Va. not informed of child abuse claims

CHESAPEAKE CITY, Va., June 24 (UPI) -- Investigators in Virginia say a father charged with killing his 5-year-old daughter had been investigated for child abuse in other states.

In a memo to the Chesapeake City Council, officials said the information was not passed on when Joshua Sawyer moved to Virginia with his daughter and her stepmother, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported. Joshua Sawyer has been charged with second-degree murder and his wife Brandy with first-degree murder.

"There is no system in place to transfer cases from state to state,"

said Betty Wade Coyle, head of Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads. "Even worse, there's no national registry of founded cases. Every

case is kept state by state."

Carly Sawyer died in a hospital this month. Her father and stepmother told police she had thrown her self on the floor after being spanked.

Investigators say the couple had abused Carly for at least three years, including flogging her with a belt and tying her up to keep her from getting into the refrigerator.