LILY FURNEAUX-WOLFENBARGER - 2 yo (2010) - New Haven (NW of Flint) MI

The trial surrounding the death of 2-year-old Lily Wolfenbarger-Furneaux
and the murder conviction of 30-year-old Renee King began in November
2010, but the Furneaux family was in court for years before Lily was
killed.

Lauren Furneaux, Lily's mother, said she and her family
have spent the last three years dealing with the court system because of
the murder trial and custody hearings.

"This is the first time
we've actually seen justice," she said on Feb. 27, the day King was
convicted of felony murder, child abuse and sexual assault from the Nov.
20, 2010 death of Lily.

While King was convicted of these crimes
last week, Lauren Furneaux and her family believe abuse of the little
girl started long before the November 2010 death.

Lauren Furneaux
said before Lily even turned 2 she had suspicious marks on her neck,
but added she was continuously told by Lily's father, Jeffery
Wolfenbarger and others, as the bumps and bruises became more frequent
that she was just clumsy or played too hard with the other children.

"It
started picking up," Lauren Furneaux said. "I'd take pictures and then I
took them to my attorney and she said the judge will take away full
custody if you take this in front of him."

Lauren Furneaux said
she listened to her custody attorney at the time, Sally Miller, and
never brought claims to Lapeer County Circuit Court Judge Michael
Higgins.

"I wake up every day regretting listening to my attorney," she said. "I wish I never trusted her."

Lynette
Furneaux, Lauren's mother, said the black eyes and bruising were never
enough for the attorney to feel the family had sufficient evidence to
make abuse claims and warned her daughter could lose joint custody by
pursuing them.

If there were claims, the family said they didn't
have evidence as to who was leaving the bruises on Lily's body, but
Lauren Furneaux said she had a feeling it was King. She had such an
inclination because Lily would have bruises when she returned home from
time with King and Wolfenbarger but not when she would spend time with
Wolfenbarger's family.

Lynette Furneaux said as proceedings have
gone forward she has been told if the family suspected abuse, then they
should have never let the toddler go to the New Haven home where she
died. That's a lot easier said than done, she pointed out.

"It's
either you let her (Lily) go half the time or risk losing her full
time," Lynette Furneaux said. "She (Lauren) did what she was supposed to
do right."

While Higgins opted to rule the unmarried couple
share custody of the girl, Lauren Furneaux said she never felt right
handing her daughter over. Starting at the age of three months Lily
would cry when she was handed over to the Wolfenbarger's side of the
family, but the fact that she would get upset in such situations wasn't
enough for Higgins.

"She (Lily) always said, 'I don't want go see 'Nee (King)," Lauren Furneaux said. "I took her dying to not have to go."

Care House Executive Director Dorie Vazquez-Nolan said if a parent ever suspects abuse there are actions that can be taken.

"A
call to Child Protective Services is always what we would recommend,"
she said, adding a call to Care House can be placed and a member of
their team will listen to the issue at hand and help identify normal and
abnormal behavior.

Care House is a Macomb County child advocacy
center, based in Mount Clemens, with the mission to prevent and reduce
the trauma of child sexual and physical abuse in the county through
collaborative, multi-disciplinary and family-centered activities,
according to their website.

As for following the orders of the
attorney, Vazquez-Nolan said if something doesn't seem right then a
concerned parent should seek other legal advice.

"As a parent, if you are genuinely concerned about your child's safety then you should act on that," she said.

Although
the Furneauxes feel some type of justice has been served with King's
conviction, Lauren Furneaux still feels like Lily's memory is tarnished
when it is suggested Lily was clumsy or didn't know when was appropriate
to use the bathroom.

"My daughter was the most graceful person," she said. "She was very cautious."

If
you or someone you know suspects child abuse call Child Protective
Services at their new centralized intake number, (855) 444-3911. Calls
from this number are forwarded to the Grand Rapids call center and will
then be transferred to the appropriate county agency.

http://www.voicenews.com/articles/2012/03/06/news/doc4f5643624f467177483297.txt?viewmode=fullstory

A Detroit-area woman faces sentencing in the sexual assault and murder of her 2-year-old stepdaughter. A
Macomb County Circuit Court jury convicted Renee King of felony murder,
criminal sexual conduct and child abuse in late February.
She's
to be sentenced on Tuesday. The murder conviction carries an automatic
penalty of life in prison without possibility of parole. Authorities say Lily Wolfenbarger-Furneaux was killed Nov. 20, 2010, in King's New Haven mobile home.
Lily died from multiple blunt force blows to her head and had a vaginal injury.
King has said the head traumas resulted from two accidental falls, and she denies knowing about the vaginal injury.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/stepmother-faces-sentencing-in-mich.-girl%27s-death-20120410

