Articles on DEATHS of children in the System

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Articles on DEATHS of children in the System

Postby Marina » Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:57 pm

Last edited by Marina on Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby Marina » Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:10 pm

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"Guadalupe Yolanda Gomez was sentenced today."

http://www.kold.com/global/story.asp?s=6740296

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Postby Marina » Wed Jul 04, 2007 2:06 pm

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http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/77065.html

San Diego woman held in death of foster child

"Malachi Roberts-McBride died"

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Postby Marina » Tue Jul 10, 2007 5:33 pm

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http://www.projo.com/news/content/PROVI ... 9f74f.html

Trial date postponed in death of toddler

PROVIDENCE — The trial of a Woonsocket woman, who along with her boyfriend is charged with killing 3-year-old foster child Thomas J. “T.J.” Wright, has been rescheduled for Dec. 3.

The trial for Katherine S. Bunnell had been scheduled to start yesterday, after a couple past delays...

A recounting of Wright’s brutal killing begins the lawsuit filed late last month against Governor Carcieri and other state officials in U.S. District Court by state Child Advocate Jametta O. Alston. Alston is pursuing class-action status on behalf of the 3,000 children now in state custody...

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Postby Marina » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:27 pm

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http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /707150430

Judge won't drop charges against woman in child's death

... Allison Newman, on Sept. 22, 2006...

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Postby Marina » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:15 pm

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http://www.cjob.com/news/news_xml.aspx? ... &rem=70810

Province will investigate baby's death

There are many questions following the death of a two year old boy under foster care in Winnipeg.
The child's caregiver, 52 year old Shirley Guimond, is currently facing a number of charges...
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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:41 pm

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http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/58856.php

Published: 07.31.2007

CPS had quit checking on Payne kids

The Arizona Republic

State caseworkers stopped checking on the welfare of two Tucson children almost 10 months before one was found stuffed into a plastic tub in a storage locker and their father was accused of killing them.
Documents released Monday show Child Protective Services concluded in April 2006 that the children should remain with their father despite a court order that granted the mother custody and gave him no visitation rights.
CPS officials responded Monday that caseworkers followed proper procedures in the case and that they were unaware of any complaints about the father. The officials also acknowledged they did not know of the court order refusing the father visiting rights.
Based on an open-records request by The Arizona Republic, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ordered the release of documents related to the deaths of Ariana Payne, 4, and her brother, Tyler, 5. His body has never been found.
Ariana's and Tyler's deaths, as well as that of another Tucson child, Brandon Williams, 5, have spurred legislators to call for hearings to investigate the cases and the conduct of CPS workers. Documents related to Brandon's case also were released Monday.
"Clearly we have issues with the Tucson sector of CPS," said Rep. Kirk Adams, a Mesa Republican who has reviewed the Payne case files. "It is incumbent upon us to look into these things."
Gov. Janet Napolitano is "horrified about what happened to these children," spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said, and is in constant contact with CPS officials.
The records show CPS had closed its case on the two Payne children, assuming they were safe with their father, Christopher Payne. The documents depict a family in turmoil and an agency struggling with how to protect children from the very people they should least fear: their parents.
Not in the documents but also telling is chronic understaffing that CPS officials say hampered the agency's ability to respond to its caseload. At one time, 40 percent of CPS's investigator positions were vacant.
Tumultuous lives
The short lives of the Payne children had been tumultuous, the documents show, with their parents estranged and their mother battling drugs, depression and bipolar disorder. Ariana and Tyler often bounced between the homes of their mother, Jamie Hallam, and father.
The couple divorced in 2003, with each accusing the other of drug abuse and mistreatment of the children. But a court awarded Hallam custody and denied Payne visitation, and the divorce decree noted his past drug abuse and allegations of domestic violence.
CPS never investigated the divorce decree, officials said Monday, so it wasn't taken into account years later when a caseworker encouraged Payne to seek custody of the children. CPS officials said they were unaware of any complaints against Payne. In March 2006, a CPS supervisor instructed Tucson police to leave the children in Payne's care when an officer responded to Hallam's complaint that Payne had not returned the children after a visit.
A couple of months earlier, in January, Payne had reappeared in the children's lives after several years away. He had a job, a girlfriend and what seemed to be a more stable home life than Hallam's. She had willingly allowed Ariana and Tyler to visit Payne, wanting them to have a relationship with their father.
But during one visit in January 2006, Payne decided the children were safer with him than their mother. So he kept them.
A month later, a CPS worker during a welfare check of Payne's home noted no signs that the children were being neglected. Payne had already told CPS of his hopes to gain custody of the children and had been informed of the proper paperwork.
It would be another month, March 9, before Hallam would complain to police that Payne had kept her children. The officer who visited the home in response to that call saw little reason to worry. "I found both children (Ariana and Tyler) playing in a bedroom," the officer wrote in a police report. "Both kids were happy, appeared healthy, and were excited to see police in their home."
Case closed
One month later, April 14, CPS closed the case with the children living in Payne's care. He still lacked custody, but CPS officials believed they were safe.
"We had no indication whatsoever he presented a threat," CPS head Ken Deibert said Monday. "There were not allegations of abuse or neglect against Mr. Payne."
Within months, Ariana and Tyler would be dead. Payne and his girlfriend, Reina Gonzales, are in jail and face first-degree murder charges.
Rep. Jonathan Paton, a Tucson Republican who also has seen the Payne case files, questioned why CPS closed the case in April.
"They closed the case without custody being established," he said, referring to documents released Monday. "It was irresponsible for them to close the case without knowing what the custody would be of these kids and never checking up on them again."
CPS officials explained that cases are routinely closed after 21 days if there are no active complaints or allegations against a parent or guardian. There were no complaints against Payne, though CPS was unaware a court had barred him from visitation with the children.
The case of Ariana and Tyler isn't an indictment against the entire CPS system, Deibert said.
"You cannot judge the child-welfare system by one or two cases. Is the system perfect? No. I don't know any system that is perfect."
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Comments on this Story Write a letter to the Editor28 Total Comments — See All Comments
1. Comment by Jake M. (rory) — July 31,2007 @ 12:27AM

