Nadine Lockwood

Who was Nadine Lockwood?

Nadine Lockwood was a child from Washington Heights, New York City who was murdered by her mother.

Nadine was systematically starved to death by her mother, Carla Lockwood, who admitted to police that she hated the little girl, and specifically singled her out for abuse. She kept Nadine, whom she referred to as "it", in squalid conditions, locked in a room in a covered crib. When Nadine was found dead, less than a month before her fifth birthday, she weighed only 15 and a half pounds.

Nadine became known in New York-based tabloids such as the New York Daily News and The New York Post due to the circumstances surrounding her death. The press called her "the girl who was never loved" and followed the trials of both of her parents closely. Her story was also publicized because it greatly paralleled that of Elisa Izquierdo, who had been murdered by her mother nine months earlier; both girls had been singled out, among their numerous siblings, for abuse. Later, the case would also be compared to that of Nixzmary Brown, another child that was specifically targeted for abuse by a parent.

As in the Izquierdo case, investigation into Nadine's death revealed that many potential opportunities to intervene had been missed. The family had been known to city agencies since 1989, when neglect proceedings were initiated because one of Carla Lockwood's other children tested positive for cocaine at birth. The matter was dropped when Lockwood entered a drug treatment program. Nadine herself had tested positive for cocaine at birth, but again, a case against Lockwood was dismissed within six months. Neighbors allegedly called the Child Welfare Administration several times in regards to the abuse Nadine suffered at her mother's hands, but little was done to investigate. The mishandling of Nadine's case was one of the factors that prompted a major overhaul of New York City's child protective services and protocols for investigating abuse allegations.