Jeffrey Baldwin
December 20, 1997 - November 30, 2002
In Toronto, Canada on November 30, 2002 emergency workers
went
into the home of Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman.
What they were
about to see was shocking. Elva Bottineau answered
her door to let
the emergency workers inside her home, she brought
them to her
kitchen and that is where they found the lifeless,
emaciated body of
a child name Jeffrey Baldwin. The emergency workers
tried to revive
him, but, Jeffrey was already dead at the age of
five years old.
Shortly before he would turn six years old, Jeffrey
Baldwin died of
shock and bacterial pneumonia which was brought
on by his severe
state of malnutrition as well as sleeping in his
own bodily waste. He
weighed only 21 pounds, was skin and bone and was
covered in sores and bruises. The marks on his body showed that he had
been beaten
with sticks and spoons. Confined to an unheated
room at night, he was not even allowed to use a bathroom. He was forced
to eat off of the floor, when he was fed. There is suspicion that this
treatment of
Jeffrey had been going on for about a year and
that the other children in the home had been living the same way. None
of the other adults
living in the home did anything to help the children.
Jeffrey Baldwin live in an home with his grandparents
and several
other children. Jeffrey had been taken away from
his own parents for suspected abuse and with the support of the Catholic
Children's Aid Society, he had been placed with his grandparents, as had
three other grandchildren. What came to light after Jeffrey's death would
shock many people.
The Catholic Children's Aid Society had been involved
with Elva since
1969 when she gave birth to her first child. Over
a course of more
than five decades, at least three child welfare
agencies in Ontario were involved with the Bottineau family. Elva was diagnosed
twice as a
borderline mental defective and was said to have
been very mean.
Elva suffered at least twice from major depression
episodes. Elva had been a teenage mother and was convicted in the death
of her first daughter who had died at the age of only five months with
injuries that suggested Battered Child Syndrome. She plead guilty to the
charges brought against her and was given a suspended
sentence with one year of probation. Her other two children, a boy and
a girl, were
taken away from her.
In 1975, Elva began living with Norman Kidman. By
1975, the couple
had three daughters and the two children that had
been taken away
from Elva had been returned to her and were also
living in the home.
in 1979, the Catholic Children's Aide Society removed
the children
from the home due to Norman's physical assault
on them. Norman
was convicted of 2 counts of assault, causing bodily
harm and was
given a fine of $150. on each count. He was given
a suspended
sentence and two years of probation.
A note that one social worker wrote concerning this
family says:
“Ms. Bottineau was operating as a Society
funded
daycare provider and her worker at the time
had
no concerns regarding this family.”
This note was made even though just a short six
year prior to the
notation, Norman Kidman had pleaded guilty to assaulting
children.
All of this information was written in the files
at the Catholic Children's Aid Society, yet NONE of it prevented
this couple from gaining the
custody of more children and being used as a day
care for children
that were not their grandchildren. One check of
the files could have
and should have save the life of Jeffrey Baldwin
and would have been
what was needed to prevent ANY children
from being placed in the
home of child abusers.
After Jeffrey's death, the Catholic Children's Aide
Society took the
remaining children and placed them in fosters homes.
Why they were
allowed to even be involved in where the children
went, is a mystery
to me. They failed Jeffrey and as far as I am concerned,
they had NO
right to deal with ANY of the other children.
In court, Jeffrey's sister testified through a video
taped statement. She talked about how the children were locked in their
rooms at night and
had to use the rooms as a bathroom and in the morning,
they would
be forced to help their grandmother clean up after
them. Detective
Kimberly O'Toole was told by Jeffrey's sister if
they didn't clean up
fast enough, Elva would hit them with a mop handle.
She stated that
at times, they were in their cribs when she would
hit them. When she
was asked what they would do when that happened
she said they
would cry.
The child talked about how bad things would happen
to them at any
time. They were forced to dig through the trash
to get food scraps
from meals that several adults had eaten and they
were forced to get
drinking water from the toilet. The children were
called pigs and were
at times told to stand in the pig corner.
Susan Dimitriadis, Jeffrey's other grandmother,
was banned from ever seeing him. When she saw the video tape she was horrified:
"I didn't realize how bad it was for them,"
On the tape, Jeffrey's sister talked about how he
had been very weak
and was unable to stand up, on the night of his
death"
At the time of his death, Baldwin was too weak to
stand up. On the videotape his sister told what happened.
"The first time he came down the stairs my
grandma
placed him at the table and he fell down.
And my
grandpa started yelling at my grandma and
my
grandma thought he was just being lazy, but
my
grandpa said the kid doesn't get enough exercise.
The grandparents brought Jeffrey some milk, it wouldn't
be enough to save his life. Jeffrey weighed about 21 pounds when he was
found. A
child who is six years old and healthy, weights
about 42 pounds.
Norman Kidman and Elva Kidman were both convicted
of second
degree murder. Each of them has been sentenced
to life in prison. It's
a sad victory because Norman will be eligible for
parole in 22 years
and Elva in 20 and each of them can appeal for
a reduced sentence
after only 15 years.
How sad is it that time after time a child is killed
and the people who
are responsible are not REALLY held accountable?
These people all
deserve to be in prison for life.
"When 5-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin died from
the brutality
and starvation they had inflicted upon him,
his weight
was that of a 10-month-old baby -- his years,
according
to Ontario Justice David Watt, "eked out"
in the "
miserable existence" of a locked room described
as a frigid, urine soaked "dungeon" coated
with t
he filth of human feces.
What that young boy endured is almost impossible
to fathom, and no sentence his abusers receive
today
will ever do him justice.
Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman are simply
a waste of air, and no mercy should be given.
An eternity in hell, in fact, would be too
kind."
Mark Bonokoski - Toronto Sun
.
  
.
Catholic Children's Aid Society has since admitted
they that they made mistakes when handling this case. They have changed
their screening policy for allowing family adoptions. That's mighty nice
of them, huh?
The grandmother who was banned from seeing Jeffrey,
Susan Dimitriadis holds up a t-shirt in Jeffrey's honor.
.
.
Click
here for pictures of a Jeffrey Baldwin tribute
Return
To Jeffrey's Story
For information about preventing child abuse in the
Nova Scotia, click the links below. If they can't help you, ask for someone
who can. NEVER give up looking for help for an abused child!
Child
Abuse Prevention Resources
Prevent
Child Abuse In Canada
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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