Where and what were the signs? A 13 year old doesn’t just issue a blow to a two-year olds head, causing enough trama to kill her, without there being some sign of psychosis. Who and what failed this child and what was he exposed to at home that made him into a monster? Or was it just a chemical imbalance? If it was, why wasn’t it recognized? It wouldn’t surprise me to find out more about this vicious 13 year old down the road, perhaps some previous animal torture or bullying. A sweet child doesn’t kill a toddler unless he is mentally challenged or deranged.

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — A day after the Johnson family laid to rest their 2-year-old daughter, Emily, with nursery rhymes, two blankies and her treasured stuffed “lambie,” this rural Minnesota community struggles to understand a death that has wrenched hearts and raised troubling questions.

Emily Lynn Johnson died June 17, a day after prosecutors say a 13-year-old boy assaulted her at Deborah Koenig’s home day care just outside the Fergus Falls city limits. Community members have identified the 13-year-old as Koenig’s son, Zebulun. He is accused of administering a fatal blow to the girl’s head and awaits trial in juvenile court on charges of second-degree manslaughter.

Many in Fergus Falls share a connection with one or both families and expressed grief and anguish over what prosecutors describe as Emily’s violent death at the hands of another child. Violent youth crime is so sporadic in these parts that there isn’t even a juvenile detention facility in Otter Tail County. Zebulun Koenig is in Moorhead’s juvenile lockup 50 miles away.

 From the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, here is a photo tribute to little Emily:

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