Candle Vigil PR- flyer-News information
Flyer for Candle Vigil
CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL FOR MEZA CHILDREN
At 7:30 p.m. on September 9th, we are requesting all who would like to participate to attend a candle light vigil in memory of the Meza children. The location will be at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory, 126 Museum Road in Rock Hill . The purpose will be to offer the community comfort and support for the recent murders that occurred on August 8 as well as show the importance we place of never letting children suffer as silent lambs.
The program will consist of the following;
• The purpose of the Candlelight Vigil.
• Remembering the Meza Family, music comments from friends and family.
• The call to protect children-comments from abuse support organizations and flyer to distribute on child protection.
• Meza Child Memorial Fund-Donation memorial to local community and local child abuse support groups.
• Lighting of candles and moment of silence for all silent lambs.
Whatever faith you may have or whatever belief system you may subscribe to we all should have one belief in common, that is, children should never be silenced by any authority if they are abused.
All are invited to attend, candles will be provided on site. There will also be a press conference at the Rock Hill City Hall Plaza Area, at 10:30 a.m. September 8th, the public is invited to attend.
Press Release for Candle Vigil
Candlelight Vigil for Jehovah's Witness Child Murder Victims
Meza Children Memorial Fund to Give Back to Local Community
WHAT:At a news conference, it will be announced the plans for a candlelight vigil to remember the recent murders of the Meza children. National support groups for child rape victims along with advocates from across the U. S. will speak about the importance of protecting children. Silentlambs will ask the local community to attend a candle light vigil at 7:30 pm on September 9 th in remembrance.
WHEN: Wednesday, September 1, Press conference-11:30 a.m.
WHO: Local Jehovah’s Witnesses representing silentlambs a support group for Jehovah’s Witness abuse victims.
WHERE: Rock Hill City Hall Plaza Area
DETAILS: The recent deaths and abuse allegations surrounding the Meza children have been a source of great concern and sorrow in the Rock Hill community. The organization silentlambs a support group for Jehovah’s Witness victims of abuse will be holding a candlelight vigil to encourage the community to find comfort and support. Members of child abuse organizations SNAP (Survivors Network for those abuse by Priests) and Linkup (clergy abuse support group) will attend to offer support and comments about protecting children.
Silentlambs is setting up a Meza Children Memorial fund to make a donation in their memory to the local community and additional proceeds will go to local child abuse support groups.
A flyer will be provided to give the details regarding the vigil as well as time a place. William H. Bowen national director for silentlambs will participate in the vigil. Bowen states, “I am sad to see it this happen yet again, this makes the fifth family that had died under similar circumstances. The public and Jehovah’s Witnesses need to be alerted about the importance of proper child protection.”
Silentlambs- William H. Bowen 270-703-2257
Newspaper article 9/1/04 Charlotte Chronicle
Posted on Wed, Sep. 01, 2004
Vigil to call attention to 3 slain children
Jehovah's Witnesses Church says it reported abuse to authorities
DAN HUNTLEY
Staff Writer
ROCK HILL - A national support group for abused children is coming to York County to bring attention to the recent murders of three children, one of whom was raped in the days before her death.
Five members of the Meza family were found dead Aug. 9 after a fire at their house at 1043 Crestview Drive. The father, Denis, had been arrested three weeks before on charges he molested his 14-year-old daughter, Denia. The throats of all three children were slashed. The Mezas were Jehovah's Witnesses.
In court cases, the church has been accused of not taking allegations brought to the church to authorities. However, in the Meza case, a national spokesman for the church said Tuesday that it knew of the molestation and reported it to authorities.
Bill Bowen, director of Silent Lambs, confirmed Tuesday that he and other children's advocates will host a candlelight vigil Sept. 9 at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory at 7:30 p.m. He said his group will discuss ways to prevent child abuse and will also distribute stuffed toy lambs to area Jehovah's Witnesses churches. Silent Lambs has printed information on how to report allegations of sexual abuse.