Paton is right: they simply walked away from a home where dad had a history of domestic violence. They closed the case without ever checking on them again.


2. Comment by R H. (leatherneck1968) — July 31,2007 @ 5:22AM

I rarely speak on issues like this, since as a father of two sons, I find it unimaginable too harm a child, but below I read a story out of Florida, where a 62 year old woman, did something I venture too bet is quite common, and maybe not as extreme as her case, but making foster care a business instead of what it ought too be a safe haven for truly abandoned, neglected children, do not know what the solution is for such horrors, but the bible says for those who harm kids will be like a mill stone hung around their necks and them cast into the sea, likely this womans punishment will come on judgment day.....

PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (AP) -- They were often handcuffed, tethered together with plastic ties and allowed to soil themselves, investigators say. They had scars on their wrists. Some had burns.

None appeared to have more than a fourth-grade education, not even the adults in their 20s. All were starving.

In all, nine teenagers and young adults were held like prisoners in Judith Leekin's home in what appeared to be a decades-long scheme to line her pockets with the government payments she received for adopting and raising them, police say.

From the outside, Leekin's home appeared to be as ordinary as the others in this well-kept working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of this Atlantic coast town, 120 miles north of Miami. But its pink and white stucco exterior hid the horrors inside, authorities say.

"Horrible, I think, would be the best word used to describe what was going on in that house," said police Capt. Scott Bartal.

Investigators have not yet confirmed the identities of the young people and have not established how long Leekin had them. But authorities believe she adopted all of them in New York City under at least five aliases over two decades.

They range in age from 15 to 27. One is blind and mumbles. One can barely walk or stand. One can't read. But authorities said they do not know if the handicaps are a result of the alleged abuse.

The case came to light on July 4, some 200 miles away across the state in St. Petersburg, when police received a call from a grocery store that a teenager was there wandering aimlessly. The 18-year-old woman, who said she has been with Leekin for 13 years, said Leekin drove her there and abandoned her after telling her they were going to an amusement park.

Police and child welfare workers went to Leekin's home, but found nothing awry. Just one child was with her in the house, and Leekin told investigators the 18-year-old ran away a year ago. But police soon returned, and this time they found all the children, who had apparently been hiding on Leekin's orders.

Leekin, 62, was arrested and jailed on 11 charges, including aggravated elder and child abuse. She declined to be interviewed. Her attorney had no comment.

According to authorities, she was unemployed and lived off the monthly stipends provided by child welfare authorities in New York. She owned at least two homes and several cars. The adopted children said they had never seen a doctor or a dentist and had not been allowed to attend school or even leave the house.

"These people have not received any formal education in the time they've been with her," Bartal said. "At times when they were restricted with handcuffs or zip ties, during the night, they soiled themselves because they weren't permitted to go to the bathroom."

They were fed only noodles, and "they would have eventually starved to death," Bartal said.

The 18-year-old told police Leekin threatened to cut her head off if she told anyone what was happening, authorities said.

