Child Abuse Leading to Deaths of 2 Little Girls Prompts DHS Review

[dallasvic]

Child deaths prompt DHS Review


DENVER – The city's Department of Human Services says it will submit to an unprecedented third party review of its policies and procedures following the deaths of two children who had contact with the agency.


Seven year old Chandler Grafner died of starvation in May. Then on Monday, Denver Police found the body of 3-year-old Nevaeh Gallegos in a ravine in west Denver. Nevaeh's mother Miriam Gallegos and her boyfriend Angel Ray Montoya are facing charges in her death.

As was the case in Grafner's death, DHS had contact with the Gallegos family within the past five years. The agency's manager says the third-party review will be much broader than an investigation into an individual child fatality.

"This is a review of all the policies, practices and procedures related to child protection. So, it will look at calls coming in, allegations of abuse, findings of abuse, and services to families and do a top to bottom review of child protection," said Roxanne White with the Denver Department of Human Services.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey says cases involving children, such as the ones of Chandler Grafner and Nevaeh Gallegos are emotional for investigators.

"I know first hand the impact it has on you when you look at pictures of the child that's been murdered, that some times has been sexually assaulted. We recognize that's hard on our staff, it's hard on the detectives that investigate these cases. That's why we have a specialized unit at the Denver District Attorney's office, our family violence unit that handles crimes against children," said Morrissey.

Official charges in the Gallegos case are expected sometime next week.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation, a group spearheading child welfare reform, the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, as well as the state Department of Human Services will conduct the review.