i realize u all have ur opinions about this man but like i have stated before he is a good man regardless of whatever any of u have said and ALL of u r downgrading this man becuz he has a addiction. he doesnt need to get locked up and have the key thrown away, he lost his son and he has to live with that. i just hope justice is served fairly.

As bad as this sounds, I am very happy to see the responses on this article....

A cat gets kicked in this county and the courtroom is filled........

A child is killed or hurt in this county and very few raise a concern....

It is time to rise up and make our voices be heard. This little child needs voices to speak up for him...and there are many more just like him.

It is time, it is time!

Ubeenthere writes:Charles is a mild-mannered, good-natured man who loved his son.

Charles is a worthless excuse of a human who loved Heroin more than he ever loved his son!!!!!!!!

Mild mannered and good natured doesn't make you a fit or good Father!

Kellomc writes:he probably had no insurance..
Ya because what he could have been buying insurance with, he was spending on Heroin instead! Something that was obviously more important to him.

Was he that "whacked" out on Heroin to not notice all the warning signs that something bad was happening to Israel??? That poor baby was dead by the time Peabody decided to make the 911 call. Did she wait until Rivers was off his Heroin high to call, to protect his sorry, worthless excuse of a human, drug addict behind? She should be charged for the same crime as him since she did nothing to help this innocent baby. I am glad she has to answer to why she did the things she did, or did not do. Please, take that child away from her, as soon as it is born. She is an unfit Mother to be, and a worthless excuse of a human also!!!

Based on the initial autopsy results, the child would have either lost consciousness or his behavior would have changed.” (This means long before they went to get Heroin, long before Peabody went to Wal-Mart, long (hours)before she finally made the 911 call.)

The child had suffered a serious brain injury, Hiers said, and “his body started to shut down after the injury.” (The injury was late Saturday morning according to Rivers.)

Evidence of bleeding in Gordon’s mouth was found, and he had a bruise on his forehead, Hiers said. (How do you not notice a bloody mouth of a crying child? Only if you are whacked out on Heroin and your mind is altered I guess.)

Not to mention..Rivers and the baby’s foster mother were “persons of interest” in a possible abuse case when discolorations were found on various parts of Gordon’s body in August, Hiers said.

Why, why, why, why was this innocent child anywhere near any of these sick individuals.

Charles & April made a big mistake in not taking the boy to the hospital. But is there any parent who hasn't watched in horror as their child has fallen, then wondered whether the bonk on the head was a serious injury or something the ER personal would shrug off as 'just another bump on the head'. Another case of an overprotective parent. Charles is a mild-mannered, good-natured man who loved his son. Judge not lest ye be judged.

I knew charles for years personally and yea he was a good man but he lets them drugs take over
now a poor lil boy is gone
he had no chance
charles needs help

All I can say is for her childs sake and her unborn child I hope they both are taken from her and put into a family who will give them a SAFE and loving home...something april obviously cant provide!!!!! She obviously is more concerned about pleasing some man then being a responsible parent. shame on you april and charles...you were given one of the most beautiful gifts of all and you let it slip away....how can you sleep at night!!!???

The sad thing is that none of this had to happen this way. He could have simply taken the baby to the E.R. to have him checked out. Instead they chose to put other "priorities" first. I have the belief that children come first,before anything. April chose to put her boyfriend and his addiction first over her kids. I know April and this is something that she keeps doing for that man. Personally if any man asked me to put him in front of my children I would have packed his bag and never looked back whether or not I was pregnant with his baby. He wont be a father to that baby anyway. Women should really think before having babies with losers. The saddest thing is that she wanted to get pregnant by him. She told me so. When I hear about things like this it makes me sick to my stomach. Should April have her other children taken away? Her daughter's father is a loser drug addict also. She obviously keeps choosing to put dangerous men in front of her children. Is it going to stop? Will she ever learn her lesson? I am afraid not. I worry about her daughter and unborn child and who she will choose to be the next man in their lives and what he will do to them, there are fates worse than death.