"A horrible crime took place in Rock Hill; three innocent children were murdered. And one of those children was sexually abused and later raped," said Bowen. "We want to bring attention to this case and the need for sexual abuse allegations to be brought to the authorities quickly so tragedies like this can be avoided in the future."
Bowen is a former elder with the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. He quit the church in 2000 after he says church elders refused to address sex abuse allegations involving a member of the church. He says the member was later arrested but was never convicted.
His allegations about his former church have been chronicled in The New York Times and by "Dateline NBC."
Bowen's Silent Lambs group (www.silentlambs.org) claims that the church "covers up" allegations of sexual abuse and sometimes does not report those allegations to authorities. Bowen said he decided to come to York County after being contacted by local Jehovah's Witnesses who disapproved of how the church treated the Meza family.
The five members of the Meza family all belonged to the Spanish Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses at 1175 Albright Road in Rock Hill. Church officials refused to publicly comment about the family, and another church stepped forward to help raise money to pay for the funeral and transportation expenses for family members from Nicaragua.
On Aug. 9, the Mezas' three children -- Jayro, 5; Denise, 8; and Denia, 14 -- died before a fire destroyed their home. Officials say one of the parents -- Marbely or Denis Meza -- killed the children. The parents both died of burns and smoke inhalation. York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant said he's awaiting lab results to determine the killer.
Denia, who was raped within five days of her death, and her mother had what could be interpreted as "defensive wounds" on their arms.
Denis Meza was arrested July 16 on charges of sexually abusing his daughter and was ordered to have no contact with her after he moved out of the home in May. He died a week before he was to go to court.
J.R. Brown of the Jehovah's Witnesses denied that his church "protects" members from allegations of sexual abuse.
"Our policy is to obey the law and in this instance, the allegations for the sexual abuse came to us in the form of a confession," Brown said from their New York offices on Tuesday. "And we took these allegations to the authorities. And we have documents to prove it."
DSS officials say the allegations of abuse were reported to them May 3 but will not say who reported it. Brown would not say at what point prior to May 3 the church had knowledge of the allegations.
Brown says the Rock Hill church did not participate at the Meza family funeral because surviving family members did not request their help. He said the Mezas' church did hold a memorial service the day after the funeral.
A press conference will be held today at 11:30 a.m. at the Rock Hill City Hall Plaza area to announce the details of the candlelight vigil for the Meza children.
Silent Lambs is also establishing a Meza Children's Memorial fund to make a donation in their memory; additional proceeds will go to local child abuse support groups.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2004 Charlotte Observer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.charlotte.com
Television WCNC News 6 9/1/04
Candlelight vigil planned to honor children killed in house fire
01:52 PM EDT on Wednesday, September 1, 2004
By TIM KNOL / 6NEWS
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- A candlelight vigil next week will honor three York County children who were killed in a house fire last month.
The vigil will be held at the National Guard Armory Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
The bodies of Jayro, Denise and Denia Meza were found in their burned out home along with the bodies of their parents in August. The kids throats had been slashed.
Just weeks before their deaths, the children's father, Jose Denis Meza, was charged with sexually abusing 14-year old Denia. The coroner also found Denia had been raped within five days of her death.
The family was a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. A group called Silentlambs, which supports victims of abuse who were Jehovah's Witnesses, has set up a fund in the children's names to support local child abuse groups.
Silentlambs has also asked churches to participate in child abuse watch. The group said they would like to change the law so that church leaders must report abuse.
Newspaper article 9/2/04 Herald
Abuse awareness group plans vigil for Meza children
By Jason Foster The Herald
(Published September 2‚ 2004)
A group devoted to protecting abused children will spread its message in Rock Hill next week, one month to the day after three Hispanic children were killed in their home, presumably by one of their parents.
Silentlambs, a national support group for Jehovah's Witnesses who are victims of abuse, will hold a candlelight vigil Sept. 9 at the National Guard Armory on Museum Road .
