The North Carolina SBI has began their investigation into whether or not the Cumberland County Department of Social Services released incomplete records to the District Attorney and Police Department in the case of Shanyia Davis.
Cumberland County Department of Social Services had been involved with the Davis family before Shaniya’s murder on November 10, 2009. The extent of their involvement remains unknown since the Cumberland County DSS has refused to release any information to the public, citing the criminal case.
In a press release issued November 20th, the Cumberland County DSS stated the following:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/grandmother_of_slain_teen_says.html
By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian
December 10, 2009, 10:10PM
The step-grandmother of a 16-year-old Eugene girl who police say was abused and tortured before her death on Wednesday says she repeatedly called a state child abuse hotline, trying to get someone to check on the teenager.
According to court documents, Jeanette Maples’ death “came in the course of, or as a result of intentional maiming and torture.” Her mother, Angela McAnulty, 41, and stepfather, Richard McAnulty, 40, appeared in court Thursday to face aggravated murder charges.
Thursday afternoon, Dr. Bruce Goldberg, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, ordered an internal investigation into caseworkers’ contact with the family.
Lynn McAnulty, Richard’s mother, was technically Maples’ step-grandmother but said “we took her in as if she was our own.”
Several months ago, McAnulty said she became concerned about the teenager. Maples had a split and swollen lip, she said. “And it looked like somebody had taken a fist and yanked her hair.”
She asked about the girl’s swollen lip. ” ‘Fallen down’ is what they told me,” she said.
Urged by a friend, McAnulty said she called the state child abuse hotline. She said she made several calls, each time making anonymous reports. She was uncertain when she started making the calls but it was several months ago.
She didn’t give her name, McAnulty said, “because I didn’t want to lose contact with my grandchildren.”
McAnulty lives in Walterville, on the McKenzie Highway six miles east of Springfield.
In terrible hindsight, McAnulty said she should have called police. But she just wanted someone to check on the girl and she thought child welfare officials would do that.
Gene Evans, a Human Services spokesman, could not provide any details on the child abuse hotline calls.
One of the purposes of the investigation is to find out what happened, he said.
Whenever a child known to state child welfare officials dies or is seriously injured, Oregon law requires the Department of Human Services to convene a critical incident response team to comb through the agency’s files and contacts with the family.
Such reviews are somewhat unusual. The death or injury of a child has triggered 24 similar reviews since Gov. Ted Kulongoski called for more scrutiny and accountability of the child welfare system in 2004.
Detectives worked through the night Wednesday and Thursday afternoon to determine what happened to Maples.
The Lane County district attorney and medical examiner are working on the case. A cause of death has not been released.
Two younger children in the home were taken into protective custody.
A Lane County Sheriff official said the girl was taken by ambulance from her home in the 150 block of Howard Avenue at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
A caller to 9-1-1 told dispatchers that a person there was not breathing. Maples was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.
Staff writer Stuart Tomlinson also contributed to this report.
Michelle Cole
In a decision posted yesterday, Kings County Family Court Judge, Jeanette Ruiz, refused to grant the Administration for Children’s services permission to enter the home of J. Smith. Children’s Services had applied for a pre-petition ex-parte court order as part of an ongoing investigation which began when someone anonymously called the State Central Register hotline on J. Smith in July of 2009.
To read the rest of this story, please visit the above link
By JAKE LOWARY • The Leaf-Chronicle • December 15, 2009
A Clarksville day care owner and DHS worker was charged Tuesday with forcibly fondling a 13-year-old girl, police reports and court records show.
Michael McElroy Monix, 48, who gave a 1021 Tylertown Road address, was arrested and charged Monday with two counts of sexual battery and one count of sexual battery by an authority figure, on at least one occasion working in his official capacity.
Monix was arrested on a sealed indictment Tuesday, alleging that in November and December 2008 he forcibly fondled the girl, who, according to an indictment, was under his supervisory authority.
According to the indictment returned by the grand jury this month, Monix “used his position of trust … to accomplish sexual contact.”
Monix is an employee with the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Police identified Monix as a social worker in an arrest report.
Monix was released from jail Tuesday, and showed up to his job with DHS on Wednesday and immediately requested for state-paid vacation, which he was granted, according to Leaf-Chronicle news partner WSMV, Channel 4.
DHS officials are reviewing the case, but have not put Monix on suspension or unpaid leave.
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20091215/NEWS01/912150314
By TIM ZATZARINY Jr.
Staff Writer
TRENTON — A former Franklin woman who was charged in the death of her adopted 5-year-old son has lost an attempt to regain parental rights involving two other children she and her husband had adopted.
A state Appellate Court panel Monday rejected the request by Heather Lindorff.
Lindorff was convicted in 2003 of endangering the welfare of a child in the December 2001 death of her adopted son Jacob, 5, inside their Franklin home.
Jacob was one of six Russian children whom Lindorff and her husband, James, had adopted.
An autopsy determined Jacob died from blunt trauma to the head, causing bleeding on the brain. His body showed other signs of physical abuse, authorities said.
Heather Lindorff, now 45, was sentenced to six years in state prison. She was released this year on Nov. 16, according to the state Department of Corrections.
In December 2008, Heather Lindorff filed an appeal alleging there was a lack of fact finding before the state Division of Youth and Family Services moved to take away her parental rights following allegations in 2006 that the couple continued abusing their adopted children.
At the time, the Lindorffs had limited visitation with the children, who were in foster care, and Heather Lindorff was free on bail pending an appeal of her conviction.
In a decision released Monday, a three-judge appellate panel determined Heather Lindorff’s appeal regarding her parental rights was moot because she had voluntarily surrendered them during a July 2009 court proceeding so the boys’ current foster family could adopt them.
James Lindorff, 60, was convicted of child neglect in the death of Jacob. He was sentenced to probation and community service.
In September 2007, James Lindorff was charged in Salem County with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a plot to kill a witness against him in the 2006 abuse case.
He is serving a seven-year state prison sentence on the conspiracy charge.
