Child neglect cases may have links to economy

Two local child neglect cases have not only kept authorities on alert, they're sparking conversation about the role the economy plays when it comes to the care and well-being of children.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

An abandoned two-year-old girl left crying inside the men's restroom of a Shell gas station in Newark, Delaware over the weekend is the second case of child neglect being investigated by local police in one week. The first case is the ongoing search for three-month-old Zara Malani-lin Abdur whose father allegedly confessed to throwing her over a New Jersey bridge last Tuesday.

Cathleen Palm is the executive director of Pennsylvania's Protect our Children Committee. She says many of these types of neglect cases spark from financial stresses at home.

Cathleen Palm:
I think that you're potentially seeing some families in greater times of crisis right now because of the economy than you saw two or three years ago and that might not be leaving people to make the best choices on behalf of their kids.

The unidentified girl who turned up at the gas station in Newark was found to be in good health and has been placed in temporary foster care until her family is found.