On the murder of Christopher Thomas Jr., December 5, 2008:
Before closed meeting, officials promise answers in boy's deathOfficials from the state Division of Children and Family Services and the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare said this morning they are working diligently to investigate the death of 13-month-old Christopher Thomas - but they will do it in secret.
Although some officials, including Denise Revels Robinson, director of the bureau, made brief statements this morning at a meeting of the Milwaukee Child Welfare Partnership Council, they would not say whether the case worker assigned to Christopher's case had been suspended or disciplined; nor would they release any other information about their investigation thus far.
The partnership council, an advisory board made up of children's services workers, legislators and community members, was established in 1995. They meet quarterly and review deaths and "egregious incidents" concerning children in the Milwaukee County welfare system. Among other things, they are supposed to make recommendations for improvement to the state, which took over the county system in 1998 as the result of a lawsuit.
A special meeting of the council was convened today to discuss Christopher's death.
A preliminary report is expected in mid-January with a final report to follow 60 days after that, said Cyrus Behroozi, administrator for the state division of safety and permanence. That is the soonest the findings could be made public. However, there are half a dozen other criteria that must be met, including approval from Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, who is overseeing the prosecution of Crystal P. Keith, 24.
...Reggie Bicha, secretary of the state Department of Children and Families, called Christopher's death and the abuse of his sister "inexcusable and unacceptable." Major changes in the Milwaukee County child welfare system will be made as a result, Bicha said, but he didn't elaborate on what those changes might be.
"I am very troubled by what I have learned so far," he said.
Revels Robinson, too, said she had been both personally and professionally affected by Christopher's death.
"We are all very saddened and very much affected by this very, very difficult situation," she said.
She and her staff will work to figure out what happened to Christopher and why, as well as how things can be improved, she said. Although she issued a written statement in the immediate aftermath of Christopher's death last month, Revels Robinson has not returned reporters' phone calls in intervening weeks.
Bicha said he had instructed Revels Robinson to focus on her job and avoid talking with the media since Christopher's death. Bicha said he and Behroozi would continue to be available to the media but are limited by state law in terms of what they can say. In response to a question from state Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee), who serves on the partnership council, Bicha said the secrecy provisions of the law are "terribly frustrating." At the same time, the public's need for information, which is necessary to provide checks on the child welfare system, must be balanced with the privacy of the children whose lives are affected, he said.
In short, the death of Christopher Thomas Jr. is being investigated.
Same old, same old.
However, there was some news.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The caseworker responsible for Christopher Thomas's sister, who police say was tortured for months by the children's foster parent, remains assigned to the girl's case, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has learned.
The aunt, Crystal Keith, was charged last month with beating 13-month-old Christopher to death and with abusing his two-year-old sister. According to a police report, Keith began abusing the girl as soon as officials placed the children in her home in June for foster care.
A doctor who examined the girl, whose injuries included repeated scalding, multiple broken bones and ligature scars – called her wounds blatant, and she spent weeks in the hospital after she was taken from Keith's home after Christopher's death Nov. 11.
The Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare has yet to explain how the caseworker could have visited the child for months and not noticed her condition.
It is shocking to me that the same caseworker is still responsible for monitoring Christopher's sister.
How is it possible that this incompetent caseworker would be allowed to follow a child who had been tortured under the caseworker's watch?
I don't think this caseworker should be directly involved with any children at all during the course of the investigation.
Finally, Milwaukee Child Welfare Director Denise Revels Robinson made a public statement on camera. This was the first time she has said anything since Christopher's murder.
From TMJ 4:
TOM MURRAY (TMJ 4): Do you feel like your agency has some responsibility for baby Christopher's death?
DENISE REVELS ROBINSON: I think that as we continue our investigation all of that information will be provided.
That's not saying much. Revels Robinson also is on camera saying, "This very tragic situation has affected me both personally and professionally."
Who cares?
The issue is not about how the child's death has affected her.
Obviously, the agency has some responsibility.
There were many people who loved Christopher and wanted to care for him. Christopher's relatives reported to the agency that he and his sister were being abused and needed to be removed from the home of Crystal Keith. The relatives offered to take the children. Darlene and Robert Logan, Christopher's past foster parents, wanted to adopt him. They were denied.
Yes, the agency failed to protect Christopher and his sister. It failed miserably.
At least when Reggie Bicha, secretary of the state Department of Children and Families, commented on camera, he wasn't afraid to fault the system.
REGGIE BICHA: The system did not serve its purpose for Christopher.
That's an understatement.
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Video.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel assembled information on Friday's proceedings and other news on the case in another article, "Review will be handled in secret," posted on Dec. 5, 2008, 11:58 p.m.
New information:
So far, the only action taken by officials that the public knows is that they suspended the foster care license of a West Allis couple who tried to adopt Christopher before he was placed in Keith's home. The couple said they were told lawyers were reviewing the couple's contacts with news media after Christopher's death.
Darlene and Robert Logan's license has been suspended, but the caseworker responsible for Christopher's 2-year-old sister has been retained?
Unbelievable.
Is the system broken?
Yes.
Until it's fixed, more lives will be broken. Guaranteed.
How many other children in foster care are not being monitored adequately? How many are suffering abuse?
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