UNNAMED BOY and GIRL - 7 and 5 yo/ Accused: Mother; Maddelyne Douglass and Boyfriend; Marquis Hucks - Rochester NY

Mother now charged in child abuse case

Posted at: 08/16/2012 5:24 PM
Updated at: 08/16/2012 6:23 PM
By: Joangel Concepcion

It's a disturbing story. A woman and her boyfriend, charged with brutally beating two young children.

Police say Maddelyne Douglass and her boyfriend, Marquis Hucks, beat the children several times within the last month.

According to police, the children suffered a significant amount of abuse. Both had to be taken to the emergency room for their injuries.

Investigators say the case landed right in their lap. If they hadn't arrived at the house for another call, the abuse may have gone on much longer.

When police officers responded to a domestic violence call at a home off of Merrimac Street, they realized they had another issue at hand.

"They noticed some kids that were at the call. It didn't seem quite right. Something didn't seem right with them," Rochester Police Sergeant Justin Collins says.

Investigators say a seven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl were abused over the course of two months by their mother's boyfriend.

Police say Marquis Hucks slammed the young boy's head into the kitchen cabinets so hard, the boy suffered head injuries. Police also say Hucks beat the young girl with a metal belt buckle and slammed her head into a car door. According to investigators, the girl has multiple bruises and cuts all over her body.

"It was great that the officers were able to pick up on it, because something didn't seem right with the kids. They were not the center of the investigation and that the kids were able to come forward and feel comfortable saying yes, this is what is happening. Something isn't right," Collins says.

But police say it wasn't just Hucks who was abusing the kids, they also suffered at the hands of their own mother.

Police have also charged Maddelyne Douglass with assault. Something local residents say could have been prevented.

"The parents need to keep their eye on the prize. Meaning they need to watch their kids at a closer range and not trust people that they only known for an X-amount of time. This is crazy," Felecia Young tells News10NBC.

Young is shocked by the news. She says the neighborhood may have its problems, but when it comes to kids, it hits way too close to home. "It's a terrible thing that kids have to suffer and go through this because it scars their heart and their minds. It takes them a long time to get it back right."

Marquis is a level-three sex offender, convicted of sodomy back in 1993. Level three means he is at high rick of repeat offenses and a threat to public safety. Police have not filed any new sexual abuse charges against him at this time.

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S2731180.shtml?cat=566