Child victims: their stories

Edgardo Martin, 7 months old, Fairmont City. Died Jan. 27, 2005

A caseworker for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services had concerns about space heaters used to heat the family's mobile home. But instead of warning the family, the caseworker took the word of a Spanish translator that the heaters were safe. Three weeks later, Edgardo died in a fire a state fire marshal attributed to an overload in a series of electrical cords that powered the heaters.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: A supervisor and a site supervisor received counseling.

Alex Quevedo, 8 months old, Aurora. Died March 3, 2004

An investigation began after a state hot line call alleged Alex had bruises. But a DCFS worker used the wrong fax number and failed to contact the pediatrician who treated the boy. While hospital workers were aware from earlier emergency room visits that Alex had been injured, no one called the hot line. Alex died from being shaken in the home four days after DCFS closed the case.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The child protection investigator and supervisor received discipline.

Daniel Bowie, 4 months old, Aurora. Died April 4, 2004

A DCFS investigator created a "child safety plan" that allowed Daniel's mother to smoke crack cocaine if she first dropped her baby off with a neighbor. Then, without checking the father's criminal record, the abuse investigator ended the probe. DCFS workers were unaware that the father had a conviction for kicking Daniel's mother when she was five months pregnant. A few weeks after DCFS closed the case, someone beat Daniel to death in the home. No one was charged. Six months later, Daniel's mother delivered a stillborn baby that tested positive for cocaine. A prosecutor failed in an attempt to have the mother charged with murder.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The child protection investigator received discipline. The caseworker and supervisor received counseling.

Vanessa Ingram, newborn, Venice. Died April 28, 2004

During five years of involvement with Jaki Ingram, a mentally ill and often homeless woman, DCFS workers failed to get the woman counseling or to take her toddler son into protective custody. Vanessa suffocated when her mother delivered her into a toilet filled with urine and feces. Police investigating Vanessa's death found that at age 5, her brother Emmit had not learned to talk and was still in diapers.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The caseworker and her supervisor both were suspended for 29 days. This was the caseworker's sixth suspension. An administrator received a letter of reprimand.

Ikyria Jasmine Williams, 3 weeks old, Decatur. Died June 6, 2004

The infant's parents had a long history of alcoholism and domestic violence, and the mother used cocaine, yet a DCFS caseworker investigating injury to the girl's older brother did not identify substance abuse as a problem. The worker accepted a "safety plan" that if one parent became intoxicated, the other was supposed to remove the child. "The safety plan was woefully inadequate," the inspector general's report stated. Ikyria, who weighed 11/2 pounds at birth, died from complications of exposure to cocaine and from premature delivery.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The child protection investigator received discipline. The investigator's supervisor received counseling.

Chloe Palmer, 2 months old, Chicago. Died May 15, 2003

The mother's drug addiction led to DCFS involvement. Caseworkers told her to attend drug treatment and keep her two children at the home of her 93-year-old great-great-grandmother. Instead, she moved in with a male friend and did not seek treatment. A private agency worker hired by DCFS did not move the case into court, where a judge could have ordered the mother to return to treatment or lose custody of her children. The worker told the office of the inspector general that she closed the case because she thought the children were at the great-great-grandmother's house, even though her case notes showed the family was living at the male friend's apartment. When the mother left to "get money for milk," Chloe died of undetermined causes. Her 12-year-old brother cradled her all night, praying over her.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Yeritza Torres, 3, Chicago.

Died June 17, 2003

After a teacher observed bruising on the girl and called the state child abuse hot line, DCFS assigned an investigator. However, during the five weeks between the teacher's call and the little girl's death from being punched in the stomach, the investigator's activity on the case consisted of a single phone call to the girl's physician. The call did not go through.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Dymon Davis, 2, Chicago.

Died Sept. 30, 2003

This foster child's injuries were not properly documented, "although most of these injuries were observed by either the caseworker or the (foster home) licensing worker," according to an investigative report. Documentation could have led to a court order to remove the girl to protective custody. When Dymon was burned on the lip with a lit cigar, DCFS started a second child abuse probe, which was still under way six weeks later when Dymon died from being shaken. The foster mother was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. She was paroled three weeks ago.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: A private agency supervisor received counseling.

Michael Padin, 5, Chicago.