"Was there any kind of emotional attachment? Yes, it was fear," Bartal said.

Child welfare workers in New York said they are still digging through paperwork to determine how Leekin came to gain custody. It was not until 1999 that New York City child-welfare authorities began fingerprinting adults who adopted children out of foster care.

If Leekin did adopt them in New York City, she could have been making as much as $180,000 a year for a time. Parents who adopt special needs children can get as much as $55 a day.

"If you adopt a child out of the foster care system, you receive a stipend to help with the child's care, to cover clothing and food, and whatever additional costs are involved with caring for the child until the child turns 21," said Sharman Stein, spokeswoman for the New York City Administration for Children's Services.

There is no legal requirement that a person adopting a child from New York City's foster care system live in New York State.

The Florida Department of Children & Families authorities investigated a complaint of child abuse against Leekin in 1999, but the case was later closed. Officials would not give details.

"Right now we're just concentrating on the care of the victims, making sure they get the medical attention and psychological care they need," department spokeswoman Ellen Higinbotham said. "These adults, they're like elderly people, they're frail and vulnerable."

In Leekin's neighborhood, residents said they were shocked.

"You'd think she was your grandmother. There was nothing suspicious at all," neighbor Jim Hammond said. "We never heard anything from over there, no hollering, no screaming. She was just a nice lady


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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 5:49 pm


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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:29 pm

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http://www.nbc-2.com/Articles/readartic ... 804&z=3&p=

CAPE CORAL: The Department of Children and Families released their final report on the death of 3 year old Zahid Jones. The agency was called to his Cape Coral home several times to investigate allegations of abuse.

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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:03 pm

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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... 7&cxcat=76

Foster mom didn't have OK for sitter

By KATHLEEN CHAPMAN

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Latasha Braithwaite had three foster children and two jobs.

Last week, she decided to leave the children alone with her 14-year-old brother, Christopher Smith, while she went to work. She then got the phone call that every working parent dreads: one of her children was hurt.

Three-year-old Jamiya DeLoach who died early Saturday after she was severely hit in the head when her 14-year-old babysitter threw her into a bed on Thursday night.

Braithwaite took 3-year-old Jamiya DeLoach to St. Mary's Medical Center, where she died early Saturday from a head injury. Smith told investigators that he was struggling with Jamiya when she hit the frame of a bed. He is charged with aggravated child abuse.

The girl's death comes just as the Department of Children and Families was considering changes to state rules about who can watch children in state care. At issue is when foster parents can leave children with baby sitters, relatives or family friends, and how old those caregivers should be.

The foster children were enrolled in a 24-hour day care, according to foster care agency records, but Braithwaite called the day care last week to say they would not attend because she had family in town. She notified the Children's Home Society foster care agency that her brother was visiting from Chicago but did not say she would leave him alone with the foster children, then ages 5, 3 and 23 months, according to agency records.

Judith Warren, who heads the Children's Home Society in Palm Beach County, said her agency works with parents to determine if a caregiver is appropriate for children in state care. If she had been consulted in this case, she said, she would not have agreed to let the 14-year-old baby-sit.

When first questioned by investigators, Braithwaite said she was home at the time of the incident. She later admitted she was not, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office records. DCF is still looking into whether Braithwaite was responsible for improper supervision in this case, said Alan Abramowitz, acting head of DCF in Palm Beach County. She has not been criminally charged.

Florida, like most states, does not set an age at which children are old enough to stay home alone, or to baby-sit. When considering whether a birth parent is guilty of improper supervision or neglect, DCF investigators take each case separately, considering the situation and the maturity of the children involved.

The rules are stricter for foster parents. Trips out of state have to be cleared, anyone living in the home must be screened, and caregivers must get background checks. Those rules, though designed to protect them, can sometimes prevent foster children from doing normal things like taking overnight trips with a youth group or spending the night at a friend's house.

Abramowitz recently served on a committee considering the rules and heard from foster parents and former foster children who urged the state to make life more normal for kids in foster care. A proposed change would allow foster parents to use good judgment and leave children with a relative or neighbor they know is responsible and 16 or older.

"We need to make sure they are protected, but we don't want to stigmatize them in foster care," Abramowitz said. "That's what we are struggling with."

Braithwaite could not be reached for comment. She met the children's mother, Sheila DeLoach, through their church in Riviera Beach, and first took in Jamiya in 2004 after DeLoach was charged with abandoning her. She earned her license as a foster parent, then let it lapse after the state returned the children to DeLoach's custody.

