DALTON YOUNG - 9 yo - Magnolia (NW of Houston) TX

Magnolia TX ---- A nine-year-old boy from the Montgomery County town of
Magnolia is dead. Now, in a rare move, the state of Texas is stepping in
by launching an internal and external review of Child Protective
Services' involvement with the family. They want to know whether
this is yet another case of Houston area caseworkers missing warning
signs before a child's death. Dalton Young was a special needs
student at Magnolia I.S.D.'s Nichols Sawmill Elementary School. CPS
spokeswoman Gwen Carter says he had birth defects and a variety of
health conditions and mental illnesses. Autopsy results aren't in
yet, but caseworkers had an investigation open prior to his death to
determine whether Dalton and his twin brother were being abused. A
woman who says she was Young's first teacher emailed Fox 26 News asking them to look into the case. The state decided to launch the review on
Wednesday following phone calls from the TV station. The teacher, who now lives
in Austin and asked not to be identified, says she made at least two
phone calls to CPS beginning around 2004 after noticing marks and
bruises on Dalton. "I was concerned a child that small wouldn't
be able to tell you exactly what happened," said the teacher. CPS
caseworkers began visiting the home six years ago. Carter says there
have been eight investigations. The allegations included physical abuse
of Dalton and his twin brother by one or both parents and physical and
medical neglect. In all eight cases CPS ruled out the allegations
or couldn't determine if they occurred.

On Monday, April 26th
Dalton died. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says deputies were
dispatched to the family's home on Sawmill Road concerning a child not
breathing. Deputies reported the child has a medical condition
that may have caused him to be underweight. "When I found out
about the death and knowing my concerns from years ago, I wonder if the
ball was dropped for him," said the teacher. Last year a scathing
report blasted CPS caseworkers for regularly missing warning signs that
Houston area children were in danger in their own homes. Two
toddlers, Emma Thompson and David Tijerina, along with infant Amber
MacCurdy all died during CPS or after CPS investigations. "I want
people to be diligent when they investigate and not think we're on a
witch hunt," said the teacher. The state issued the following
statement. "DFPS Commissioner Anne Heiligenstein has asked for an
external review of CPS involvement with the family of Dalton Young, to
be conducted by a child abuse pediatrician with the Forensic Assessment
Center Network (FACN). The network is based at the UT Health Science
Center in Houston, and has affiliates at other Texas medical schools.
The review will help the Commissioner determine if CPS took adequate
steps to consider the child's birth defects, special needs, and other
complex mental illness and medical conditions, in the abuse/neglect
investigations conducted by the agency since 2004. We share the
public's concern with this case, which is why we have assigned CPS state
headquarters staff to review all of the case work, along with the
external medical review. We hope to have both completed as soon as
possible."

Dalton's twin brother and two older sisters have
been removed from the home and put in foster care. The teacher
says she was truly touched by this boy when she had him for two years as
a student. She still keeps a picture of him on her desk and has always
hoped he would be okay.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100505-teacher:-cps-weren%27t-diligent-in-case-of-now-dead-child

the comments about this boy's death are flying fast and furious. i do hope there is an investigation to determine what really went on. and if it contributed to his death. the family appears to be posting as well.
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100505-teacher:-cps-weren%27t-diligent-in-case-of-now-dead-child

oviedo45 wrote:the comments about this boy's death are flying fast and furious. i do hope there is an investigation to determine what really went on. and if it contributed to his death. the family appears to be posting as well.
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100505-teacher:-cps-weren%27t-diligent-in-case-of-now-dead-child

Thanks again Ovie I just read a few pages over there. It seems like this is one where we will not know until the autopsy results are published. I will say that the Teacher was very wrong to go to the media until she had seen the results of the autopsy IMO.

Child's Death Leads to State Review and Divided Opinions

Posted: May 06, 2010 10:56 PM EDT

A longtime critic of Child Protective Services is pleased the state of Texas has opened an investigation following a nine-year-old Magnolia boy's death.

"It's not family preservation services. It's Child Protective Services, and we believe the focus should always be on protecting the child even if it's at the expense of removing them from their family," said Randy Burton, founder of the Houston based national advocacy group Justice For Children.

Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/18221216/childs-death-leads-to-state-review-and-divided-opinions#ixzz241SvROKl

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/18221216/childs-death-leads-to-state-review-and-divided-opinions

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