Died Nov. 7, 2003

A hospital staff member called the state child abuse hot line to report the boy had been removed from the facility against medical advice, prompting an investigation. But the investigator violated department regulations by failing to contact the person who reported the abuse. He didn't run a criminal history check on the mother's boyfriend, who had convictions for domestic violence and violating an order of protection obtained by the mother. With a child abuse probe under way, Michael didn't awake from a nap and doctors declared him dead a few minutes later at a hospital. A judge sentenced the mother to four years in prison for her son's death. The boyfriend, Joseph Martinez, who a judge described as "a beast," got life in prison. A medical examiner found 44 recent external injuries on Michael and 25 that were healing.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Charles Green, 6, Des Moines, Iowa. Died March 18, 2002

In Illinois, doctors treated Charles for a human bite mark on his buttocks, a cigarette burn and cuts on his face, hands and back. Authorities placed the boy in the custody of an aunt. Caseworkers became suspicious that the stepmother caused the injuries. They heard from staff at a private social agency's office that when Charles and his stepmother emerged from the agency's bathroom, they saw "marks on the boy's face that resembled the bathroom floor tiles." However, Charles was returned to his father and stepmother when they moved to Iowa. A caseworker ignored the initial reports of injuries and recommended the boy be returned to his father and stepmother. Four months later, Charles died from a beating. The stepmother told police she had beat him especially hard after she became frustrated by "his ability to withstand pain without complaint."

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Christopher Bahena, 14, Glendale Heights. Died April 8, 2002

The Bahena family was the subject of 32 child abuse hot line calls, 25 abuse investigations and eight findings that abuse had occurred. The household was described as "chaotic, dysfunctional," yet caseworkers failed to call the state child abuse hot line, as required by law, after being told of still more allegations of abuse, and did not attempt to remove the children. Tomas Bahena shot his son, Christopher, to death and wounded two other children before killing himself with a pistol.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

William Adams, 2, Centreville.

Died April 16, 2002

This boy's mother gave birth to three children who tested positive for cocaine. She attended drug treatment only sporadically before counselors kicked her out. When William was a year old, police arrested his mother for leaving her children home alone. The state removed the children but later returned them. DCFS hired and assigned a private agency worker to the case for 14 months. The inspector general's report said: "(The worker's) handling of the case was characterized by ineffective assessments and lapses in critical judgment." On the day fire broke out in the family home, the mother, who admitted to using crack cocaine a few days earlier and smoking marijuana the night before, could not be awakened in time to save William.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Shanecia McClellan, 9, Harvey.

Died July 11, 2002

After Shanecia's mother gave birth to a sibling who tested positive for cocaine, a state investigator opened a case. Despite 33 visits to the home by various workers, a private agency assigned to the family ignored the mother's failure to regularly attend drug treatment, or to ensure that Shanecia, a cerebral palsy victim, took her anti-seizure medicine. The private worker lost track of the family after they moved. A few months later, officials found the girl's emaciated body in her bed. A coroner ruled that the 9-year-old, who weighed just 38 pounds, starved to death. Her mother told police that she waited three days after finding her daughter dead before calling them because she had "too many things on her mind to deal with that."

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Earwin Hemphill, 2, Chicago.

Died July 21, 2002

After a child abuse hot line call involving Earwin's mother, the DCFS assigned a caseworker and a supervisor with little experience to the family. An inspector general's review found that the caseworker made few contacts with Earwin's mother, and the supervisor had few discussions with the caseworker. One day, the caseworker discovered the mother left an ill Earwin in the care of a girl, estimated to be 7 or 8 years old. The DCFS caseworker later told an investigator, "She allowed the then 5-month-old infant to remain in the child's custody because she (the caseworker) ... did not feel comfortable holding children and did not intend to 'baby-sit' until the mother returned." When Earwin's mother turned 21, her DCFS involvement ended, even though she was unemployed and homeless. When promised help from relatives failed to show up, she beat Earwin and then smothered him with a mattress and box spring, police said. Earwin's mother, Shonita Roach, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The caseworker resigned after facing discipline for leaving Earwin with a child. The agency transferred the supervisor to a nonsupervisory job.