She said she loved the children, according to foster care records, and even considered adoption at one point if DeLoach wasn't able to care for them. But she said after the children went back to DeLoach that she couldn't take any others. She was too busy with a new job, she said.

But after the children went back into foster care in May, Braithwaite agreed to take all three siblings back, even without a monthly payment that foster parents receive because she was no longer licensed.

DeLoach said she saw Braithwaite at church on Sunday, and said she doesn't blame her for Jamiya's death.

"We'll never know what happened that day," she said.

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Postby Marina » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:07 pm

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6926491.stm

Girl, 11, drowned 'feeding geese'

An 11-year-old girl's body was found submerged in a pond by her foster father shortly after she went to feed some geese, an inquest has heard.

Kirstey Thomas, from Aberdare in the Cynon Valley, was living with foster carers in Rhos, Carmarthenshire, when she died on 24 June.

...

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Postby Marina » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:33 am

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http://www.channel3000.com/news/1391997 ... k&psp=news

Foster Dad Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Killing Boy
Camron Gardner, 2, Died

POSTED: 6:28 pm CDT August 17, 2007


JUNEAU, Wis. -- A man convicted of fatally punching his 3-year-old foster son in May of 2005 will spend 22 years in prison, plus 18 years of extended supervision.

Shane Marquardt of Waupun was sentenced in Dodge County Circuit Court.

The criminal complaint said the 33-year-old Marquardt told investigators he flew into a rage after Camron Gardner vomited in his bed during a nap, and he repeatedly punched the 3-year-old as well as 2-year-old Ethan Gardner in their stomachs.

Camron died several hours later. Ethan recovered.

Marquardt pleaded guilty in February to first-degree reckless homicide.

A charge of first-degree reckless injury was dismissed as part of a plea deal but read into the record at sentencing.


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Postby Marina » Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:29 pm

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http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 1/70817160

Posted August 17, 2007

22-year prison term ordered in beating death of toddler

Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

JUNEAU — A foster father convicted in the May 2006 beating death of a Waupun toddler was sentenced Friday to serve 22 years in prison.


Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Bissonnette sentenced Shane Marquardt, of Waupun, to 22 years in prison and 18 years of extended supervision for delivering the fatal blows that claimed the life of 3-year-old Camron Gardner.

Judge Daniel Klosnner had earlier found the 32-year-old Marquardt guilty on a charge of first-degree reckless homicide in the beating death of the Beaver Dam toddler on May 5, 2006.

Charges of first-degree reckless injury were dismissed and read into the court record as part of the plea bargain agreement with Marquardt’s attorney, Mary Lou Robinson.

The Waupun man was accused of punching his foster children, Camron, and his younger brother, Ethan Schwartz, in the stomach after he flew into a rage upon discovering that the older child had vomited in his bed.


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Postby Marina » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:44 pm

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http://www.kiiitv.com/news/local/9299156.html

Case Will Last Several Days


(August 21, 2007)


The capital murder trial of 30-year-old Hannah Overton got underway at the Nueces County Courthouse and if convicted she's could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Overton, and her 31-year-old husband Larry Overton, are accused of causing the death of Andrew Burd, a 4-year-old foster child that they were in the process of adopting.

The first day of the trial had opening arguments and three live witnesses. Prosecutors laid the groundowrk to explain what happened last October.

Prosecutors said Burd was a happy go luck 4 year old child who didn't like spices. They said the Overtons abuses the child and mistreated him for months.

Last October 2nd, they said Burd was acting up when they made him drink a chili powder drink. Afterwards when he passed out, prosecutors allege they didn't get him medical attention for hours and that may have him cost him his life.

"This tumbler or chili concoction had a very tremendous high level of sodium in it," said Sandra Eastwood, who is the lead prosecutor on the case. "We don't know precisely how she got it down Andrew, but we know that he was very, very obedient. And we do have some evidence of bruising to his nose where it could have happened where is nostrils were squeezed and he was made to drink it."

"Just because Mrs. Eastwood says it doesn't mean it's true," said John Gilmore, defense attorney for Overton. "I will tell you there are two sides to every story and i'm not going to go into detail about what each and every one of our witnesses are going say. I will say that there was a tragic event that happened about 3 weeks before this accident and Andrews behavior changed after that accident."

There was dramatic testimony in the afternoon from two workers at an Urgent Care Clinic. they say the demeanor of Overton was unusual, considering her foster son was lifeless. The worker said she smiled and showed very little concern for Burd.

Overton's husband is also facing a capital murder charge. He's expected to go to trial in late September. If convicted, both could face life in prison without the possiblity of parole.