The group wants to bring more attention to the deaths of Jayro, Denise and Denia Meza, who were found dead with their throats cut after a fire destroyed their Crestview Drive home Aug. 9. Authorities say the crime was carried out by one of the parents, Joe "Denis" and Marbely Meza, who also died in the blaze. All belonged to a local Jehovah's Witness church.
Authorities also say Denia was sexually abused within five days of her death. Her father had been arrested a few weeks before on charges he molested her.
"The recent deaths and abuse allegations surrounding the Meza children have been a source of great concern and sorrow in the Rock Hill community," said Faith Lingerfeldt of York, a local Silentlambs representative.
Lingerfeldt said she and other members of Silentlambs believe instances of abuse among Jehovah's Witnesses often go unreported because church leaders don't want the faith to get a bad reputation.
"A lot of times, they keep it between themselves," said Lingerfeldt, 35, a lifelong Jehovah's Witness. "It's just kept quiet."
The deaths of the Meza children were just the latest example of similar crimes involving Jehovah's Witnesses, Silentlambs officials say.
"This makes the fifth family that had died under similar circumstances," William Bowen, Silentlambs' national director, said in a statement. "The public and Jehovah's Witnesses need to be alerted about the importance of proper child protection."
Bowen's statement did not give examples of other similar deaths. However, his group's Web site, www.silentlambs.org, lists the Meza deaths along with what it says were similar crimes involving Jehovah's Witnesses in Atlanta , Oregon and Canada , among others.
Bowen's stance on the Jehovah's Witness church also is detailed on the site, and his allegations about the church have been documented in The New York Times and on CNN, NBC and other media outlets. Bowen, a Jehovah's Witness for more than 40 years, writes on the Web site that he resigned as an elder in the church "in protest of a policy that hides child molesters from everyone."
But church leaders adamantly refute his claims.
"We're still very much grieving the loss of those kids down there," said J.R. Brown, a spokesman at the church's Brooklyn , N.Y. , public information office. "We have no policy that instructs our elders or congregants that cases of child sexual abuse are not to be reported. Our policy states just the opposite."
If a member of the congregation suspects abuse, they are to report to a church elder, Brown said. The elders then consult with church attorneys about whether a particular state requires the allegations be reported to authorities.
In the Meza case, Brown said church leaders were made aware of the abuse allegations and reported it to authorities, per state law. He declined to say how the church learned of the alleged abuse. The Department of Social Services was told of the allegations in May, but officials have declined to say who made them aware. In general, Brown said, abuse complaints can come from a member of the congregation, a family member or through a confession.
"We can assure you or others that our policy was followed," Brown said. "Child abuse is a crime, so that should be reported to authorities."
Silentlambs plans to set up a Meza Children Memorial fund for the community to make donations in their memory. The group will be joined at next week's vigil by two other victims advocate groups, SNAP --
Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests -- and Linkup, a clergy abuse support group.
"The No. 1 ally for sexual abuse is secrecy," said David Fortwengler of Charlotte, a SNAP representative.
Fortwengler said his group wants to stop abuse by members of any clergy, no matter the denomination. The deaths of the Meza children have helped form bonds among victims' advocates, he said.
"I can only imagine the pain that the Meza family went through," he said. "All of us grieve for a situation like this. The best we can hope for is lessons learned."
Jason Foster • 329-4066
Press release September 8
New Memorial Fund to Be Launched, Honoring Murdered Kids
Will Help Support Local Sex Abuse Victims Groups
WHAT:
At a news conference, plans for a new memorial fund for recently murdered children will be announced. Also, details of an upcoming candlelight vigil will be announced.
The vigil will honor the recently murdered Meza children, whose father was active in the Jehovah's Witnesses.
WHEN:
Wednesday, September 8, 10:30 a.m.
WHO:
Two men from Kentucky and North Carolina who lead support groups for clergy molestation victims, and two South Carolina Jehovah's Witness women who are also leaders in one of the groups.
WHERE:
Rock Hill (SC) City Hall, Plaza Area.
