About this iReport
They Valued my Life at 77 Days...
By kimberlyk21 | Posted October 16, 2012 | LaGrange, Indiana
For up to date information please visit Alissa's facebook page and meet Alissa's warriors! https://www.facebook.com/BabyAlissaCriesForJustice.org.
Please also consider signing the petition to reopen her case -http://www.change.org/petitions/indiana-state-attorney-general-open-a-state-murder-investigation-for-the-fatal-beating-of-alissa-guernsey
♥ Alissa B Guernsey November 2, 2007 – March 28, 2009
Alissa was fatally beaten by her caregiver, Christy Shaffer. The justice system did not value Alissa’s short life enough to properly punish the person who took her final breath. It is also believed that Christy's father, Kerry Sprunger, had "connections" because of the position he held in LaGrange, which assured that Christy would never pay for her crime.
16 month old baby Alissa was murdered.
In November of 2008, Alissa's father, Michael Guernsey, was tragically killed in a car accident. Kelli Sprunger, Alissa's mother was beside herself with grief and unable to care for her children. Christy Shaffer offered to take Alissa and her 2 siblings in until Kelli got back on her feet. During that time Kelli (admittedly) returned to her drug use and failed to keep in contact with caseworkers. Alissa and her siblings were made wards of the state in Steuben County, Indiana and were placed in the home of Matt and Christy Shaffer, who were not trained foster parents, but relatives of the family.
Alissa was a normal, happy, healthy baby when she left her mother’s home.
It was in January of 2009 that Alissa began losing her hair and random bruises were appearing all over her body. Shaffer had taken Alissa to doctors to try and find some type diagnoses stating that Alissa "bruised easily" and that her hair was "falling out". Alissa had been to specialists in Elkhart and Riley's Children Hospital. None of which could ever find anything "medically" wrong with her after multiple rounds of blood testing.
During this time Christy Shaffer kept Alissa's mother from visiting with her, but not with her other 2 children who were also in Christy's care.
March 28, 2009 Alissa B Guernsy was murdered. The autopsy report declared her death a HOMICIDE, due to blunt force trauma to the head. According to the post mortem exam, her hair had not fallen out - it was ripped out! Alissa endured months of beatings which resulted in stitches to the head, multiple deep mouth lacerations, a broken elbow (for which she was not given her pain medication) and multiple bruising about her head and body before she was finally beaten to death. These injuries were new and old.
Christy wanted people to believe that Alissa had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or was born a meth/crack addicted baby and that was the reason she was "clumsy and always bruised" – that is wrong! According to the doctor and tox screen reports from when she was born, Alissa was perfectly healthy. You can clearly see the before and after pictures of Alissa, she was perfectly happy and healthy with her mother, and turned in to a different baby with Christy Shaffer.
Christy Shaffer never had to take responsibility for the blunt force trauma. In June 2009, Prosecutor Jeff Wible convened a Grand Jury after being presented with the Medical Examiners report, the Indiana State Police report, and all eveidence pointing to HOMICIDE due to blunt force trauma. The Grand Jury indicted Shaffer for Neglect of a Dependent, Class B Felony AND Neglect of a Dependent, Class C Felony. (neither charge results in the death of the child!) It is believed that Jeff Wible purposely did not push for any murder charge (or even so much as Neglect of a dependent Class A which results in death) This is believed to be because of the MULTIPLE conflicts of interest involving relationships between himself and Kerry Sprunger (the defendants father) and Alissa's Pediatrician, Dr, John Egli, (who missed every single opportunity to save Alissa's life) Jeff Wible sat on the same board of directors of the LaGrange County Community Foundation with Dr. Egli for years. Kerry Sprunger was a regular member and donated undisclosed amouts of money and assets to this foundation.
Shaffer accepted a Plea Agreement by pleading guilty to Neglect of a Dependent, Class B Felony in February 2011.
In late May 2011, Shaffer was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections, 6 years suspended.
At sentencing, LaGrange Circuit Court Judge J. Scott VanDerbeck offered Christy shaffer information that she could come back in 60 to 90 days for a possible modification of her sentence. Judge VanDerbeck modified Shaffer’s sentence in August 2011. Shaffer was released after serving 77 days.
Where is Alssa's justice?
Shaffer only spent 77 days in prison and was released with time served and 6 months home detention with 3 yrs probation. Baby Alissa was tortured, beaten and lost her life.