Amanda Stahl, 15 months old, Rockford. Died July 30, 2002

Three calls to the state child abuse hot line alleged unsanitary living conditions, but after three investigations, the family's three children remained at home. A fourth call alleged that someone was poisoning Amanda. Hospital tests showed the toddler was ill from high levels of ipecac syrup, a liquid usually used to induce vomiting when a person has ingested poison. The investigator interviewed the mother, who blamed the grandmother for using ipecac. The investigator accepted this and erroneously "indicated" the grandmother, or issued an official finding against her, for child abuse, even though hospital reports showed that the mother had been caring for Amanda on each of the three days she came to the emergency room. The inspector general's report said a lack of communication between the investigator and her supervisor prevented "an accurate assessment of who most likely poisoned" the baby. The inspector general later determined that the investigator and 15 of her co-workers had caseloads that exceeded the recommended limit. Three weeks after the grandmother was falsely blamed for administering the ipecac, Amanda died of suffocation. Her mother told police that she had made the child take ipecac syrup so that she would become sick and "cling" to her. The mother, Jennifer Stahl, who was convicted of murder, said she smothered her daughter with a blanket.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Jesse James Law, 3 months old, Jacksonville. Died Dec. 17, 2002

The state removed a 20-year-old mother's two older children to protective custody. A DCFS Parent Assessment Team then made an evaluation that the children would be at "high risk" and should not be returned because the mother could not care for them. But when Jesse was born soon afterward, a DCFS caseworker refused to read the file -- a department requirement -- because she didn't want to "prejudge" the mother, and was unaware of the assessment team's warnings. A private agency worker who visited the home found Jesse sleeping face down and warned the mother, who became belligerent. The worker's supervisor knew of the negative parenting assessment but disregarded it. Three weeks later, the mother found Jesse dead, face down on a blanket. Police investigated but did not file charges.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Alma Manjarrez, 6, Chicago.

Died Dec. 25, 2002

During a visit to a clinic, the mother's boyfriend told Alma in Spanish to say that her black eyes came from a fall. A bilingual staff member heard this and alerted another staffer who called the state child abuse hot line. Two months later, an acting supervisor instructed the caseworker to rule the allegation "unfounded." After still another hot line call alleging additional injury to Alma, DCFS assigned a second investigator. This investigator told the inspector general she didn't contact local police, who had earlier investigated the mother's boyfriend, because it would have conflicted with the DCFS worker's schedule -- she worked days and the police officer who investigated the boyfriend worked nights. Soon after, the family moved and the DCFS investigator stopped visiting. The mother's boyfriend punched Alma in the stomach on Christmas Day and left her outside in the snow. She died of hypothermia. Police charged the boyfriend, David Hernandez, a Mexican national, with murder. A disposition in the case could not be found.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The agency suspended the second investigator for 30 days. The acting supervisor received an oral reprimand.

Shemire Jones, 6 months old, Chicago. Died Jan. 16, 2001

During a visit to a medical center to treat the girl for diarrhea, a physician noticed her arm was broken. The doctor made arrangements to have X-rays taken at a nearby hospital, but when the mother failed to show up with Shemire, he called the state child abuse hot line. The investigator assigned to the case unsuccessfully attempted to locate the family through telephone calls to relatives, but never contacted local police, who had information and officers who would have assisted in the search. The investigator also failed to run a criminal history check on the parents. The father, Diante Wiley, was a gang member and the mother, Latoya Jones, had an outstanding warrant for drugs. About five weeks after the hot line call, Shemire was beaten to death, suffering a broken spinal cord and broken bones. Wiley was sentenced to 25 years for murder, and Jones was sentenced to 12 years for aggravated battery of a child.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Allen Kalfus, 6, Chicago.

Died Feb. 22, 2001

Allen told a therapist his foster mother made him stand in a cold shower after he took a cupcake without permission. A DCFS investigator found that "the majority of records concerning the foster mother's training and history of care had disappeared." The boy's neighbor told police that Allen "was just too jittery to be a kid. He was just too young to be so scared." While an inspector general's office investigator would later learn that licensing agents had "serious concerns" about the foster mother's ability to care for children, the DCFS investigator recorded none of this in the file. Authorities made another attempt to remove Allen and another child from the home, but the foster mother appealed and won. "Involved child welfare professionals neglected to ensure that a comprehensive approach to the foster children in the home was employed," the inspector general wrote. Allen died from hypothermia when his foster mother held him under cold water. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was paroled last month.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Javonne King, 1 month old, Englewood. Died April 30, 2001

After a call to the state child abuse hot line, the DCFS investigated Javonne's 16-year-old mother. It found that abuse had occurred, but the agency allowed the child to remain at home and provided counseling and other services. But, as the inspector general's report stated, "(Case) records were marked by incomplete and inaccurate reports." An investigator concluded that the caseworker should be fired. "The history of her performance is not indicative of problems correctable by training," the investigator wrote. A Rottweiler that wandered into the house mauled Javonne to death.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The caseworker received a 25-day suspension, which was appealed.

