Child rape victim's father: 'I'm living a nightmare'

Dad wants attacker caught and wants permission to see 8-year-old daughter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The search continues for the man who beat and raped an 8-year-old girl in Arlington last week.

That little girl is recovering from the violent attack and investigators have very few leads on who's responsible.

The father of that child told News4Jax he's desperate to find the attacker and to see his little girl.

Denneth Shearer said he wasn't immediately notified when his daughter was attacked last week. He said he's going through a divorce with the girl's mother and isn't allowed to visit either of his daughters.

"I think my daughter needs to see me," he said. "I think she wants her father. How do you think my youngest daughter feels? What's going through her mind? And she can't get to her daddy?"

Shearer said his wife allowed him to visit the girl in the hospital late last week, but the next day the police were called when he tried to go back.

In the divorce proceedings, court records show each parent has obtained an injunction against the other. The injunction against Shearer includes barring him from seeing his daughters.

He maintains he's a loving father who deserves to visit his daughter.

He said the girl is making strides and he expects her to make a full recovery.

"She's talking. She told me she loved me. She gave me a hug. I told her she's strong," Shearer said. "She's able to walk. I know that. She actually got out of bed, used the bathroom, came back."

There are few leads in the search for the girl's attacker, and Shearer said the message he wants the public to hear is that his daughter's attacker needs to be caught.

"I'm living a nightmare right now," he said. "The feeling is just -- I'm broken."