On the day Renee King was sentenced to life in prison without parole
for the 2010 sexual assault and murder of her stepdaughter, the
2-year-old girl's mother finally got to confront her.
"My daughter
was my world. ... She had a smile that would light up the world,"
Lauren Furneaux said Tuesday of her daughter, Lily
Furneaux-Wolfenbarger. "God bless you, because I don't think that they
will very much where you're going."
Furneaux of Lapeer read from a
prepared statement in Macomb County Circuit Court. King's attorney,
Jason Malkiewicz, indicated to Judge Diane Druzinski that his client
plans to appeal.
King, 29, did not speak, although Malkiewicz said she maintains her innocence.
After
the sentencing, Furneaux told reporters and others about a foundation
-- Justice for Lily -- that she founded to raise awareness of and fight
against child abuse. The group has donated $35,000 to various
organizations since last April.
Druzinski's courtroom was packed
for King's sentencing on murder, criminal sexual conduct and child abuse
charges. Some in attendance held framed pictures of Lily. Many wore
"Justice for Lily" T-shirts.
The killing happened in the New Haven home King shared with Lily's father, Jeffrey Wolfenbarger. The pair are now divorcing.
Furneaux
has sued them both, and other unknown defendants, charging that Lily
suffered extensive abuse over a long period of time that should have
been reported.
Prosecutors said King, who was watching Lily while
Wolfenbarger was at work, used an object to sexually assault the child
and then killed her Nov. 20, 2010, because she was throwing tantrums and
had soiled her pants. Her injuries were so extensive, they were
comparable to being in a car crash, prosecutors said.
King said
that Lily's injuries were caused when she fell in the shower with the
little girl and then a second time while trying to revive her.
Wolfenbarger,
who faces an assault charge for an altercation outside the courtroom
during a break in King's trial in February, also spoke during the
sentencing. He said Lily was his best friend.
"My heart aches every day, every second, every minute," he said. "I ask God every day, 'Why, why, why my little girl?' "
http://www.freep.com/article/20120411/NEWS04/204110358/Stepmom-in-Lapeer-gets-life-in-prison-for-girl-s-death

Lauren Furneaux, left, gets a hug from her mother Lynette during sentencing of Renee King. / April 2012 photo by Andre J. Jackson/DFP

It’s been almost three years since Lauren Furneaux held her daughter, Lily, or touched her smiling face.

It’s hard waking up every day, living the nightmare, Furneaux said, that 2-year-old Lily was sexually assaulted and then killed by the toddler’s stepmother at a home in New Haven in 2010.

■ Related: Family cries with relief as stepmom convicted in 2-year-old girl's sex assault and murder
“It’s a struggle to get through every day,” the 26-year-old Lapeer resident said Tuesday, a day before she shares Lily’s story
nationwide on the “Dr. Phil” television show.

“As a mother, you’re supposed to protect your children and I failed,” Furneaux said on a preview clip of Wednesday’s pre-recorded show on www.drphil.com.

She said the show contacted her in August, indicating it was doing a segment on stepparent abuse and through research found her foundation, Justice For Lily, to create awareness for children who have been abused.

Within a week, a film crew came to Michigan and she and her mother flew to California so Furneaux could tape the show. Her story airs on the second half of the program.

Furneaux said that she believes Renee King killed Lily in November 2010 because she was jealous of the relationship between Furneaux and Lily and that she was sick of taking care of a child that wasn’t hers.

Prosecutors had said King, who was watching Lily while her father was at work, used an undisclosed object to sexually assault the girl then killed her because she was throwing tantrums and had soiled her pants. They said Lily’s injuries were so extensive they were comparable to being in a car crash.

King maintained that Lily’s injuries were caused when she fell in the shower with the little girl and then a second time while trying to revive her.

King, now 31, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2012 after a jury convicted her of murder, child abuse and criminal sexual conduct. The case is being appealed.

Randy Davidson, King’s appellate attorney, said King did not get a fair trial because her statements to a detective, who questioned her at the hospital when she was distraught and had earlier asked for a lawyer, were used. He said the case was a battle of the experts’ opinions over the cause of Lily’s death.

“This was a tragic, tragic death,” he said. “The real question is, was it a murder versus a tragic accident?”

Davidson said no one from the Dr. Phil show contacted him for input. He said “that’s significant. Like many things, there are two sides to a case and the Dr. Phil show is presenting just one side.”

The messages Furneaux wants to convey with her appearance are simple — cherish the time with your children, make sure you can trust the people you leave them with and speak up for children.

“Cherish your kids,” she said, “and if you suspect child abuse, report it.”

http://www.freep.com/article/20131023/NEWS04/310230029/Lauren-Furneaux-to-share-story-on-Dr-Phil-of-daughter-Lily-s-death

This pisses me off just as much as it did when I first read it years ago.  That POS wasn't disciplining Lauren for temper tantrums or anything else.  She tortured her to death in an unspeakably disgusting perverted manner out of jealousy and hatred.

Too bad Lauren didn't get to appeal her sentence.