Opinion ID: 3134296
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The issues presented in this appeal require that we discuss the facts in some detail. On March 24, 1993, a report was made to the DCFS child abuse hotline that A.P. had been sexually abused. On April 5, 1993, the State filed a petition for adjudication of wardship of A.P. pursuant to sections 2–3(2)(ii) and 2–3(2)(iii) of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (705 ILCS 405/2–3(2)(ii), (2)(iii) (West 1992)), alleging that there existed substantial risk of physical injury and sexual abuse to A.P. On that same date, the circuit court granted the State temporary custody of A.P. The court determined that there was probable cause that A.P. was abused and that it was necessary to remove A.P. from her parents' home. The Cook County public guardian was appointed as A.P.'s attorney and her guardian ad litem . An adjudicatory hearing was subsequently held to consider the allegations in the State's petition for adjudication of wardship. Such a proceeding is civil in nature such that a finding of abuse need only be supported by a preponderance of the evidence. 705 ILCS 405/2–18(1) (West 1992). At the adjudicatory hearing, Michelle Weber testified that she and her boyfriend, Michael Bell, A.P.'s uncle, baby-sat A.P. on the evening of March 24, 1993, at the one-bedroom apartment of A.P.'s parents. At some point during the evening, A.P. went into the bathroom. While in the bathroom, A.P. called Michelle and complained that “it hurt down there,” pointing to her vagina. Michelle assumed A.P. had a rash and looked for some Vaseline, but was unable to find it. When it was time to put on A.P.'s pajamas, A.P. asked Michelle to first put on new underwear because “it hurts down there.” Michelle asked where A.P. was hurting and A.P. again pointed to her vagina. A.P. indicated that she was hurt “when daddy was inside by my belly button.” When Michelle asked her to show her where it hurt, A.P., who had her pants off, sat down on the floor, opened her legs, and pointed to her vagina. Michelle noticed that A.P.'s vagina was red, and the vaginal opening was about the size of a quarter. A.P. then began to get excited and say things like “toe-toe” and “doe-doe,” which Michelle did not understand. Michelle attempted to calm A.P. A.P. again complained that her “peepee” hurt and that her father had hurt her down there “when he was inside me.” When Michelle asked who had hurt her, A.P. said “daddy.” Michelle then dressed A.P. for bed and laid her on her mattress, which was next to her parents' mattress. Later in the evening, Michelle heard A.P. in the bedroom screaming and calling out: “owie, owie, no, no,” “daddy,” and “it hurts, it hurts.” Michelle told Michael what had happened and Michael called his mother, A.P.'s maternal grandmother. A.P. was later taken to the emergency room at the hospital. After being released from the hospital, A.P. stayed with an aunt and uncle for a couple of days. About two days after A.P.'s release from the hospital, Michelle visited her. A.P. began saying “toe-toe” and “doe-doe” again. Michelle asked her what that meant and A.P. pointed to her vagina and said “toe-toe.” Jennifer Daniels, the assistant director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Northwest Cook County, testified that A.P.'s case was referred to her agency following a hotline report to DCFS. Daniels interviewed A.P. on March 30 and April 1, 1993. At the initial interview, Daniels asked A.P. if she knew why she was at the center. A.P. responded that this was the place to talk about “daddy.” Daniels then asked A.P. if she had ever stayed with anybody besides her parents, and A.P. stated that she had stayed with her aunt and uncle. When Daniels asked A.P. if she had been to the hospital, A.P. stated that her uncle took her to the hospital because “daddy hurt my peepee.” Daniels questioned A.P. about how her father had hurt her, and A.P. said: “Daddy took a knife and hit me on my peepee.” Daniels inquired about what A.P. was wearing when this happened. A.P. responded that she was wearing a nightgown and that her father pulled up the nightgown over her head but did not remove it. During this initial interview, A.P. was asked to identify body parts on an anatomically correct female doll, and she referred to the vagina as “peepee.” A.P. also identified body parts on an anatomically correct male doll, whose penis she referred to as “peepee.” When asked to demonstrate how her father had hurt her on her peepee, A.P. hit the vagina of the doll, and said that the knife cut her. There were play utensils in the interview room. A.P. took a play knife and used it to hit the doll's vagina using the flat side of the blade. A.P. said the knife went inside her. On cross-examination, Daniels admitted that A.P. stated that she had not seen her father undressing or showering, and that her father had not shown her his penis. Also during the first interview, A.P. indicated to Daniels that she told her Aunt Michelle what had happened. A.P. initially denied that she had told her mother about the incident. Later, A.P. said that she had told her mother and that her mother had sent her to her room. A.P. never stated when the incident with her father happened. Daniels testified that A.P. never indicated that anyone other than her father had abused her. Daniels interviewed A.P. again on April 1, 1993. A.P. indicated that she remembered talking previously with Daniels about her father. A.P. said she saw her father after the interview on March 30 and that her father was mad that she “told.” A.P. subsequently became upset and refused to talk to Daniels any further about her father. Karen Beckelman, a child protection investigator for DCFS, testified that she observed and listened to Jennifer Daniels interview A.P. on March 30 and April 1, 1993. Beckelman heard A.P. make statements that she had been sexually molested by her father. Throughout the interview on March 30, A.P. did not name any other