What We Know: A licensed respite foster parent in Nixa is facing charges after police say she failed to immediately report suspected sexual abuse involving a 12-year-old child.
Patricia Liggenstoffer is charged with two counts of failure of a mandated reporter to report child abuse. Both are Class A misdemeanors.
What It Means: Nixa Police were notified in February about an alleged sexual assault involving a child staying at a respite foster home on North Hightower Avenue.
What’s Next: Court documents say a 12-year-old was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 17-year-old. Investigators say Liggenstoffer learned about the allegation and contacted the teenager’s case manager, who told her to report it to Missouri’s child abuse and neglect hotline.
Police say Liggenstoffer later learned of a second alleged assault involving the same 12-year-old and a 13-year-old.
Investigators allege Liggenstoffer did not immediately make the required hotline report. She told police she and her husband believed law enforcement and the children’s case workers were already aware of what happened.
Liggenstoffer is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 17. She is charged but is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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