Gwyneth Gibby, May 25, 2007
A bill that would help protect victims of child abuse was passed unanimously Thursday in the Oregon Senate.
The bill is named "Karly's Law" for Karly Sheehan, the Corvallis 3-year-old who was beaten to death in June 2005 by her mother's boyfriend, Shawn Field. Karly was the subject of a Department of Human Services Child Welfare investigation six months before she died, but the investigation concluded she was not the victim of abuse. In November 2006, Field was found guilty of torturing and killing Karly and is serving a life sentence.
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, and its purpose is to tighten the requirements for investigating potential child-abuse victims.
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