First Child Abuse Registry in Nation Proposed in Michigan

Three days before her son turns 3, Erica Hammel stood shoulder to shoulder Friday with three Michigan lawmakers as they announced proposed legislation to create a statewide searchable database of those convicted of child abuse, the first such registry of its kind in the nation.

Her son, Wyatt Rewoldt, died nearly two years ago after suffering horrific abuse at the hands of his father’s then girlfriend, Rachel Edwards, who had previously pleaded guilty to third-degree child abuse in 2011 and was found guilty of fourth-degree child abuse in 2013, according to the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

Both prior victims were sons of men Edwards, who is now serving 33 to 10 years in prison after pleading no contest in the case against Wyatt, was dating, and her 2013 conviction occurred just days before Wyatt was shaken so violently that he was blinded for about seven weeks, his speech remains delayed, he wears braces on his legs and has a shunt in his brain. He will undergo another brain surgery on Oct. 27, and eye surgery later this year.

The three-bill package, called Wyatt’s Law, would require people convicted of first-, second- and third-degree child abuse, all felonies, to register as child abusers for a decade. Those convicted of fourth-degree child abuse, a misdemeanor, would register for five years.

Sponsoring the legislation are state Rep. Derek Miller, a former Macomb County assistant prosecutor who once prosecuted Edwards for child abuse before she was accused of assaulting Wyatt; Rep. Sarah Roberts of St. Clair Shores; and Rep. Vanessa Guerra of Saginaw.

The costs to maintain the database would be borne by the abusers themselves, who would have to pay an annual $50 a year. Also, those who don’t register, update their registration information or pay the registration fee would face a four-year felony.

There have been about 1,200 convictions for child abuse in the last three years, Guerra said.

“It’s a vicious cycle that needs to stop,” Hammel said of child abuse, noting that if she had known of Edwards’ prior history, her son might not have been abused.