perpetrators. After the March 30 interview, Beckelman permitted A.P.'s mother, Louise, to take A.P. home; however, she instructed her that A.P. was to have no contact with the respondent. After observing the second interview of A.P., Beckelman learned that A.P. had contact with her father when he stayed overnight at her mother's apartment. As a result of A.P.'s unauthorized contact with the respondent, Beckelman sought protective custody of A.P. Dr. Constance Blade, a pediatrician and expert on child abuse, examined A.P. on April 1 and April 8, 1993. Using a special instrument, a colposcope, which provides light and magnification, Dr. Blade examined A.P.'s anal and genital anatomy. Dr. Blade found that A.P. had an abnormal hymen in that its opening was enlarged and it had an irregular border. A.P.'s hymen indicated to Dr. Blade that A.P. had suffered a previous trauma to the bottom part of her hymen, where it was thickened. Further, the opening in A.P.'s hymen was about six or seven millimeters. A girl of A.P.'s age usually has an opening of two millimeters in diameter. According to Dr. Blade, the upper limit of normal for a girl A.P.'s age was four millimeters. Dr. Blade also found a notch in A.P.'s hymen, which she believed indicated that something had previously stretched the hymen beyond its elasticity, causing it to tear. Following her examinations of A.P., Dr. Blade diagnosed A.P. as having been sexually abused. The examinations revealed a penetration, which she assessed was caused by either a finger or a foreign object inserted into A.P.'s vagina. However, Dr. Blade did not believe there had been penile penetration, because the physical damage would have been far greater and there would be more abnormalities in her genital examination. When she examined A.P., there was no inflammation or evidence that there was current healing. Rather, A.P. had already healed. Dr. Blade opined that the injury had been inflicted two weeks or more before A.P.'s examination because that area of the anatomy heals quickly. Dr. Blade further described that the hymen is well protected by its location, which is recessed a full inch into the vagina. The hymen is also well protected by the thigh muscles and the bones of the pelvis. Given that the hymen is located in such a well-protected environment, Dr. Blade found that it was highly unlikely that A.P. had sustained her injuries during a fall. Although a fall was a possible cause, that fall would have had to entail her falling directly onto something that was small enough to penetrate in between the muscles and pelvic bones to injure the hymen. However, had A.P. fallen onto something small enough to cause injury to her hymen, there would have been significant damage requiring emergency care. Dr. Blade did not see any indication of such damage. Dr. Blade further explained that it was unlikely that A.P. had injured herself through masturbation because an injury like A.P.'s would have hurt when inflicted. Dr. Blade noted that children who masturbate generally touch areas anterior to the hymen and do so in such a way that it feels pleasurable. After considering all the possible explanations, including the possibility of A.P.'s falling or masturbating, Dr. Blade concluded that A.P. was sexually abused. Dr. Blade examined the records of A.P.'s emergency room visit on March 24, 1993. Dr. Blade found that those records were not inconsistent with her diagnosis of sexual abuse. Dr. Blade explained that although an emergency room doctor therein noted that A.P.'s hymen was “intact,” such terminology traditionally meant “virginal,” meaning no penile penetration. According to Dr. Blade, a minor can have an “intact” hymen and there can still be evidence of sexual abuse by digital penetration. Dr. Blade noted that the emergency room doctor had conducted only an external examination, and had not conducted an internal examination using a colposcope. The emergency room doctor had therefore missed evidence of sexual abuse. Dr. Blade explained that emergency room doctors are not trained to look closely for evidence of sexual abuse. The final witness for the State was Ann Maria Caravello, A.P.'s aunt. Caravello testified that A.P. and A.P.'s mother lived with her and her husband, Brian, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, during the summer of 1991. Thereafter, A.P. and her mother moved into a battered women's shelter in Evanston. Caravello stated that she had a conversation with A.P. on March 25, 1993, after A.P. had been in the emergency room. A.P. told her that her father had a long “peepee,” that “doe-doe” was her father and that he had cut her “peepee” with a pair of scissors. The State rested its case. Neither the respondent nor A.P.'s mother presented any witnesses. After considering the evidence, the circuit court found that A.P. had been physically and sexually abused and that there was a substantial risk of physical injury to her in the home of her parents. The court ultimately entered an order finding that A.P. was sexually abused by the respondent. Following a dispositional hearing, at which the court heard testimony from a DCFS caseworker, the court found that A.P.'s parents were unfit and that it was in the best interest of A.P. that she be adjudicated a ward of the court. The court ordered that guardianship of A.P. be placed in Gary T. Morgan with the right to place A.P. The court allowed scheduled visitation between A.P. and her parents to continue. The respondent appealed the circuit court's orders and the appellate court affirmed. A.P.'s mother apparently did not appeal. The appellate court held that the circuit court did not err in finding that the respondent sexually abused A.P. because A.P. consistently identified him as her abuser. The appellate court acknowledged that the only evidence that A.P.'s father was the person who sexually abused her was A.P.'s hearsay statements to adult witnesses. Nevertheless, the appellate court found that this hearsay evidence was corroborated by medical evidence.