How Childhelp in Phoenix works with law enforcement to interview children with special needs
PHOENIX - We're learning more about how Childhelp in Phoenix works alongside law enforcement to gather information from children with special needs to help investigate certain cases.
This comes after the news of an Arizona mother who had been missing for weeks was found dead alongside her dog.
46-year-old Hope Tucker's car broke down in Buckeye on I-10 on May 22. On July 8, her body was found about a mile and a half from the highway.
Tucker's purple Dodge Charger broke down while she and her son, who is autistic, were driving on I-10.
"The two left the vehicle to seek shade, and shortly after, Hope may have suffered a life-threatening medical emergency. Just after 11 a.m. that same day, a trooper in the area located the abandoned vehicle on I-10 near milepost 119, and it was towed," said Buckeye Police Spokesperson Carissa Planalp in a previous report.
Tucker's son, police say, is autistic and has high support needs and limited communication.
Her son let a relative know what happened weeks later and the relative called Phoenix Police on June 22. Phoenix PD let Buckeye Police know what was reported and that's when the investigation into where Tucker is started.
‘… can be traumatizing’
Meghan Krein, Childhelp director of communications, says, "These events are traumatic for children regardless if they have a disability or not, so any type of disability exacerbates that."
Child advocates, like those with Childhelp in Phoenix, have seen firsthand how police investigations can heighten communication barriers in children and teens on the autism spectrum who may need to be interviewed for the investigation.
"It's anxiety-provoking, it's terrifying for them. They've already probably experienced the worst, and now they're coming in here, and it's very unsettling … They probably know they're going to have to tell their story and that can be traumatizing as well," Krein said.
Childhelp has an entire staff working to help these children feel safe. They gather information from caregivers to find out the child's level of functioning.
"Do they have certain tics? So we're not triggering that child when we are interviewing them. What is their cognitive level? What kind of language do they use? Are they, you know, if they're twelve, but they're really at an age three level," Krein explained.
Childhelp's policy is to only conduct one interview with each child.
"It's recorded and we share that with law enforcement and anyone who is involved in the investigation, because I'm sure, as people know, it's very traumatizing to have to keep retelling. It can affect the integrity of the interview if the kids keep telling it to different people."