I want to make myself perfectly clear. I believe in second chances. Lord knows we've all made mistakes. He was living in his second chance and throwing it away by using heroin. The statement Mr. Rivers finally gave to police after lying about what really happened tells the whole story. He neglected to help his son. The child was dying in front of him and he did nothing. The child could still be alive today if the call to 911 had been made right away.

kellomc, whatever you think a good father is, you must be out of your mind. Charles Rivers in no way displayed any hint of being a good father. The medical pathologist "felt it would have been readily apparent to any attentive childcare-giver that the child was badly injured and in severe distress.” He's not a father of any kind, good or bad, but a baby-daddy who should be locked up and sterilized. And for April Peabody, she should have her parental rights also terminated for taking the dying child and her daughter with them to buy drugs. This whole story is sad in so many ways. As I said before, there are far too many people who would make great parents that can't have kids for there to be a God who would allow gutter trash like Rivers and Peabody to procreate. This all makes me sick.

abuse neglect that is all there is to it. put them away and next baby to somebody who will care for it.!!!

to:kellomc
i bet heroin cost more than the dentist-duh that is probably why they can afford medical treatment or the er. lets see more dope or er for my baby- um yes dope

evansivillehouse wife-- well put

Perhaps if he wasn't an addict, the 'accident' wouldn't have happened.
And he was most definatly a loser. Trash. Pure and simple. He chose drugs, not life.
Yes, most people with addictions can be helped, some not. I'm guessing he falls under not. If his son's life being in danger didn't wake him the hell up, then he is hopeless.
I hope he get's the maximum. And I hope no one is ever stupid enough to leave him unattended with a child again.

I like how dub190 said, if we are just going to lock these types of people up, we may as well just give them a death sentence and save the money from housing this "scum and trash" in our prisons.... I don't necessarily always believe in the eye for an eye theory, however, I have to remember, if it was one of my children as a victim, would I feel the same way??
Evansvillehousewife, if there WAS a CPS case with this man and his infant, why was he still taking the infant on the weekends as it stated in the article? And if he wasn't required to submit UA's why not? That was my point?? Why did CPS drop the ball on this?? I had a boyfriend that abused my son once, and I was HOUNDED by CPS.... I had to prove, after I was the one that turned him in to the police, that I was a well-fit parent. I had to prove that I was providing a safe environment for my children and that I was a fit mother. I was even told that had my boyfriend been found to be using illegal substances that I would have to submit a UA, after they got a court order for it... Why was this gentleman not required to do the same if the mother was in rehab for drugs? Maybe we need to look at our CPS department too....
I'm not trying to pass the buck here on who's to blame for this child's death, I'm just stating that let's face it, there are people in this world with problems like this man's, and we supposedly have put together groups of people(CPS, Probation/Parole, Police, etc) that are supposed to make this type of unacceptable behavior a little more difficult for offenders, but if those groups are not doing their jobs, what's the point in having them?? We may as well let our addicts, SO's and killers do as they please...

i dont have to pick and choose anything out of this article becquse like i stated i know mr rivers personally and he is a quiet man that tends to himself and he is a good man-he made a decision that he has to live with for the rest of his life. i have a friend that back in 1992 or 93 her 8 month old daughter drowned in the bathtub when she left the bathroom to get a towel and nothing happened to her. but because this man assumed that it was just a bump on the head and continued on then he is bad?? yes he is wrong for doing drugs and he probably wanted help-he probably had no insurance and believe me u barely can get any type of assistance with in patitent treatment with no insurance, for christ sakes i cant even go to the dentist because i cant afford it so i couldnt imagine going to seek heroin help. i just know he was a good father, brother, uncle, son, and friend and i hope justice is served FAIRLY not based on a bunch of people pointing at him for being an addict.

I never said he was trash, i know all about addiction read my previous posts, your absolutely right blackirish addiction is a choice, AT FIRST then it is a disease, I am not saying that he is trash, I am saying he is a trash as a parent, thats it!!

evansvillehousewife, I regretfully have to say that I agree with you 100% (dont get used to it lol), this man did not take his job as a parent to heart, as parent when your child gets hurt you assess the situation, that means if if you child is UNRESPONSIVE you take him to the emergency room, not go to beloit and get your fix for the day, that is how it is, he should be charged with homicide, that is it!!!

Prinny, there WAS a CPS case on this child. there was significant evidence, found in an adjuticatory hearing, to REMOVE this child as a very young infant (if not at birth) and place him in a foster home.
I wonder if this guy had random UA's on him as a return condition, and if so, how up the caseworker was on this.
I also find the "bathtub accident" theory suspect. I hope they get some forensic engineers to investigate the autopsy report, the bathtub and the stories to prove the truth of the origin on the injury. My theory is this guy threw the baby against a wall or beat him and is more likely guilty of homicide.
It's cases like this that make me think CPS should not exist. I think POLICE should PROSECUTE child abuse instead of CPS "providing services" If the abuse/neglect is proven, foster the child, no questions asked.
Police and the DA don't prosecute child abuse anymore- even sexual abuse- because they figure "it's CPS territory."
As far as mr River "suffering"through the loss of his child- HARDEEHARHAR. Animals like this HAVE no paternal instincts. The loss of his son will make him suffer as much as the loss of a pair of socks.

