AP IMPACT: Abused kids die as authorities fail to protect

BUTTE, Montana (AP) - An Associated Press investigation has found that at least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span while in plain view of child protection officials.

The children lost their lives even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of protective services.

The AP canvassed the 50 states, District of Columbia and the military.

The true number of such fatalities where a prior open case existed is undoubtedly higher than the 786.

Seven states reported 230 open-case maltreatment deaths that AP did not include. Those states failed to make a distinction between case files opened only due to the incident that ultimately led to a child's death and case files that already existed at the time the child was fatally injured.