FLINT (WJRT) -
(02/09/12) - Investigators say even more charges could be filed against a Mt. Morris couple.
Daniel Hall and his wife Alisha Hall, who is 7 months pregnant, remain in the Genesee County Jail.
The couple was zeroed in on by police after a tip.
Police say they found hundreds of child porn pictures along with 13 images of Daniel engaging in sex acts with his infant daughter.
While the investigation is moving forward, it is still unclear who the child will live with or how the abuse will effect the rest of her life.
Jonquill Bertschi, the executive director of The Weiss Advocacy Center, has not personally looked over the case involving the abuse of the 6-month-old baby girl, but she has studied research on the effects of abuse on children that young.
Bertschi says children that young develop a fight or flight response to the abuse and since the child can't fight back, it's difficult for their brain to process what is happening to them.
"Your brain does not know what to do, so it actually rewires itself and that has long term effects. It can impact emotional development and psychological development," Bertschi said.
The Weiss Advocacy Center helps children who are abused learn to be kids again.
Their center is filled with bright colors and toys to help children feel safe and loved, two emotions Bertschi says are essential to helping the 6-month-old child who was abused.
"If she is in a loving home and loving place and not shifted around from home to home and not continually abused, I would say she would do really well," Bertschi said.
The Weiss Advocacy Center is sponsoring a speaker series as part of their effort to educate the public about abuse.
It's called "This Is the Brain. This is the Brain After Abuse."
The event is on Feb. 27 at 4:30 p.m.
The center is located on East Street near downtown Flint.
