Elisa Izquierdo (February 11, 1989 - November 22, 1995) was a 6-year old girl who became a symbol of child abuse in the mid-1990s after being beaten to death by her mother Awilda Lopez, a New York City drug addict, in 1995. Her story first made citywide and then national headlines when it became clear that New York City's Child Welfare System (now the Administration for Children's Services) missed many opportunities to intervene in her family and to so save her life, thus bringing the CWA (ACS) under critical speculation. In the media, Elisa was frequently likened to a modern day "Cinderella" because she had been under the protection of a loving father, Gustavo Izquierdo, until his death from cancer on May 26, 1994 and had met the prince of Greece through her school, before she came into her mother's custody. Her life story became the subject of much speculation from New York based tabloid newspapers such as The Daily News and The New York Post to the front cover of Time Magazine. Her biography was even featured on an August 1996 episode of Dateline NBC. Her funeral drew an estimated 300 mourners. During the summer of 1996, Awilda Lopez was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for her killing. Lopez' common law husband Carlos was likewise charged and sentenced for his part in her death. February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV in Roman) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Child abuse is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child. ... Awilda Lopez (born 1966?) Awilda Lopez gained fame in late 1995 as the mother and killer of her daughter, 6 year old Elisa Izquierdo. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location [[Image:|250px|250px|Location of City of New York, New York]] Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R... 1995 (MCMXCV in Roman) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The Daily News is the name of several daily newspapers. ... The first edition of The New York Post of July 6, 2004 incorrectly declared that U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry would choose U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt to be his vice-presidential running mate that day (in reality, Kerry chose John Edwards). ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Dateline NBC (sometimes called just Dateline) is a US weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC similar to ABCs 20/20 or CBSs 60 Minutes. ...

See also

• Awilda Lopez
• Nadine Lockwood
• Nixzmary Brown
• child abuse

Awilda Lopez (born 1966?) Awilda Lopez gained fame in late 1995 as the mother and killer of her daughter, 6 year old Elisa Izquierdo. ... Nadine Lockwood (September 1991-August 31, 1996) Nadine Lockwood was a four year old child living in Washington Heights, New York who had been killed by her mother and who gained fame posthumously. ... Nixzmary Brown Nixzmary Brown (July 18, 1999 - January 11, 2006) (pronounced KNEES-MAR-REE) was a seven-year-old girl from Brooklyn, New York City who was allegedly abused to death. ... Child abuse is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child. ...

References

• The murder of Elisa Izquierdo spurred a barrage of stories, and improvements at the agency charged with protecting kids -- until the press grew weary of all that misery.
• Open Justice: Little girl's murder brought New York's juvenile court proceedings into the light.

• Peyser, Mark and Carla Powell. "The Death of Little Elisa." Newsweek. December 11, 1995

• Van Biema, David. "Abandoned to Her Fate: Neighbors, Teachers and the Authorities All Knew Elisa Izquierdo Was Being Abused, But Somehow Nobody Managed To Stop It." Time Magazine. December 11, 1995.