In our first segment, USA TODAY Investigative Reporter Gina Barton and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explore how the media and police handle cases that involve missing children of color. Gina examines two cases – the story of 7-year-old Alexis Patterson who went missing on May 3 2002, in Milwaukee, and the widely publicized case of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart who went missing a month later in Salt Lake City. Alexis was Black and Elizabeth was white. Through an emotional interview with Alexis’ mother, we learn why she feels her daughter’s investigation was handled differently because of her race and socioeconomic level. We also interview the current chief of the Milwaukee Police Department who acknowledges that, “trust is a continuous process” with communities of color. Gina Barton has followed the story of Alexis Patterson for 20 years and on States of America she reveals what her research suggests are some of the flaws in the way that cases of missing children of color are handled by both the police and media.
For our second segment, USA TODAY Education Reporter Alia Wong explores the impact that the COVID pandemic has had on children under five. The brain grows more during the first five years of life than at any other point in human development. Child psychologists, pediatricians and educators have noticed that so-called “pandemic babies” (children born right before or during the pandemic) are missing developmental milestones at higher rights, are struggling with behavioral issues, and are vocalizing later. We explore the impact that these challenges are having on parents and what can be done to alleviate the pressure.
» Catch all episodes of States of America on USA TODAY'S free streaming channels at
» Subscribe to USA TODAY:
» Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY:
» USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.
#missingchildren #covid19 #pandemicbaby