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Postby Marina » Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:58 am

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http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6705574?source=rss

DCFS knew of abuse before boy's hypothermia death

But since he wasn't in state custody, officials were limited in their ability to intervene

By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 08/24/2007 01:03:46 AM MDT


(Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah child welfare workers knew Josue Contreras-Velasco was being abused four months before caretakers allegedly killed the 9-year-old in July by putting him into a trash can of ice water at a Salt Lake City restaurant.
But because the nature of the abuse and the identity of the perpetrator couldn't be determined, Josue was never ordered into state custody, limiting caseworkers' ability to intervene and protect the boy, say state officials.
"He had some bruises. And when he was asked if anybody had hurt him and who it was, he didn't disclose anything," said Carol Sisco, spokeswoman for the state Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS).
Sisco said on March 2, caseworkers began investigating complaints that Josue was being left home alone and chained while his mother was at work.
A juvenile court judge found "some evidence of abuse," but "the perpetrator was unknown, so the judge left [Josue] in mom's custody," she said.
The judge also ordered the mother to find appropriate child care for her son. She chose the wife of 36-year-old Pedro Gaucin-Canales, one of Josue's alleged killers.
Caseworkers, who were providing services to the family, approved the placement after a visit to the couple's home.
No criminal background check was ordered because Josue was not under state custody, said Sisco.

"We do criminal screens for all our placements, whether it's with a foster parent or relative," she said. "But in this case, he was still in his mom's care. We were just trying to help mom make good decisions.
"The outcome is a terrible tragedy," she said.
Prosecutors allege that, on July 22, Gaucin-Canales ordered Josue into a garbage can in the kitchen of the Melting Pot, 340 S. Main, and had the boy's sister retrieve several buckets of ice and cold water, which Gaucin-Canales put into the can. Josue stayed there for 45 minutes as a disciplinary measure, and later died of hypothermia, according to charging documents.
Gaucin-Canales, 36, and the victim's sister, Rebecca Hernandez-Velasco, 19, have been charged with first-degree felony murder, one second-degree felony count each of child abuse and obstructing justice.
Josue's mother has custody of two other children, an infant boy and 5-year-old girl, said Sisco.
Third District Juvenile Court Judge James Michie recently decided it was safe to leave the children at home under DCFS' supervision.

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Postby Marina » Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:06 am

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http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=134568

Grandmother Says She Warned Of Threat To Girl

AP - 8/23/2007 7:56 PM - Updated 8/24/2007 6:16 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _

An Oklahoma City woman says she warned the Department of Human Services that her nearly 2-year-old granddaughter was in danger less than a week before the girl died.

Olivia Scroggins died at an Oklahoma City hospital Monday and her mother and the mother's boyfriend have been accused of first-degree murder. Prosecutors say the girl appeared to have been sexually abused and beaten to death.

Tynia Berry, 46, said Wednesday that she contacted DHS a week ago and said the girl was in danger but she doesn't know if any action was taken.

DHS spokesman George Johnson said confidentiality laws prohibit him from discussing any action the agency may or may not have taken.

Berry said the girl stopped wanting to leave her to go home to her mother Wendy Scroggins, 22, after Scroggins began dating Kerry Smith, 21.

Scroggins and Smith remain in the Oklahoma County jail.

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Postby Marina » Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:15 am

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http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /708240433

Friday, August 24, 2007


Canton foster mom testifies she lied about tot's death

Iveory Perkins / The Detroit News



DETROIT -- A Canton Township foster mother charged with murder testified today that she lied to police about how a 2-year-old girl in her care died on Sept. 22.

Carol Poole, 40, took the stand today in an evidentiary hearing before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Ulysses Boykins, claiming she was "wasn't thinking" when she falsely told police that Allison Newman fell off her vanity table or slipped in a bathtub before she died.

"I was out of my mind. I felt as if I was observing everything, but wasn't an active participant," Poole said. "I wasn't thinking at all. All I wanted to do is get out of that room and go see Allison."

Prosecutors have alleged Poole told authorities at least four versions of how the child died. Today, she admitted the girl died when she fell off a second-floor balcony during a game that involved twirling the child from her ankles.

The ongoing hearing will determine whether prosecutors can use statements by Poole to police as evidence in her upcoming murder trial. Her attorneys argue they were made under duress as the child lay dying from multiple blunt trauma wounds at University of Michigan CS Mott Children's Hospital.

Police reports obtained by The Detroit News from that night claimed a hysterical Poole became fixated on an officer's gun at the hospital, and asked her repeatedly to shoot her.

