of baby aspirin at age 4. She sat the bottle up high on a shelf and told me more you've had all you need. Well....I climbed up and stole them and halved them with my sister. Just by luck she and I always get carsick. We all loaded up and left to go somewhere and we vomited most of them up. My mother was furious. To this day I can't stand the orange flavor.
I also believe it is possible for Kerri to have ingested the medication on her own. The backlash you got for suggesting this was ridiculous (one seemed borderline obsessed with posting negative comments, though she was just always blabbering the same things). It sadly wouldn't be the first time a child ingests medication, mistaking it for sweets. As much as they criticize you, they obviously don't have much experience in the topic, as the Cops often say they are not excluding any possibilities. Speaking of wich, the cops should also have been charged for letting the abuse and neglect happen (at what point do you leave a child with a parent who just slammed his head on concrete?). The mugshot also startled me, all I can say is that regret and sadness were NOT present on her face, she only seemed annoyed. Her husband seems like he doesnt know what he is doing there.
@Ryan Smith I missed this comment somehow, but I wanted to reply as soon as I did see it. If this is the kind of "observation" you feel entitled to post about a murdered 6-year-old, kindly find another channel to watch.
@@SuffertheLittleChildrenPodcast they where defending you? Wtf
Can we point out, how amazing the neighbor was for calling the cops, and reporting to CPS, and calling them out, for their crap work
💔💙♥️💙💔
Hearing the neighbors perspective..... i cant imagine, esp having to explain to their own kids. My daughters friend died at six years old. She had muscular dystrophy and aspirated on vomit in her sleep. We had moved to a different state when that happened. The girls mom called me. My kids were in bed and my husband worked second shift. I had trouble sleeping for many nights after and when i did sleep, i had nightmares. My daughter went to the funeral with me. Her choice. I hadnt planned to take her. It will be six years ago this weekend and my daughter still doesnt know the full truth. Just that it was a complication of the MD. We didnt wanna traumatize her more tham we had to. All that said, obviously my daughters friend had some disabilities but her death was still a bit unexpected at that point and i found it traumatizong. I cant imagine having basically first hand knowledge of the murder of a small child AND having to explain that to my own small child
Danielle, that's so terribly sad. I'm sorry!
I am new to your channel. I appreciate the research you put into telling the victims story. Such sad stories, but their story has to be told so that others open their eyes and make stiffer penalties for the abusers and reform in CPS. ... The only thing I would mention, please don’t take offense.. is the lullaby that is in between the subject changes is so loud especially when listening to the podcast on headphones. But regardless.. I just bc a new subscriber:)
I completely understand! I've changed the transition lullabies slightly for my next episode, which comes out on Wednesday, April 21. I hope it's less grating!
It was an accident, a preventable one, but an accident. She had no bruises except for one small one any child could easily get. The parents might be shit but they are not murderers.
There’s nothing accidental about two separate parents who feed a child psychotropic medication that is not prescribed to her. The combined dose killed Kerrigan. That’s not a preventable accident; it’s at the very least manslaughter. Both were convicted.
My nephew found my sister's anti seizure meds in her purse and ate several. First thing my sister did was call 911 (she Freaked, it was her first response) and she took full responsibility for it because the police and CYS Did ask. Kids Do get a hold of medicine. The parent is 100% responsible for saving their child If this does happen.
Adorable girl, so sad again, thanks for letting me know this sweetheart. My heart breaks
Has anyone actually seen pics of the mom? She is totally out of her mind. No wonder she was on antipsychotics. Having mental illness doesn't mean youre excused from being questioned or blamed. Kerri died from eating her moms antipsychotics. The mother i hope will be in prison. When you have kids, all bets are off. Get your stuff together or give your kid to someone who is healthy.
Courtny's bulging eyes were actually from an autoimmune disorder, but I agree with you! She pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. James was found guilty by a jury, also last year, and sentenced to 12 years. It turns out each of them dosed Kerri with Courtny's antipsychotics to make her sleep, not realizing the other also dosed her, and the combined amount caused her death. So sad, unnecessary, and preventable.
@@SuffertheLittleChildrenPodcast what the fuck.....🤢
I still love ya .❤️
Before you even said it....I was wondering if she got into the medication on her own....or if they were forced on her. I really don't think it's an unreasonable question. Nor do I think it's "victim blaming". Regardless of how it happened...it was a completely unnecessary death.
Side note: I ate an 81mg aspirin as a child. It was orange flavored. I was tempted to eat more, but I didn't...only because they did not belong to me.
I absolutely agree with you about loving to know how long that shitty mom was on the meds...bc it is pretty crazy af about the weight and then knowing that it is flavored and all that of course a lil kid is going to eat it if it tastes really good and all that jazz she very well could have just found it and ate it bc they suck and are pos and didn't put it up!!! Also btw I love your content and your penmanship is on point and btw I love your channel name I read a super good book yrs ago called suffer the children!! Keep up the great work!!! Thank you!!!
