Families: Dangerous Steps

Was Cinderella right? A new book says stepparents abuse children at a frightening rate

--Aug. 30: A five-year-old Santa Ana, Calif., girl is found unconscious with bruises on her body. After she dies, her 28-year-old stepfather is charged with child abuse resulting in death.

--Oct. 2: A 35-year-old man in Dayton is arrested for beating his stepson with a hammer, causing multiple skull fractures and a broken leg.

--Oct. 13: A 26-year-old man in Chicago is charged with beating his three-year-old stepson to death. The medical examiner's report details severe injury and abuse occurring over a period of time.

Tragic stories like these fill the nation's newspapers. But do they have any relevance to stepfamilies...

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