She has been jailed since the week of the death and faces open murder charges in the yet-unscheduled trial.


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Postby Marina » Tue Aug 28, 2007 6:30 pm

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http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/page ... geId=3.2.1

Report: Agencies Failed Chandler

Last Edited: Tuesday, 28 Aug 2007, 2:14 PM MDT
Created: Tuesday, 28 Aug 2007, 1:39 PM MDT

Chandler Grafner. Photo Courtesy AP/Rocky Mountain News.


Chander Grafner: Child Fatality Review



DENVER --
County agencies made numerous missteps before the death of a 7-year-old who weighed just 34 pounds, but those problems were not the cause of the boy's death, the state Department of Human Services said Tuesday.

Chandler Grafner died May 6 of dehydration and starvation after suffering cardiac arrest, a coroner's report said. Court documents said he was kept in a closet for days at a time without food, water or access to a toilet.

His caregivers, who were not his parents, have been charged with murder and child abuse.

Read the final report on Grafner's death

"In hindsight, there probably are a number of things that could have been done to prevent his death," said Karen Beye, executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services.

"Would we have been assured that his death would have been prevented? No, I don't believe we can point to the thing that would say, 'Had we only done "X," Chandler would be alive today,"' Beye said.

Beye released a report on Chandler's death that said the Jefferson County DHS didn't check reports from schools that the boy had bruises on his ear and neck.

The state also said the county failed to search for his parents, didn't force his guardian to provide for his mental and developmental needs and failed to update a state computer showing it had closed the case.

The state said the Denver DHS failed to get reports from Jefferson County after it was told of alleged abuses in January.

The state said the Arapahoe County DHS needs new policies because it didn't do a criminal background check on Grafner's mother, Christina, and failed to explore reports that she had been charged criminally for reckless endangerment.

State officials said those new policies were not a requirement.

Jon Phillips, 26, the boy's legal guardian, and Phillips' girlfriend, Sarah Berry, 22, have been ordered to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse.

They will appear in court Sept. 24 for arraignment.

Chandler was the son of Phillips' former girlfriend. Authorities said Phillips had agreed to take custody of Chandler after a court removed the boy from his mother's care.

Attorneys for the couple said Chandler had a number of pre-existing medical conditions that could have caused his death.

The couple could face life in prison if found guilty on first-degree murder, and up to 24 years if found guilty on the child abuse charge.

The three county agencies expressed regret for the boy's death but denied responsibility.

Roxane White, manager of Denver Human Services, said the agency would change some policies but doubted even those revisions would have triggered an investigation before Chandler died.

Lynn Johnson, executive director of Jefferson County Human Services, said "many things were done right in this case" and said the county uncovered no indication that Chandler was in danger.

"We feel great sorrow over this horrible tragedy. One doesn't get into the human services field without an intense desire to protect children. We worked with this family, and this little boy, and all of us are devastated," Johnson said.


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Postby Marina » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:38 pm

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http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/2 ... child.html

Posted on Wed, Sep. 5, 2007


DHS investigating tub drowning of 11-month-old foster child

By DAMON C. WILLIAMS
[email protected] 215-854-5924

The city and police are trying to find out why an 11-month-old child drowned in a bathtub in the baby's foster home in Olney on Monday.
"We're still investigating this, and we're getting information from the police as well," said Alicia Taylor, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.

"We are interviewing the children in the home and the foster mother in the home. We are deep into the investigation stage."

DHS, citing privacy laws, would not identify the foster parent, the deceased infant or two other children - ages 11 and 12 - who lived in the house on Ashdale Street near 4th.

"The 11-month-old was left in the tub; another child became distracted and left the room," said Sgt. Francis Erickson of the Special Victims Unit. "The water continued to rise, causing the drowning."

Erickson said someone returned to the bathroom to find the infant unresponsive in the tub, tried to perform CPR, and then called 911. The infant was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center and was pronounced dead at 4:29 p.m.

Erickson confirmed that the foster mother was home at the time of the drowning, but no charges have been filed against her.

Taylor said DHS generally doesn't release information on its procedures in preventing this sort of tragedy or in the aftermath of a drowning-related death.

Taylor issued a statement from DHS that read, "All of the other children in the home are safe and have been removed from the residence."

The statement said that the agency would not speculate on what happened and that it would provide grief-counseling services for any family or child involved in the foster program. *

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Postby Marina » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:56 pm

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http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/208569.html

Police investigating Pasco girl's death


The Associated Press

PASCO, Wash. — Pasco police are investigating the death of a five-year-old girl who was in foster care.