DETAILS:
The recent deaths and abuse allegations surrounding the Meza children have been a source of great concern and sorrow in the Rock Hill community. In response, Silentlambs (a support group for people sexually abused by Jehovah’s Witnesses) , is setting up a memorial fund for donations in memory of the Meza Children. Proceeds will go to local child abuse support groups.
The group will be holding a candlelight vigil to help upset and frightened people to find comfort and support. Members of child abuse organizations SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and Linkup (clergy abuse support group) will attend to offer support and comments about protecting children.
Silentlambs has been part of nineteen documentaries in eight different countries highlighting abuse in the Jehovah’s Witness community. It has been featured on NBC Dateline, CNN, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and in the New York Times.
Silent Lambs is headed by William H, Bowen of Calvert City, KY, a former Jehovah's Witness elder. Also attending will be David Fortwengler of Charlotte , NC , who leads a chapter of SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests).
Contact: Silentlambs- William H. Bowen 270-703-2257
List of JW Family deaths in recent years
Families murdered by Jehovah’s Witness fathers in recent years,
Juri, Lindsey, Kim Kostelniuk-- Canada --Aug 85
Juri, age 11,
Lindsay, age 9
Mother, Kim
Murdered by step father August 28, 1985 in Burnaby , British Columbia , Canada
Matthew , Mychelle, Leigh Ann Barton – GA -- July 99
Mychelle Barton aged 7Matthew Barton aged 12
Mother, Leigh Ann
Murdered by father Mark Barton Atlanta Georgia, July 29, 1999, who is/was a suspect in deaths of his mother and first wife. Barton soon afterwards committed suicide.
Zachery, Sadie Ann, Madison, Mary Jane Longo-- Washington -- Dec 01
4-year old Zachery
3-year old Sadie Ann
2-year old Madison
Mother, Mary Jane
Murdered by father, Christian Longo, between December 15th and 19th, 2001 at The Landing, Oregon .
Clayton, Ethan, Ashley, Alissa, Janet Bryant-- Oregon -- Feb 02
15-year-old Clayton,
12-year-old Ethan,
10-year-old Ashley
9-year-old Alissa.
Mother, Janet
Murdered by father, Robert Bryant, February 3, 2002 in McMinnville Oregon .
Denia, Denise, Jario, Marbely Meza — South Carolina-- Aug 04
14-year-old Denia
8-year-old Denise
5-year-old Jairo
Mother, Marbely
Murdered by father, Denis Meza, August 9, 2004 in Rock Hill , South Carolina .
Script of Candle Vigil Program
Silentlambs Candlelight Vigil
09/09/04
The recent deaths and abuse allegations surrounding the Meza children have been a source of great concern and sorrow in the Rock Hill community. The organization silentlambs a support group for Jehovah’s Witness victims of abuse is holding this candlelight vigil to encourage the community to find comfort and support. Members of child abuse organizations SNAP (Survivors Network for those abuse by Priests) and Children’s Attention Home are here to offer support and comments about protecting children.
We hope this candlelight vigil will be a moment to heal and draw the community together in a positive way to move forward and protect those that are our most valuable resource. We appreciate the hard work and assistance from local residents, SNAP, the National Guard Armory, and donations from local businesses, Signs Now, Cindy’s Florist, Office Depot and local Rental company to help make this event happen. We also want to express special thanks to the Red Cross, Greene Funeral Home and the local Pentecostal Church for helping to pay for the funeral expenses.
We invite Representatives for the local Chapter of SNAP to speak on the importance of protecting children.
We invite the director of Children’s Assistance Home to speak on the same topic.
We are asking that this flyer be distributed by all church leaders in York County and the Charlotte area to help protect our children and also that it be posted on church information boards for future reference.
Our children deserve to never have to face the situation the Meza children were put into. We believe if this information had been provided it could have been a deterrent. As a community it is a matter of working together and taking positive steps in the interests of keeping our children safe.
