Soap Opera Makes the Biggest Screw Up -- Ever

The following story is one of the worst mistakes ever made in television history -- involving stupidity, a major soap opera, and a 6-year-old boy who was kidnapped, raped and murdered back in 2007.

It's all over a photo that was used in a recent episode of the SOAPnet show "General Hospital: Night Shift" -- Billy Dee Williams' character received a letter and a picture from the son he abandoned. But the photo wasn't of another actor -- it was Christopher Barrios, the victim of that horrible tragedy we mentioned earlier in this post.

Members of Christopher's fam -- who never authorized the use of a photo -- were furious and told News4Jax.com they had no idea how the pic got on the show. The people at SOAPnet and their parent network ABC were just as stumped.

The network did, however, issue a statement apologizing and vowed to run a series of public service announcements in Christopher's honor to raise awareness of missing and exploited children -- thus putting an end to the most dramatic event in soap opera history.

Tags: abc, billy dee williams, BillyDeeWilliams, soap net, soap opera, SoapNet, SoapOpera

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(Page 2 of 3) Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 |

16. Three people were arrested in connection to the crime and another was arrested for tampering with evidence and failing to report a crime. The sex offender couldn't be 1,000 feet from a school or park, but thanks to a judge, we was allowed to live near the bus stop where the boy was abducted from.

Posted at 1:56PM on Oct 30th 2008 by ugh

17. Wow, I just read up on the sick people who did this to this lovely child, angel of god now. they all deserve what happened to one inmate (google "katies revenge") and I think this should be a law in every state that every child molester, predator should have this branded on there foreheads. how do we go about making this law, for those who can't google well this man abducted, raped and murder this young girl, Katie. he was caught and sentence time, just so happens they locked this animal up where one of Katie's cousin was incarcerated at and Katie got her revenge. The cousin tattoo'd "KATIE'S REVENGE" on his forehead. TMZ PLEASE POST THIS FOR ALL TO SEE, I SWEAR IT SHOULD BE A LAW FOR THESE LOSERS WHO WANT TO HURT OUR CHILDREN.
as for the mix up at least they owned up to there mistake and are making good on it.

Posted at 2:05PM on Oct 30th 2008 by appauled

18. I just read what happened to this little boy...........so so sad

Posted at 2:24PM on Oct 30th 2008 by erica

19. It's pathetic how networks need to use photos without consent.
Here's a funny twist. I watch General Hospital. Years ago, Sonny was in jail for something and they showed a shot of him in a jail cell. On the wall, was a picture that appeared on the cover of the New York Post, that was printed in Aug. 1994, on the day before the baseball strike. It was my then fiance/now husband & his friend at the Yankee game. Nobody ever contacted my husband & his friend and this picture has appeared in lots of newspapers, magazines & encyclopedias. Now, with the endless supply of images on the internet, no picture is sacred. It's got to be tough seeing a picture of a murdered family member in a goddamned soap opera.

Posted at 2:26PM on Oct 30th 2008 by FlamingoNut

20. this story absolutely sickened me

Posted at 2:42PM on Oct 30th 2008 by VioletteUK

21. Oh Gawd, I remember that horrific murder...The 3 or 4 people that
"allegedly" did it look like a family from 'The Hills have
Eyes'..Have they been tortured to death in prison yet??? :)))))))

Posted at 2:58PM on Oct 30th 2008 by Midge

22. uhhh, don't they have a research department? what the f**k!?! someone's about to be in the unemployment line. I can't even begin to imagine how the family felt when they saw or found out about this!

Posted at 5:06PM on Oct 30th 2008 by fay

23. LOL...I thought it was Micheal Jackson in his early age. Next story.

Posted at 3:36PM on Oct 30th 2008 by DeGirl

24. How about DirectTV using the little dead girl from poltergeist in their TV ad? I find that FAR more heinious than a mistake by ABC.

Posted at 4:21PM on Oct 30th 2008 by Getaclue

25. WHY DOES S... LIKE THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO BLACK PPL?? I'M SICK OF WHITE PPL AND THEIR "MISTAKES"
****WHITE PPL SUCK****

Posted at 6:33PM on Oct 30th 2008 by BIGMIKE

26. Not in bad taste at all CNN can do but not TMZ wtf they may make stories funny but im sure they have real investigators working for them just like CNN. TMZ LIVES JUST LIKE BIG FOOT!!!!!

Posted at 7:09PM on Oct 31st 2008 by sickofthissht

27. BigMike, please take your garbage elsewhere! Isn't there a political thread you should be on?

Posted at 2:24AM on Oct 31st 2008 by Yucko

28. Why oh WHY do people have to play the RACE card?
Its SO small minded.

Posted at 6:01AM on Oct 31st 2008 by VioletteUK

29. #16....just looked up "katie's revenge" and seems fitting and very appropriate for anyone who molests a child. Instead of putting them out of their misery, brand them like the animals they are.

#21....At first glance, I honestly thought that was a pic of MJ during his human stage of life as well.

Posted at 7:02AM on Oct 31st 2008 by not2breckonedwith

30. 24. WHY DOES S... LIKE THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO BLACK PPL?? I'M SICK OF WHITE PPL AND THEIR "MISTAKES"
****WHITE PPL SUCK****

Posted at 6:33PM on Oct 30th 2008 by BIGMIKE

This is a sickening crime, BIGMIKE, and I understand your outrage and disgust, but please don't make it a race issue. This is an issue of a disgusting pedophile perv that kidnapped and killed a sweet, innocent little boy. Christopher wasn't taken because he's black, and his attacker didn't assault him because he was white. He was taken because this man is a monster and it was crime of opportunity with poor little Chris living so close to this animal. You think if it were a little white boy the pedophile would've went "Naw...."?

Posted at 12:06PM on Oct 31st 2008 by Isabella

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