Skyla Brooks
June 5, 1998 - March 21, 2000

Skyla's biological parents were not meant to stay together forever. When the relationship ended, Tammy Renee Brooks had no problem moving on with her life and that included moving in with a new man. That man, Kurt Vomberg Jr., would be a huge mistake. It was obvious that Kurt was more important to Tammy then her own daughter. This seems to be a terrible pattern that repeats with single mothers, all too often.

Almost immediately, family members began to notice the abuse of Skyla and Robyn Brooks, her grandmother, tried everything to get Skyla taken away from Tammy. There seemed to be nothing that Robyn could do to
make that happen. The last time Robyn had seen Skyla, February 16, 2000, Robyn said that Skyla was alert and playful. She had been trying to get DHS to do something about the abuse and was no successful:

Kurt Vomberg had called emergency personnel to his home stating that
Skyla had been choking and he shook her pretty hard in an effort to save
her. Creek County Sheriff, Larry Fugate said:

The abuse suffered by Skyla in her short life included being smacked so hard on the forehead, that it left knuckle marks. Skyla had been bitten over most of her body, had broken bones both old and new. Skyla was also burned with a cigarette and had bruise and torn skin as a result of having been sexually assaulted.

Below is a picture I HATE to put on this page. I made a decision that if ONE parent looks at these kinds of pictures and decides that the life of their child is more important than a new boyfriend or girlfriend, then it is worth putting them on the pages. I asked myself, how could ANY parent allow this to happen to their child. Then the answer came to me, there is no way a parent could allow this to happen to their child. Sadly, some people are able to make babies and give birth to them, that does NOT make them a parent. Parents are people who nurture, love and care for their children, they do NOT allow bad things to happen to them if it is in their control to stop them from happening.

The official cause of Skyla's death is listed as Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Kurt Arnold Vomberg Jr, who was 30 years old at the time and Tammy Renee Brooks, who was 27 at the time, were arrested and held in the Creek County jail on first degree murder and lewd molestation charges in connection with Skyla's death. Skyla was pronounced dead at the Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The time was 6:25pm and the day was March 21, 2000. It had only been 24 hours since she was admitted to the hospital.

Kurt Vomberg Jr. plead no contest to second degree murder and child abuse. His sentence for violently killing Skyla was a measly 35 years in prison. Tammy Renee Brooks received 20 years in prison for child neglect. It's disgusting that these two will be free some day while Skyla and those who actually LOVED her will be in a prison for the rest of their lives.

 News articles:

SAPULPA -- A child-abuse prevention program is set for noon Thursday at the Creek County Court- house gazebo, 222 E. Dewey Ave.

Held as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the program will feature speakers, literature, balloons, clowns and a special appearance by Pawnee Bill and his horse.

The keynote speaker will be Mark Gonzales of Oklahoma City, whose daughter Sydney was a shaken infant and now has special needs.

Also, a memory quilt/banner in hon- or of Skyla Brooks will be presented to her grandmother Robyn Brooks.

Skyla was 21 months old when she died in Creek County in 2000 from "Shaken Baby Syndrome" because of abuse inflicted by her mother's boyfriend.

Kurt Vomberg Jr. is serving a prison term for second-degree murder.

The toddler's mother, Tammy Brooks, is serving a prison sentence for child neglect.

In the event of rain, Thursday's program will be moved inside the courthouse, into one of the courtrooms, according to Becky Bland, one of the event's co-chairwomen. 

The grandmother of a child who died of abuse speaks out for the victims.

Robyn Brooks wore her granddaughter's photo on her lapel and fought back tears when she spoke of her death.

Skyla Brooks, 21 months old, died in March 2000 from head injuries caused by violent shaking or blunt force. She also had bite marks on her scalp and knuckle bruises on her forehead.

"It continually happens," said Brooks, who is Skyla's paternal grandmother. "After Skyla died and I was at the Child Abuse Network, they just let me talk. It was at that time I realized how much child abuse we have going on."

April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, and advocates came together Friday at the Tulsa County Juvenile Center to remind the public of Oklahoma's dire statistics.

In Oklahoma, 51 children died last year from abuse and neglect, the highest number of deaths in a decade. A record number of foster children -- more than 7,500 -- are in state's care.

For Skyla's slaying, Kurt Vomberg Jr., the mother's boyfriend, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and child abuse and received a 35-year prison term. Tammy Renee Brooks, the child's mother, received a 20-year sentence for child neglect.

Brooks said child abuse and neglect is unlike other causes because of its far-reaching effects. She plans to retire next year and devote herself full-time to child advocacy.

"Like most people, we knew child abuse happens, but until it happens to you, it's hard to understand," Brooks said. "It's my passion to make this real to other people. The public needs to understand and look at this issue."

Tulsa Juvenile Division Chief Judge Doris Fransein said her docket is filled with youth who have childhood traumas.

"Our community expresses sympathy for abused and neglected children, but expresses fear and aversion of our delinquent children and are willing to lock them away," Fransein said. "These kids are one and the same."

Being abused or neglected as a child increases the likelihood for arrest as a juvenile by 59 percent. Abused and neglected children face an increased likelihood of adult criminal behavior by 28 percent and violent crime by 30 percent, according to a national Institute of Justice study.

As many as 80 percent of young adults who had been abused met the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder by age 21. About 73 percent of prostitutes were sexually abused as children, and about 95 percent of child abusers were child-abuse victims, according to the Parent Child Center.

Foster children have more academic difficulties from suppressed cognitive development and often struggle making meaningful attachments to adults, according to several studies.

The direct cost of child abuse and neglect in the country is about $24 billion a year, which includes maintaining a child welfare system, health care and law enforcement.

About $69 billion a year is spent in indirect costs, which represent the long-term costs such as special education services and crime.

"I sense that once the shocking headlines of child abuse fade away, the public sits back, feeling that child is now being taken care of," Fransein said.

"But we cannot sit back until we make sure that child transitions into adulthood as a productive adult with most of the inflicted injuries healed."

Brooks started a campaign called Pennies from Heaven to help raise money for the Child Abuse Network, which handles investigations through an interdisciplinary approach at one location.

Family and Children's Services and the Parent Child Center offer counseling and prevention programs. The Court Appointed Special Advocates serve as the special interest for a child at the request of a court.

"Everyone has spare change they can give," she said. "Child abuse is a major problem. Anytime there's a change, it's a slow change. But this is something we cannot let people forget." 

Call this number to report child abuse ANY WHERE in the United States!
1-800-4-A-Child  1-800-422-4453

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