Sorry, I don't pity anyone who is an addict. You make your legs move, you walk (or drive) to get the drugs. Addiction can be cured, it's mind over matter. Just like smoking.
Sure, you can bash me and say that 'oh, crack is different, heroin is different'. I don't believe it. I have run into several addicts and the help is available...they'd rather get high. I don't feel sorry for them. Only for their victims.

prinny i agree with you that, someone should have offered this man help for his addiction, but he has to want to help himself first, he needs to acknowlegde his addiction before he can begin the battle, you are absolutely right, in saying that addiction is a disease, but under no circumstances is it an excuse, my brother is a recovering crack addict, recovering means every day of his life he is battling with his demons he is not the model civilian but he has working on his addiction everyday of his life and will be for the rest of his life!! , I have gone through N.A meetings with him that is what family does, that is friends do, anybody on here saying that this man's addiction in no way caused his son's death is completely blind, this mans addiction had everything to do with this child's death, I do not judge him as a person for his addiction, I am judging him as a parent, my daughter fell of our couch in her play room last year and hit her head on the cement floor, she had an instant goose egg, I as a mother took her to the emergency room because with a any head injury they need to be seen, there can be bleeds, concussions etc...the fact is he made the choice as a PARENT to neglect his son's needs and put his own first, that makes him a poor excuse for a parent!!!

Mymaro, I guess I think more of our judicial and criminal justice system than just opting to "lock the scum and trash up, and throw away the key" which as I have read through many of your postings, is your take on pretty much every story on this site. If we locked up every person you referred to as scum or trash, or just every person in THIS newspaper that you refer as such, our jails and/or prisons would be so full, we'd run out of room for them all. Yes I feel that criminals need to be held accountable for their actions, and I was in no way minimizing the poor care this man was giving his deserving child, and I agree with how you say that drug addicition is a disease not an excuse, and I'm asking, if it seems that many people knew that he had this disease, why did nobody step in, especially the child welfare department that helped with the foster placement, to ensure that the child was being cared for by a well-qualified adult, with no drug addicitons? Why did nobody offer to help this child, by helping the man, as people I'm sure would have if he had another disease, like as in cancer? Where was the law and people around the situation who are responsible as citizens to report to the law, when this child needed it??

A GOOD FATHER????? I think a good father would think to call 911 before rigamortis set in. He doesn't need anyone on his side unless it's to push him over a cliff. And I'm not judging him for being an addict, I'm judging him for letting his child die.

kellomc, you can't pick and choose what you read out of the article just because you knew the degenerate father. The autopsy results showed a serious brain injury and the child's body would have started to shut down following the injury. The detective also states the injury would've caused loss of consciousness or changes in behavior. I'm not judging Rivers because he's an addict, I'm judging him because he caused an accident that left his little boy dead. Whether or not the child would've lived had he gotten to the hospital doesn't matter because there was no effort made to take him there. This is indefensible. Rivers is a baby-daddy who didn't have enough sense to realize his child was in a life-threatening situation and chose to get heroine instead of take care of his child. Or, maybe he did realize the seriousness of the situation and didn't care.

Im sorry did I mis read the statement that said that he had a severe brain injury? maybe I did, oh no I didnt, the article said the fell and hit his head on the bathtub, what other reason would cause a 14 month old to die of unnatural causes!!!

Why is it that nobody around them happened to think to call CPS(Child Protective Services) to inform them that a 14-month old child's father was addicted to heroin, making the child's welfare in danger? What about the girlfriend? She knew he was addicted to heroin obviously? Why is she not held at all responsible for not demanding this man get help in regards to his addiction, KNOWING that he was caring for a child? Why would the foster care program allow this addict to have UNSUPERVISED custody/visitation with a child without first making sure that he did not have an issue with drugs or alcohol, being that he had a past conviction involving drugs? I think this man was set up to fail as a parent.... His addiction forced him to fail.... He needed treatment. That baby needed his father to get treatment.... What a shame that nobody involved with the situation, was responsible enough to speak up, knowing this man needed help....

