In Re the Welfare of Bennett

James and Margaret Bennett were married in 1973 at age 16. The couple had two children before the marriage was dissolved in 1977: Edward, Jr., born in 1974, and Margaret Dale, born in 1975. In August 1975, Edward, Jr., was taken to Fairchild Air Force Base Hospital because he had been severely beaten. The examining physician filed a child abuse complaint with the Child Protective Services in Spokane. Two months later Margaret beat Edward, Jr., to death. On January 15, 1976, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was placed on probation for 3 years.

In September 1976, on a petition initiated by…