She did all she could do. God bless that neighbor.💜✝️
I remember the pink bubble gum flavored liquid antibiotic. I don't know if they use it anymore, but I almost drank a whole bottle!
I hated that stuff!! Lol and YES they still make it..my kids hate it too lol
@@ANDREA-kk2gx Lol I liked alot of odd flavored stuff when I was little, ensure, pepto bismol, etc. Not now though, thank goodness!
I got ear infections a lot as a toddler and would be prescribed liquid Amoxicillin and would literally beg for the "bubble gum medicine" any time I was I'll enough to need to go to the dr. I can still remember how delicious it tasted..I dont know if any medication should taste good enough for children to literally crave it.
@@chelseataylor5244 exactly. So I can see how a child would accidentally take medication because it tasted good.
@@chelseataylor5244 there was one that was banana flavored... mm delicious!
Hey to be fair… About 20 years ago (God I feel old having to say this) I was taking some anti-depressants or antipsychotics… Some medication to help with some mental health issues at the time and they were the kind that dissolved in your mouth and the ones I was on tasted kind of like orange tang… I had never encountered medicine like that before and my first thought when I first took the very first dose was hey this actually doesn’t taste bad… And I was in my 20s at that time so I could see perfectly well why a little kid might find one and think it’s a candy and taste of it and then taste more of them because some of the tablets do taste kind of like candy. Maybe the taste is closer to one of those Saint Joseph’s chewable aspirins or something… All I know is whatever I was taking had a citrus flavor to it which is really actually wasn’t that bad as far as how medicines can taste
I think, when people hear someone point out, let's say, that a victim overdosed themselves, they have an emotional reaction, and take it as victim blaming. Which isn't necessarily true. Not true at all in this case for certain. It's a shame, the tendency of people to lash out.
SHAME ON YOU DCFS, and , POLICE DEPARTMENT KENDALL COUNTY ILLINOIS!
I feel strange saying this but it needs to be said: it is not heallthy at all for a child her age to be as big as she is. Obviously there has been neglect on the parents end because if they were truly present, they would monitor Kerris diet. Theres no good reason for a child to be that big.
This is so sickening! The community did their part to try to protect this girl. Why is Child Protective Services so messed up all throughout our country?? As an educator I can’t even tell you how many reports I’ve made of suspected abuse and how many times I received a letter of response stating, “”No investigation warranted.”
That must be incredibly frustrating. Thank you for trying to help the kids who need it!
Senseless homocide. Kerrigan is safe, happy and in the hands of God 🙌
Aww Keri is a girl after my own heart! Pink, Barbie n unicorns! So sad x
I feel sorry for that neighbor.💔* that wrote on Facebook.
💔
😢
My son got in my purse at age 18 months. I had about 15 -50mg. Benadryl and he ate them all. We went to hospital and they made him throw up. He threw up enough that all he had was a long hard sleep.
Thank goodness! My brother was about 1 when he got into my mom’s birth control pills many (MANY) years ago, and he had to have his stomach pumped, but he was fine, too. It’s scary what kids will shovel into their mouths!
That said, Kerri’s stepfather was convicted a couple months ago and admitted to giving her two unknown tablets to make her sleep. Apparently her mother had already done the same, and the combination was too much for her. The poor kid… 😭
Just when I think I couldn’t be any more shocked, horrified, livid or heartbroken yet another child loses their life to people who I honestly feel are a waste of oxygen. Just pure evil!!!! I’ve said it before and will likely continue but HOW???? Just HOW can anyone hurt and or kill a child ESPECIALLY their own?!?!? Absolutely soul wrenching 💔🤬💔🤬💔. I pray you are now resting peacefully in the arms of our Heavenly Father baby girl. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I have been on antipsychotics were it is absorbed under the tongue (sublingual) and I swear to God I could understand how children could OD accidentally on them. Especially as taking a medication via a sublingual (SL) route ensures its absorbed into the body faster than just swallowing it. Also, my God did it make me gain weight. Once I went off the medication (with the help of doctors) I lost close to 20kgs in a year.
She probably thought it was candy...I take meds I have 2 grandchildren one walking he comes in sees my med container and he knows I take out something and put it in my mouth...So one day he was in here and reached for it I said oh now sir...I told my daughter in-law that I have everything put up but sometimes I might forget with my many appointments...So I let them know keep him out of my room even with my stuff put up...I don't want to take any chances... because he is so smart and watch everything
When I was on the phone with my client, my 2 year old son decided to climb on the counter and find a few sleeping pills to put in his mouth. I panicked. He had never climbed a counter. We went to the hospital with him. Turns out, he did not eat any pills. The missing pills were just deep inside the counter. Hahaha
First.