Police say the foster parents say Erica Martinez slipped in the bathroom and hit her head August 25th. She was taken to a Spokane hospital where she died Thursday.

The Department of Social and Health Services has removed the girl's brother from the home during the investigation.

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Postby Marina » Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:40 pm

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http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=7032529

Pasco Police Say Nothing Suspicious in Death of Young Girl

Sep 6, 2007 09:13 AM EDT


Death of 5 Year Old Pasco Girl Being Called an Accident







PASCO, Wash.- Police investigating the death of a five-year-old foster child say at this point, the death looks like a tragic accident.

Pasco Police say nothing suspicious has turned up in the death of five-year-old Erica Martinez.

Everything in the investigation right now points to it being a simple accident.

Police say the parents told them Martinez fell and hit her head in the bathtub at their Pasco home on August 26th. She was flown to a Spokane hospital where she later passed away last week.

Since then, DSHS has taken another child from the girl's foster parents, but won't say why.

Pasco Police say the investigation has turned up nothing unusual but they have to investigate all child deaths, no matter what the circumstances.

"It's an obligation by the state and by child protective services and by the police that when you have young children involved and those types of things that they're investigated to make sure that there's no negligence or you have criminal acts that obviously could have been perpetrated," said Capt. Jim Raymond.

Police don't have any arrests pending right now or any suspects because they're not treating it as a crime.

Martinez would have been a kindergartner at Whittier Elementary this fall.

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Postby Marina » Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:28 pm

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http://www.yorkregion.com/article/46085

Tot who fell into Markham pool dies




Sep 05, 2007 10:16 AM

By: Joe Fantauzzi, Staff Writer

A young boy pulled from a pool behind his Markham foster home has died.

The boy died in a Hamilton hospital Saturday, Toronto Children's Aid Society spokesperson Melanie Persaud said.


“I can confirm for you that the little guy has passed away,” Ms Persaud told yorkregion.com


The 18-month-old tot, whose name was never released, was discovered in the pool behind his foster family's Pringle Avenue home, in the Hwy. 7 and Wootten Way area Aug. 9.


York Regional Police believe the tot crawled out the back door of the home and into the fenced area surrounding the pool before plunging into the water.


A police probe concluded the drowning was an accident.

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Postby Frustrated » Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:52 pm

CAS Ward Dies
September 7, 2007
The boy in a coma since August 9 has died. In controversy over the intervening month, Children's Aid asserted the right superior to the mother to determine when life support should be ended. In the CAS tradition of burying its mistakes, the boy's name remains secret.

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Tot who fell into Markham pool dies

Sep 05, 2007 10:16 AM

By: Joe Fantauzzi, Staff Writer

A young boy pulled from a pool behind his Markham foster home has died.

The boy died in a Hamilton hospital Saturday, Toronto Children's Aid Society spokesperson Melanie Persaud said.

“I can confirm for you that the little guy has passed away,” Ms Persaud told yorkregion.com

The 18-month-old tot, whose name was never released, was discovered in the pool behind his foster family's Pringle Avenue home, in the Hwy. 7 and Wootten Way area Aug. 9.

York Regional Police believe the tot crawled out the back door of the home and into the fenced area surrounding the pool before plunging into the water.

A police probe concluded the drowning was an accident.

Source: Yorkregion.com
It is easy to steal from poor people. But don't do it. And don't take advantage of those poor people in court. The Lord is on their side. He supports them and he will take things away from any person that takes from them.~ Proverbs 22:22

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Postby Marina » Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:31 am

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http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=f51a3b ... 0621e4a8f8

DCF Told Order On Toddler Was Violated
After Girl's Death, Father Said She Had Been Living With Parents

By Julie Wernau , Published on 9/21/2007



The morning after Timothy Bemis learned his 2-year-old daughter was dead, he called a social worker and left a voicemail blaming her for his daughter's death.

“Our daughter didn't die; she was murdered. I really hope you're happy. Protective? A safer place? I hope you sleep at night,” Bemis said, according to a sworn affidavit signed Monday by a social worker for the state Department of Children and Families.

Other information left in the message led the agency to believe that — against court orders — Treau Bemis' aunt and sole legal guardian, Kimberly Bemis, had been allowing the 2-year-old to live with her parents, who were undergoing counseling for domestic violence and treatment for alcohol abuse.

“For the past month and a half, Treau has been living with us at my mother's house. The only time she ever went to Kim's house was to satisfy you because you were coming,” Timothy Bemis said, according to the affidavit.