i want to comment to everyone on here that is against charles rivers. i knew charles personally, no i am not an addict never have been and never will be. but this man had an addiction that is the worst almost out of every drug YES. but he took his child in when the mother said hey i want to go to treatment take our son and got blood tests and gained custody of his baby and was a good parent. he also has a older child too. there is alot of people everyday that do not just rush there child to the emergency room everyday for a bump to the head, if that was the case noone would ever get to be seen at a hospital becuz it would be filled with kids that have bumps and bruises. the article also doesnt say that it was so severe!!! it just says a bump was found on the babies head. so he is a bad father for that?? no the only reason everyone thinks that he is a bad father is because he is a heroin addict. that is the only reason why. now what if the baby still got seen and still passed away?? would he be a bad father then?? everyone is making him out to be a bad man because of his past drug conviction 10 years ago and because he is a addict. mr rivers is a good man and i hope some of you that read this will understand that and dont judge him for that.

my comment is for nooneisperfectnoone, the fact still remains that he ADMITTED to going down to beloit to buy heroin, he did, nobody else that means he is an ADDICT, anybody that would put there own selfish needs ahead of getting medical attention, is an ADDICT, that is it, as a parent you are responsible for the well being of your child nobody else, this poor child died because his father was selfish, I am not claiming to be perfect, but rest assured that if my 14 month old son hit his head on the corner of a hard bathtub, I would take him to the hospital so a trained medical professionals could examine him, thats who makes the decision on how bad the fall was, obviously it was a hard hit or this precious child would be here with us today, Obviously anybody with a non-objective opinion can see that!!

MOMOF3, the point I was trying to make was that when authorities arrived, the body was stiff. That takes time. Also, the autopsy stated that the child would have either lost consciousness or acted strangely. I really believe the child was dead long before the 911 call, possibly even shortly after the fall. It's a horrible accident that is made even worse by the gutter trash the child had for parents. I know foster care is not always better, but in this case, how could it be worse?

Addict or not, there's no excuse for what happened here. I think everyone should have to be licensed or something before they are allowed to procreate. This is a tragedy for the child as well as the birth mother in rehab. At least she's trying to get help for herself.

No one is perfect,

It's true that anyone could have an accident and maybe leaving a 14 month old unattended while standing on the edge of a bathtub was accidental. But what wasn't accidental was failing to take an unconscious child to the hospital while you and child's mother make a heroin run to Beloit. What makes it even less accidental is the fact that the mother isn't drug addicted.

I don't really care if he is trying to raise a teenager, stood by his brother's death bed or that his previous drug charges are ten years old. I don't even care that I don't know these people. All of that is irrelevant.

What is relevant is what they did when this poor child needed them and that makes them scum.

My heart felt sympathies go out to the foster mother of this little angel. She has to endure this loss of the little one she has cared for and loved for a long time. May you rest in peace in the Lords hands Israel. You are in my prayers loving foster mom.

Yes - we all make mistakes...but when your mistake results in the death of another person, then you are criminally liable for that mistake. These people killed their child - whether out of negligence or with intent- it is still a horrible crime. This is why we have prisons.

Rigor Mortis can actually start setting in as soon as 10 minutes after death, it depends on many factors. So they could have taken this baby many places, they just did not have the brains or the care to notice something was majorily wrong. Ms. Peabody already has another child, should that child go to foster care too? Does foster care automatically mean better care? Not really, it just means the state will pay for other people to care for these children. I would rather spend my tax dollars on educating people how to be responsible parents.

What most of you are missing here is that the baby was dead long before the 911 call. The body was well into the beginning states of rigor mortis when authorities arrived. That starts to happen 8-12 hours after death. They didn't take the baby anywhere with them. Just speculation, but they probably left the poor dead child in the house while they did their drug running and whatnot thinking they were establishing a timeline for an alibi. It's horrible to think about, but it unfortunately happens all too often. Mr. Rivers should be put away for a very long time, and Ms. Peabody should be behind bars when she gives birth to the future abused child, and the child should be fostered. She has no right to be a mother. She gave that right away.

This baby hit his head in the morning, to go all day and not notice something is wrong with your child is very negligent. He needs to get the absolute maximum sentence (and casterated). His girlfriend should take some parenting classes (she's pregnant with his child).
We all do make mistakes- but a person is suppose to learn from them, considering he was in jail for dealing drugs previously, he has obviously not learned.

He will be judged in a court of law! Not related, but you must be a good friend to know so much about him. I am not judging him. I'm entitled to my opinion. Too bad he didn't sit by his son in a hospital while his son was fighting death. Clearly DRUGS were more important. The girlfriend is no better. To stand by and do nothing, and then try and lie to the law about it!!! Shame on them. Yes, he will be judged by God at some point as well. I'm sure his wrath will be justified.