Silentlambs is setting up a Meza Children Memorial fund to make a donation in their memory. The fund will be set up to disburse on December 9, 2004 . On that day Faith and Cindy will have a press conference at Rock Hill City Hall and present three check. 50% of the fund will go to the eleven year-old surviving daughter of the Meza family, Janet Meza. The other 50% will be presented in tow equal check to the localo chapter of the Red Cross and Children’s Attention Home. You can make your tax deductible donation to “silentlambs-MCMF” (Meza Children’s Memorial Fund). Often when you make a donation you wonder where the money goes, this fund will go one hundred present to help those directly involved. Silentlambs will donate the first one hundred dollars to help get this started and we hope members of the local community will support this as well. We want to put forth an effort to allow this terrible tragedy to result in something positive in the interest of protecting children.
We now want to light the candles and them make a few comments about the Meza Children. we would like to ask anyone that feels comfortable with doing so that knew the Meza Children, to make a few comments. Something you remember, a story that you may recall, or something you might want to share about the Meza Children.
Their ages were Denia-14, Denise-8, and Jario-5. They passed away on August 9 one month ago today. Denia attended Rolinson Middle School , Denise attended Mt, Gallant Elementary School and Jario was still at home. They attended church at the Rock Hill Spanish Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were originally from Nicaragua , they lived in this country for about ten years. There is a surviving daughter Janet, that lives in Nicaragua at present. If anyone would like to add to this you are welcome to come up and say a few words.
We thank you for your thoughts and comments and now we would like to have one minute of silence for victims of abuse.
We encourage you to get to know the person next to you and pick up some flyers to distribute or maybe just appreciate sharing this moment with one another.
This now concludes our program, you are welcome to stay and listen to music.
Press Coverage of Vigil
Angie Zeledon, 5, cousin to the Meza children, holds a candle during a vigil in memory of the the Meza family at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory on Thursday. Members of a Jehovah's Witness group used the vigil to protest sexual abuse. Below left, the Meza children -- Denia, Denise and Jairo -- are pictured in a memorial poster on display at the vigil.
Silent vigil for victims of 'senseless' actDozens gather with candles, prayers for Meza children killed before house fire
By Matt Garfield The Herald
(Published September 10‚ 2004)
With heads bowed and candles lit, they stood in a grassy field to remember three children killed one month ago -- and to rally against the abuse that preceded the children's deaths.
About 30 people gathered Thursday night on the front lawn of the Rock Hill National Guard Armory in a vigil sponsored by Silentlambs, a support group for Jehovah's Witnesses who are victims of abuse.
They came to honor the Meza children -- Jayro, 5, Denise, 8, and Denia, 14 -- who were found dead with their throats cut after a fire destroyed their Crestview Drive home Aug. 9.
Police say the crime was carried out by one of the parents, Jose "Denis" and Marbely Meza, who also died in the blaze. All belonged to a local Jehovah's Witness congregation.
Authorities say Denia Meza was sexually abused within five days of her death. Her father had been arrested a few weeks before on charges he molested her.
"We can't change what happened, but, hopefully, people will do a better job of listening to children," said Libby Sweatt-Lambert, executive director of the Children's Attention Home. "This was senseless."
Bill Bowen, director of Silentlambs, led the group in a moment of silence and invited donations to a scholarship fund to benefit Janet, the 11-year-old daughter of Marbely Meza who lives in Nicaragua , as well as other local aid agencies.
"We're holding this vigil to find some kind of meaning in why this happened," Bowen told the audience. "These were three little lives that were taken needlessly."
Relatives of the Meza family stood off to one side, clutching candles as their young children wandered nearby.
Matt Garfield • 329-4063
Posted on Fri, Sep. 10, 2004
VIGIL
Candlelight ceremony held in honor of slain children
Father admitted sexual abuse, church spokesman says
ROCK HILL - A national support group for sexually abused children held a candlelight vigil Thursday tonight to honor three killed children from York County .
The service was sponsored by Silent Lambs, a support group for abused children in "religious institutional settings."
