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Etowah County Mom’s Horrific Abuse on Toddler Exposed Again
BIRMINGHAM – In a horrific case of child abuse, a National Crime Victims’ Rights Week recognition ceremony in Birmingham, Ala., will highlight the nearly fatal burns suffered by a toddler at the hands of her mother.
Ashley Smith, now a teenager, was just 14 months old when her mother, Melissa Wright, subjected her to third-degree burns on 30 percent of her body by putting her in a broiling oven in their Etowah County home in 2002.
Wright’s heinous crime nearly took the life of her infant daughter, but thanks to medical intervention, Smith survived. The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles recently denied early release for Wright, despite her daughter’s older sister arguing for parole, citing her mother’s mental illness at the time and her supposed ‘change’.
Ashley Smith’s courageous story will be shared during the ‘Strength, Resilience & Justice’ recognition ceremony on April 6, presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker, Meg Garvin, executive director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute in Portland, Ore., will address attendees on the importance of victims’ rights.
Garvin is a leading expert on victims’ rights and has testified before Congress, state legislatures, and the Judicial Proceedings Panel on Sexual Assault in the Military.
The recognition ceremony will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on April 6 at the Diamonds Direct Ballroom at Regions Field, 1401 First Ave. South, with breakfast provided. The event is free, but space is limited, and RSVPs are required to tonja.benninger@usdoj.gov.
This project is supported by a National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Community Awareness Project sub-grant awarded by the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators under a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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