Some children in eastern North Carolina face more in their first years of life than many adults.
One such little girl captured the attention of the nation when she was reported missing on Nov. 27. The body of 3-year-old Mariah K. Woods was found by a dive team in Pender County on Dec. 2, and her mothers boyfriend who is accused of abusing the 3-year-old in unverified DSS documents is charged with disposing of her body.
Onslow County was outraged and distraught over the loss of someone they didnt know, and some of them decided to do something about it.
More than 60 people started the application process to become a Guardian ad Litem.
The influx of applications was expected when Mariahs story was spread far and wide, said Kady Luke, the GAL supervisor for the N.C. Judicial Branch District 4 Guardian ad Litem Program, which covers Onslow, Duplin, Jones, and Sampson counties.
Their applications include a question about what prompted the person to fill it out, and many of the 60-some applications since Nov. 27 said it was Mariahs case.
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Its a big process to become a GAL, which includes an online application, criminal and sex offender background checks, interview, and a 30-hour class. Only about half of those who started the application since Mariahs case became public finished it and about 75 percent of those applicants have been interviewed and are ready for training, said Rusty Brown, the district administrator for the N.C. Judicial Branch District 4 Guardian ad Litem Program.
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Those who are willing to fully commit, Brown and Luke welcome completely. As of the end of December there were 95 guardians advocating for 211 children in Onslow County, but there were another 89 children who have no one from the program to give them a voice yet.