The Meza family were members of a Rock Hill Jehovah's Witnesses church. The children -- Jayro, 5; Denise, 8; and Denia, 14 - died Aug. 9 before a fire engulfed their home. Authorities say they were slain by one of their parents -- Marbely or Jose Denis Meza -- who died in the fire. The case is still under investigation.
Jose Denis Meza had been arrested three weeks before on charges he molested Denia. Officials say she was also raped within five days of her death.
A national spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses church said Jose Denis Meza "confessed" to church officials about sexually abusing his daughter, but he stressed that church officials turned that information over to York County authorities.
Bill Bowen, director of Silent Lambs and a former Jehovah's Witnesses elder from Calvert City, Ky., announced Wednesday in Rock Hill the establishment of the Meza Children Memorial Fund.
Half of the money raised will go to a surviving Meza sibling in Nicaragua .
The other half will go to local charities and to help cover the family's funeral costs.
The vigil was held at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory.
Also Thursday, the group delivered stuffed toy lambs to three local congregations of the Jehovah's Witnesses church, including information for church members on how to report sexual abuse to local authorities.
Kentucky Lake Times
Jehovah's witness charged with molestation and murder of own children
A national support group for abused children is coming to York County to bring attention to the recent murders of three children, one of whom was raped in the days before her death.
Five members of the Meza family were found dead Aug. 9 after a fire at their house. The father, Denis, had been arrested three weeks before on charges he molested his 14-year-old daughter, Denia. The throats of all three children were slashed. The Mezas were Jehovah's Witnesses.
In court cases, the church has been accused of not taking allegations brought to the church to authorities. However, in the Meza case, a national spokesman for the church said Tuesday that it knew of the molestation and reported it to authorities.
Bill Bowen, director of Silent Lambs, confirmed Tuesday that he and other children's advocates will host a candlelight vigil Sept. 9 at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory at 7:30 p.m. He said his group will discuss ways to prevent child abuse and will also distribute stuffed toy lambs to area Jehovah's Witnesses churches. Silent Lambs has printed information on how to report allegations of sexual abuse.
"A horrible crime took place in Rock Hill ; three innocent children were murdered. And one of those children was sexually abused and later raped," said Bowen. "We want to bring attention to this case and the need for sexual abuse allegations to be brought to the authorities quickly so tragedies like this can be avoided in the future."
Bowen is a former elder with the Jehovah's Witnesses Church . He quit the church in 2000 after he says church elders refused to address sex abuse allegations involving a member of the church. He says the member was later arrested but was never convicted.
His allegations about his former church have been chronicled in The New York Times and by "Dateline NBC."
Bowen's Silent Lambs group ( www.silentlambs.org ) reveals that the church "covers up" allegations of sexual abuse and sometimes does not report those allegations to authorities. Bowen said he decided to come to York County after being contacted by local Jehovah's Witnesses who disapproved of how the cult treated the Meza family.
The five members of the Meza family all belonged to a Spanish Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses in their town. Church officials refused to publicly comment about the family, and another church stepped forward to help raise money to pay for the funeral and transportation expenses for family members from Nicaragua .
On Aug. 9, the Mezas' three children -- Jayro, 5; Denise, 8; and Denia, 14 -- died before a fire destroyed their home. Officials say one of the parents -- Marbely or Denis Meza -- killed the children. The parents both died of burns and smoke inhalation. York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant said he's awaiting lab results to determine the killer.
Denia, who was raped within five days of her death, and her mother had what could be interpreted as "defensive wounds" on their arms.
Denis Meza was arrested July 16 on charges of sexually abusing his very own daughter and was ordered to have no contact with her after he moved out of the home in May. He died a week before he was to go to court.
J.R. Brown of the Jehovah's Witnesses denied that his church "protects" members from allegations of sexual abuse.
DSS officials say the allegations of abuse were reported to them May 3 but will not say who reported it. Brown would not say at what point prior to May 3 the church had knowledge of the allegations.
A press conference will be held today at 11:30 a.m. at the Rock Hill City Hall Plaza area to announce the details of the candlelight vigil for the Meza children.