Tyler Rusher, 17 months old, Bloomington. Died in June 2001

His 19-year-old mother was in DCFS custody when the boy was born. However, because of abuse she had suffered, the mother developed severe behavioral issues and threatened DCFS workers. Against advice in a previous report, caseworkers placed her in an independent living program. "Although there was strong evidence that the mother was raped while in the program, staff failed to pursue medical care or crisis counseling on the girl's behalf," an inspector general's report stated. When a pediatrician noticed Tyler and his 7-month-old sister were losing weight, an abuse investigation began. But a supervisor "did not read the investigative notes," which would have alerted him that the mother was not caring for her children, according to the inspector general. A few weeks later, Tyler was beaten to death. His mother, Kimberly Foote, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The supervisor and case manager received counseling.

Todd Alexander, 23 months old, Chicago. Died July 19, 2001

When Todd tested positive for cocaine at birth, the family became involved with DCFS. The mother failed to attend a treatment program, and caseworkers sent Todd to foster care, but he was returned to his mother when she completed treatment. The mother hired her neighbor as a baby sitter. The DCFS caseworker, however, failed to check on the neighbor, who had been previously investigated and was "indicated," or officially found to have abused her own children and children she supervised for a private agency. A check by the inspector general showed that this baby sitter also had an extensive criminal history. During the caseworker's involvement with Todd and his mother, she learned of another baby sitter, and this time attempted a check within the DCFS system. However, the caseworker spelled the name wrong. If she had checked properly, she would have found that the second baby-sitter had four previous official findings of abuse of her own children and had two of her three children removed from her custody. The baby sitter, Centoria Ashford, told police she beat Todd to death by punching him in the stomach over an 18-hour period.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None

Joseph M. Duncan, 8, Creal Springs. Body discovered

on Sept. 28, 1999

Joseph's teacher observed his bruising and cuts and called the state child abuse hot line. An investigator interviewed the suspect -- the mother's boyfriend, Ernst Bruny Jr. The investigator accepted Bruny's Illinois nursing certificate that purported to show he had not been reported for child abuse. But the investigator failed to check a national criminal database, falsely believing he needed the couple's consent before making the check. The crime database would have shown that in Florida, Bruny had a history of child abuse and criminal convictions for domestic violence. Over the course of three weeks, Bruny beat Joseph to death and hid his body in a suitcase. A county sheriff's investigator discovered Joseph's body in the bedroom of the home. Police charged Bruny and the mother, Donna Duncan, with Joseph's death. Bruny was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Duncan received eight years for aggravated battery of a child.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: Discipline was recommended but not pursued for the case investigator, his supervisor and a follow-up caseworker.

Michael Cross, 1, Chicago.

Died Aug. 7, 2001

The mother's three children tested positive for cocaine at birth. The finding that Michael, the last of the three to be born, was exposed to the drug generated a child abuse investigation. Authorities told the mother she must attend free drug treatment. But a DCFS caseworker and her supervisor took the mother's word that she was sober and failed to confirm that she had attended even one session. The inspector general could not find any record of attendance. "The (DCFS) supervisor acknowledged she had not provided adequate supervision of the family's case and cited a number of personal problems ... as the cause for her substandard effort." Michael and his mother died in a fire that destroyed their public housing apartment.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: None. The supervisor left DCFS and became the director of foster care for a private agency.

Anthony Davis, 6 weeks old, Geneva. Died Sept. 5, 2001

After a call to the state child abuse hot line alleging abuse to Anthony's 4-year-old sister, an investigation resulted in their father, Wayne Davis, being "indicated" or blamed for causing the girl's bruising. The children remained with the mother, who lived with a relative. During a second probe a month later concerning injuries to Anthony, the DCFS investigator used the wrong birthdate when checking Wayne Davis' criminal record, which had not been checked earlier. With the wrong date, his record came up clean. He had convictions for drug possession and domestic battery and arrests for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. The mother returned to the father and five days later the family became homeless and moved into a motel. A few days later, the parents took Anthony to a hospital, where he died. Wayne Davis later told police he took the baby into the motel bathroom and shook him because he would not stop crying. Davis was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years.

DCFS DISCIPLINE: The department ordered counseling for the caseworker. The investigator also received counseling.