To All
I agree with most of you on here. We all sin. God forgives us. We all make poor choices. We all make mistakes. To no ones perfect, you have a heart of gold! It is sad the passing of a child. I pray for the families of the little child and wish this be a wake up call to the mother to be. As for Charles he will have the pain of knowing he caused his sons death. God will help him deal with the pain. I wish we had free clinics in town to help prevent any future loses of children.
God Bless

FIRST OFF I AM NOT A DRUG USER NOR DO I ABUSE MY CHILDREN. I HAVE NO CRIMINAL RECORD. I WORK FULL TIME, GO TO SCHOOL PART TIME AND SPEND A-LOT OF TIME WITH MY FAMILY! I PAY TAXES, I OWN MY OWN HOME AND I AM VERY INVOLVED IN MY COMMUNITY. I AM NOT RELATED TO RIVERS AND I THINK IT IS SAD THAT PEOPLE JUDGE OTHERS THE WAY YOU PEOPLE DO! ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE US.....

"Father" seems to be to good for this man,"sperm donor" would be more appropriate. These people involved in this poor child's death should be surgically sterilized,along with other people neglect their children.

Oh please no one is perfect. And NO, not everyone has addictions, you are clearly as ignorant as these stupid people who let their own child die while they bought and did drugs. They will have to face the music now. It is too bad that scumbags are allowed to have so many children. Clearly that they can't take care of. Then they expect the taxpayers to pay for their irresponsibility. It is truely DISCUSTING! Grow up already and use some birth control!

friend of no one is perfect, as much as everyone sits here and says how bad this guy is, we must look at one thing here. EVERYBODYS story is wrote in stone and no one can interfer with that. it is very sad how the baby had to be laid to rest but befor we judge lets hear the whole story and see in the end what the whole story is. rip and prayers for both families

It is a very sad story! A father trying to care for a teenage daughter. A father who stuck by his brother at the UW hospital while he fought death! A father who had an addiction and no one to help him! Anyone can have an accident! We all have addictions! It could be drugs, alcohol, cigarette's, food, sex but we all are addicted to something! For you people to sit back and judge someone you do not know is wrong! As for his past drug charges that was almost 10 years ago. There is a large difference between selling drugs and having an addiction!

called by God? puh-leeze... this kind of religious drivel makes me ill. This little boy was neglected to death by selfish ignorant parents. I wonder where the grandparents are? Why was this "father" allowed to have his child unsupervised? This is a failure of the child welfare system also.

We will miss your smiling face everyday. You brightened my life more then I can say.
Rest in peace little one.

"Little Angels"

When God calls little children
to dwell with him above,
We mortals sometimes question
the wisdom of His Love.
For no heartache compares with the
death of one small child.
Who does so much to make our
world seem wonderful and mild.

Perhaps God tires of
calling the aged to his fold.
So He picks a rosebud before it can grow.
God knows how much we need them.
And so He takes but a few,
to make the land of
Heaven more beautiful to view.

Believing this is so difficult
still somehow we must try.
The saddest word mankind knows
will always be "GoodBye".
So when a little child departs
we who are left behind, must
realize God Loves Children,
Angels are hard to find.

Author Unknown

Most people don't realize what a precious gift they have been given when a child is born to them. This poor little one was at the mercy of these idiot parents/caregivers. I wish this community could have helped him but the parents have all the rights.

I actually saw April on Saturday in Woodmans. She was talking up her wonderful boyfriend "who takes care of her". She is also pregnant with his child. I just can't believe this. I hope the authorities take away her child and the one on the way. Sick, sad, and horrible. Rest In Peace Israel.

This poor child never had a chance to have good life with degenerate parents. Why is it that so many good people who want kids have such trouble getting pregnant, but the gutter swill of our society can get pregnant without a second (or even first) thought? I guess nobody ever said life was fair.

You need to have a license to have a dog, drive a car, but any low life can have a kid.

A mother in drug rehab, a convicted felon and heroin addicted father, a girlfriend that would rather go to Wal-Mart than take him to a hospital.

What chance did this poor child have?

This just makes me sick, why in the world was he even out of prison, you know in other countries they get life sentences for drugs and even put to death, this country needs to get stiffer drug laws. I say Life in Prison for drugs users and dealers.

Heroin run? Doesn't that figure. Scum like that need to get a life. Poor 14 month old never had a chance in the presence of a drug attict. Lock em up and throw away the key.