Silent Lambs is also establishing a Meza Children's Memorial fund to make a donation in their memory; additional proceeds will go to local child abuse support groups.
Want to Know More?
--Story submitted by Jerald Higgins, Nashville, TN.
Abuse awareness group plans vigil for Meza children
By Jason Foster The Herald
(Published September 2‚ 2004)
A group devoted to protecting abused children will spread its message in Rock Hill next week, one month to the day after three Hispanic children were killed in their home, presumably by one of their parents.
Silentlambs, a national support group for Jehovah's Witnesses who are victims of abuse, will hold a candlelight vigil Sept. 9 at the National Guard Armory on Museum Road .
The group wants to bring more attention to the deaths of Jayro, Denise and Denia Meza, who were found dead with their throats cut after a fire destroyed their Crestview Drive home Aug. 9. Authorities say the crime was carried out by one of the parents, Joe "Denis" and Marbely Meza, who also died in the blaze. All belonged to a local Jehovah's Witness church.
Authorities also say Denia was sexually abused within five days of her death. Her father had been arrested a few weeks before on charges he molested her.
"The recent deaths and abuse allegations surrounding the Meza children have been a source of great concern and sorrow in the Rock Hill community," said Faith Lingerfeldt of York, a local Silentlambs representative.
Lingerfeldt said she and other members of Silentlambs believe instances of abuse among Jehovah's Witnesses often go unreported because church leaders don't want the faith to get a bad reputation.
"A lot of times, they keep it between themselves," said Lingerfeldt, 35, a lifelong Jehovah's Witness. "It's just kept quiet."
The deaths of the Meza children were just the latest example of similar crimes involving Jehovah's Witnesses, Silentlambs officials say.
"This makes the fifth family that had died under similar circumstances," William Bowen, Silentlambs' national director, said in a statement. "The public and Jehovah's Witnesses need to be alerted about the importance of proper child protection."
Bowen's statement did not give examples of other similar deaths. However, his group's Web site, www.silentlambs.org, lists the Meza deaths along with what it says were similar crimes involving Jehovah's Witnesses in Atlanta , Oregon and Canada , among others.
Bowen's stance on the Jehovah's Witness church also is detailed on the site, and his allegations about the church have been documented in The New York Times and on CNN, NBC and other media outlets. Bowen, a Jehovah's Witness for more than 40 years, writes on the Web site that he resigned as an elder in the church "in protest of a policy that hides child molesters from everyone."
But church leaders adamantly refute his claims.
"We're still very much grieving the loss of those kids down there," said J.R. Brown, a spokesman at the church's Brooklyn , N.Y. , public information office. "We have no policy that instructs our elders or congregants that cases of child sexual abuse are not to be reported. Our policy states just the opposite."
If a member of the congregation suspects abuse, they are to report to a church elder, Brown said. The elders then consult with church attorneys about whether a particular state requires the allegations be reported to authorities.
In the Meza case, Brown said church leaders were made aware of the abuse allegations and reported it to authorities, per state law. He declined to say how the church learned of the alleged abuse. The Department of Social Services was told of the allegations in May, but officials have declined to say who made them aware. In general, Brown said, abuse complaints can come from a member of the congregation, a family member or through a confession.
"We can assure you or others that our policy was followed," Brown said. "Child abuse is a crime, so that should be reported to authorities."
Silentlambs plans to set up a Meza Children Memorial fund for the community to make donations in their memory. The group will be joined at next week's vigil by two other victims advocate groups, SNAP -- Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests -- and Linkup, a clergy abuse support group.
"The No. 1 ally for sexual abuse is secrecy," said David Fortwengler of Charlotte, a SNAP representative.
Fortwengler said his group wants to stop abuse by members of any clergy, no matter the denomination. The deaths of the Meza children have helped form bonds among victims' advocates, he said.
"I can only imagine the pain that the Meza family went through," he said. "All of us grieve for a situation like this. The best we can hope for is lessons learned."
Jason Foster • 329-4066