Kimberly Bemis denied late Wednesday night that Treau was living with her parents and paternal grandparents. Timothy Bemis has asked that he be left alone to mourn and bury his child and said he will not be answering questions from the media.

Craig Betancourt — who is being held on $3 million bond on a capital felony murder charge — was babysitting his daughter, Cassondra Betancourt-Bemis, 7, and Treau, who is Cassondra's cousin, when Treau drowned in the bathtub Sunday in what prosecutors have called a “cold-blooded murder.”

The state is now seeking custody of Cassondra, because of the information left in Timothy Bemis' voicemail message, because DCF workers have been unable to locate Kimberly Bemis and Cassondra, and because Kimberly Bemis has said she believes her niece's death was an accident.

The department stated that it believed Cassondra was being permitted to live “under conditions, circumstances or associations injurious to well-being” due to her mother's poor judgment and the actions of her extended family.

“Cassondra is similarly situated to the deceased child,” the department stated in documents.

While a hearing date on the state's motion for temporary custody has been scheduled for Sept. 28, the state has the right to take any child — through a four-day emergency hold — it feels is at immediate risk for serious physical injury, before arguing to extend custody in juvenile court.

Kimberly Bemis and her daughter have said they will go into hiding until a suitable attorney can be found to represent Cassondra.

Betancourt and Kimberly Bemis, who is his fiancée, had temporary custody of Treau after filing for immediate temporary custody of the child at the Regional Probate Court in New London in November.

According to DCF documents, the agency intervened on the child's behalf in December following a referral from Norwich police, who had charged Treau's mother with driving under the influence of alcohol while she had five children, including Treau, in her car.

A New London Regional Probate Court judge awarded sole custody of Treau to Kimberly Bemis based on the information in that referral, the documents state.

DCF has stated that it is conducting a full review of Treau's case together with the Child Welfare League of America and will discuss the results of that review once the investigation is complete.

Treau and Cassondra's paternal grandparents could not be reached to comment Thursday.

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Postby Marina » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:11 am

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http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/ ... 50&k=13674

Mom: Why did my baby die?
Infant found dead days after being put in foster home

John Bermingham, The Province
Published: Friday, September 21, 2007

NANAIMO - Rose Touchie wants to know why her four-month-old baby Caroline died less than one week after going into foster care.

Choking back tears yesterday, the young Nanaimo mom told The Province she's not getting any answers from the government.

"I'm just lost right now. I don't know what to do," she said. "The one thing I want to know is why."

Social workers came to Rose's mother's home on Sept. 6 and took away Caroline and her two-year-old sister, Cecilia.

They said they had reports the house, where all four lived, was untidy and unfit for the kids.

On Sept. 11, Touchie, 20, was in court trying to get them back when she was told there had been an incident at the foster home.

Caroline was fed at 2 a.m. and put to bed. But foster parents found her lying on her stomach at 8.30 a.m., dead.

"What I want to know is why she went so long without being checked," Touchie said. "It's just common sense. I always checked on her every hour. She was still a newborn."

Rose's mother, Corrina Touchie, 41, said Caroline had eczema on her back and around the diaper line and was hospitalized in August for five days.

"They [social workers] said the house was untidy and that they felt the children were in danger," she said.

"She's a good mom. She loved the children.

"The house was untidy. She was trying to keep house and look after the two babies."

The family laid Caroline to rest with her Ucluelet First Nation ancestors on Tuesday, after relying on the kindness of others to cover the burial costs.

Rose has hired a lawyer through legal aid to look for answers. And she's back in court next week to regain custody of her other daughter.

B.C. child-welfare director Marilyn Hedlund wouldn't comment specifically on the death but said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the death of a child in care."

Vancouver Island regional coroner Rose Stanton said her office is investigating.

"One of the tasks of the autopsy is to determine whether there's any trauma, recent or historical," she said. "If there was anything untoward about her condition, it will be documented and reported back."

Nanaimo RCMP Const. Jen Allan said there is no criminal investigation.

The B.C. representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, may conduct her own review of the death and provide a report to the legislature.

"The family has been waiting for answers," said NDP children and families critic Nicholas Simons, but the Children's Ministry is being too defensive, he said.

"How are we supporting families with children? Is it a punitive approach, or are we [taking] a supportive approach?"

B.C.'s child-protection system has been racked by crisis in recent years.

In 2002, 19-month-old Sherry Charlie was beaten to death by a foster father who officials knew had been convicted of domestic assault.

A report last year found that children in government care died at four times the rate of those in the general population between 1986 and 2005. About 9,000, or one per cent, of all B.C. kids are in care, half of whom are aboriginal.

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