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Daniel Hayden Smith

Daniel Hayden Smith (13 May 1989- 24 March 2015) was an American man who is often used as example of the negative effects associated with an abusive childhood. Daniel's often poor life decisions stem from when he was abused as a child and the long lasting trauma of those years. His downward spiral led him through homelessness, divorce, jail time and eventual suicide.

Daniel's life is often used to support the idea that the best form of child abuse prevention is to stop the abuse before it happens by targeting parents. Research has been done that supports the fact that a negative upbringing has long lasting affects on both physical and mental heath as well as identity. Daniel's death brought heightened awareness to child abuse and led to an era of increased support for nonprofit organizations against child abuse.

Life

Early Life

Daniel Smith was born on 13 May 1989 in Saint Louis, Missouri to Lorna Rodgers, a journalist, and John Smith, a mechanic. After his birth, his mother and father divorced, and his father maintained custody. His father was an alcoholic and would often come home drunk and beat his son. Daniel was never close to his father and grew up bearing his fathers punishment in hopes that it would someday appease his father. Therapist Valerie Kuykendall-Rodgers explains that children growing up in an abusive environment don’t always want to leave their parents and often “the person [Child] seeks to please the adult and gain affection, attention, nurturing, love, trust, etc.” Children in these abusive families still have the desire for love and care despite the fact that they are abused and may see the abuse as a way to please the parents and gain favor in their parent’s eyes. 

Young Daniel

Daniel spent what time he could away from home and often studied at the library and gained an passion for literature. During this time Daniel developed an inferiority complex that lasted throughout his life and had long lasting effects on his education and social life. This development was studied in a case by Dr. Mackowicz that states, “When children hear negative opinions on themselves from their closest relatives, especially in the early childhood, they think of themselves in a negative way and develop low self-esteem”. Untreated depression is very dangerous because it can lead to even more problems such as substance abuse, self-harm, and even suicide.

Whitfield School Seal

Education and Home Life

Daniel Smith studied at Whitfield High School and participated in the school's drama club as well as the debate team. In his early years of high school Smith was a star student who was well respected by his peers and was consistently ranked as the top of his class. He was lauded for his performance of Romeo in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

At home his father stopped physically abusing Daniel but maintained a constant stream of verbal abuse that only served to degrade Daniel's mental fortitude. While on the exterior Daniel was very positive and outgoing, on the inside he developed low self esteem, anger issues, and began to use drugs including marijuana and opiates. Dr. Emma A. Bӓck writes about this phenomenon stating that “a parenting style associated with high levels of behavioral control is related to children’s’ internalized distress.” While Daniel maintained his good grades and excellent acting ability, he suffered socially. Daniel became reclusive and would rarely attend social gatherings, preferring to stay locked in his room.

During Daniel's senior year of high school his drug use reached an all time high.This use of substances caused him to lose a scholarship to Yale University after a school wide drug bust uncovered his stash of painkillers. He was sent to drug abuse rehabilitation. According to statistics taken by the Ark of Hope for Children Organization, untreated people who have experienced child abuse are thirty percent more likely to commit a violent crime, and more than sixty five percent of people in treatment for drug abuse were mistreated as a child. This could explain why Daniel was expressing these negative traits while still in high school.

Career and Marriage

After being expelled from high school, Daniel fell into a deep depression. He applied for multiple jobs but no business would accept him due to his drug related past. This depression led to a relapse into drug use as well as rapid weight gain. Dr. Kouvonen explains this weight gain in her research where she states that, “Childhood adversities related to close relationships, such as physical abuse, verbal abuse, humiliation, neglect, strict upbringing, physical punishment, conflict, or tension, have been associated with an increased risk of obesity in adulthood” .

Daniel became homeless and lived for 3 years out on the streets of Saint Louis. Daniel spent his days wandering the streets begging for money.

Eventually Daniel managed to get his act together and began to work at the local Mc Donald's. While working he fell in love with Brooke White who was his manager at the time. After dating for 6 months they were married on July 7th 2010. Their child Charlie Smith was born on May 13th 2011. During this time it was reported that Daniel expressed a lot of anger issues and often lashed out at his wife and child. This behavior was initially viewed as a side affect of withdrawals from Daniel's previous drug use or possibly a result of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However these theories were later dismissed. Experts explain Daniel's behavior by referencing a study done by Dr. Kemme on the “Experience of Parental Corporeal Punishment in Childhood and Adolescence and its Effects on Punitiveness.” In the study Dr. Kemme states that, “No victims are more punitive than people who were either mildly or severely punished in their childhood and youth.” Daniel's violent tendencies led to a divorce with his wife.

Police Badge

Trouble With the Law

After Daniel's wife left him, he lost custody of his son and house. Daniel also fell back into his old ways of drug abuse. He became homeless again and was eventually arrested and charged for public indecency and loitering. During his stay in jail he attempted to call his ex-wife who had already issued a restraining order. When he received no answer he attacked nearby prison Officer Shaun Faukes. Eyewitness accounts report that Mr. Smith charged officer Faukes and tried to strangle him with a telephone chord. Despite this, Officer Faukes chose not to press charges.

This blatant aggression towards a public official caused Daniel to spend the rest of his time in jail alone in solitary confinement. This time in isolation only served to worsen his mental state. Later analysis of prison camera footage show that Daniel began to show signs of bipolar disorder. He was released from prison on February 1st 2015.

Death

Daniel Smith died of a drug overdose on the outskirts of Saint Louis on March 24th 2015. His death was declared a suicide. Investigators believe the overdose was premeditated and that his suicidal tendencies and violent actions were a result of his negative upbringing.

He was survived by his son Charlie Smith.

Legacy

Rise to Fame

After his passing, Daniel Smith's life story was published in news across the country and used as a tool to help inform and raise awareness about harm that comes from experiencing a negative upbringing. Fundraisers to raise money for charitable organizations against child abuse sprouted up all over the United States. Awareness and abuse prevention increased dramatically as a result of Daniel's publicity. Daniel Smith's life is used as perfect example of why preventing child abuse from happening in the first place is critical in order to stop child abuse altogether.

Benefits for Society

Each year money must be spent on psychologists, counselors, physical trainers, and therapists in order to help people who grew up in an abusive household. According to Health Care Recruiters International, “The United States spends an estimated $201 billion on mental disorders like anxiety and depression, making it the most costly medical condition in the country… heart conditions were the second most expensive condition, costing around $147 billion a year.” Both of these conditions are possible results of a negative upbringing. Stopping negative upbringings from occurring could allow this money to be used in a positive way in other parts of our country’s government such as education or research.

Child Abuse Awareness

Organizations, such as the Child Abuse Prevention Association and the National Children's Alliance, try to raise awareness about this problem by providing counseling, supporting families, and by educating the population about abuse. These organizations go into cities across the nation and reach out to poverty stricken areas, as well as schools in order to spread awareness. Additionally, these organizations work throughout the United States to prevent and stop ongoing instances of child abuse and neglect.

Declining Rates of Child Abuse

Fortunately, child abuse rates have been slowly declining since 1990. In a study done by Dr. Angelo P. Giardino, data was analyzed over the past two decades and shows that, “cases of sexual abuse have declined by 64%, physical abuse has declined by 55% and neglect has declined by 13%”. This trend shows that positive changes are being made in families to stop abuse and neglect. Progress is definitely being made towards stopping child abuse as more and more is being done at home and in the community to help stop abusive behavior.