I knew her and by my knowledge of what she was like in that time, I believe it's more likely she intentionally murdered her then the kid getting into the medicine herself
Omg 😳 I didn’t realize how startling that picture would actually be. It actually made me gasp & my heart start racing for some reason.
It weighs heavy on my heart that you have to defend what your motives in almost every episode I have watched which is many. I have 3 sons, 3 very busy, very noisy, very exhausting boys and quarantine plus homeschooling puts a lot of stress on a parent HOWEVER never once have I blamed my sons for the situation or took out my frustrations on them(besides an occasional "go to your room because I need a moment") grace is what they need. Due to hearing these I am able to share these tragic cases with others and no one I have talked to has been aware of the issue being so large and wide spread, so what you are doing is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!! We Cannot demand change for a problem we know nothing about!! Thank you for your dedication, and for your families willingness to share your time with us in this way. God Bless!! I will be praying for these littles and for your family, producing this content had to be hard on your mommie heart.
Thank you so much, Kelly! You're so right -- these stories are very hard to tell. The last case I covered (Caliyah McNabb) broke me; once I published the second episode about her, I slept for 11 hours and could barely function for two days. I could never stop telling these stories, though; it's too important to me that these kids not only get justice but are never forgotten!
I'm pretty sure children can't be diagnosed with bipolar.
Unfortunately, I can tell you from experience that children can and are diagnosed with bipolar depending on the severity of the symptoms and the age of onset. Some doctors won't go that far, however; they'll start with ODD or something similar.
@@SuffertheLittleChildrenPodcast My psychiatrist said kidd were not tut o be diagnosed with bipolar. Too, you're not stopped to be diagnosed unless it unti they have a manic attack. Freaky ass situation. I just want to say that I I have problems throughout childhood.
They try not to dx bipolar in young kids but they can and do...
I know I'm late but it's worth noting intense weight gain like what Kerri experienced could also be binge eating, a common outcome of neglectful and abusive situations. Even if the pills didn't taste like candy, mild palatability can make someone roll it into a binge.
I was a binge eater as a very young child and I ate antiparasitic a flavoured like fake lemon for this reason. It is so close to the circumstances of this case I could be the child you are talking about.
Omg I'm so sorry for the abuse you suffer you are absolutely amazing I completely honour and am under the same desperate need like you for awareness. Please keep going with these incredible but sad stories the babies are all that matters your adored by so many haters screw youuuu ❤️❤️
Wow, that's so crazy! People are just awful, I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter if it was forcefully given to her or if she "got in to it", parents are responsible for keeping their kids safe and maintaing a safe living environment. I'm pretty confident that that type of medication would be distributed in child-resistant bottles. Such a short and tragic life she had, my heart breaks for her.
I admire you for doing just because I don't know if I could I listen to it almost every day because when somebody hurts a child it hurts me. Thank God for people like you and trying to make their lives better and for this not to keep happening what is wrong with CPS. Why are they not doing their jobs of course if you ask a child in front of a parent they're not going to say oh yes my mommy beats me everyday there's too much of this going on and it's got to stop the Buck has to stop somewhere keep doing what you're doing and may God bless you.
It's more likely she ingested them herself. An obese child would have to take quite a number of pills to overdose on them so severely that it ends in death. As an adult, I have difficulties swallowing even a little pill, so I can't take multiple at the same time. I doubt a 6 year old would be dedicated to swallowing a pill so many times.
Since these were dissolving tablets, she wouldn't have had to swallow them at all. Also, they were powerful antipsychotic meds, so I can't imagine it would take many at all to overdose a child of any size.
@@SuffertheLittleChildrenPodcast Depends how strong they are, but one would still need to take a good amount of pills for them to cause death. That's why people who commit suicide by pills can sometimes be saved - they take enough to lose consciousness, but not enough to result in death. I'd also imagine with such strong meds, she'd throw them up before she could overdose. The stronger a medication is, the more severe the nausea its over-ingestion causes. I see how it'd be easier to force someone to take tablets that dissolve in the mouth by themselves, though.
if a kid is used to it, swallowing pills is easy. My one son can easily swallow his allergy pills, and I've never had issues with it either.
But if they were presented to her as candy, she could easily chew or let it dissolve like actual candy. Think about how many m&ms you can toss into your mouth at once.
Okay let’s say your theory is true:
Here’s the thing, at six, you need to be told not to eat too many pills or what pills to stay away from or whatever. I was eight when I ate half a bottle of Flintstones vitamins. Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt or anything, but my sister freaked out on me and said I can’t do that! (She was the one that caught me lol)
From everything else you have said, Kerri was either told it was okay to eat the “candy” or never corrected of this behavior. This isn’t victim blaming bc a good parent would have kept these pills out of reach and corrected the behavior as soon as it was observed. No, at six years old, the parent is still responsible for keeping medication away from a child.