Girls' Deaths Spark D.C. Agency Firings

Mayor Says At Least 6 Child And Family Services Employees Mishandled Jacks Family Case

(CBS/AP)  At least six city employees will be terminated for improperly handling concerns about a woman's care for her four daughters, who were later found dead in their home, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said Monday.

The decomposing bodies of the girls - ages 5 to 17 - were found Wednesday when deputy U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at the apartment.

Kathy Lopes, a social worker at the school where the oldest girl was a student, tried twice in April to raise the alarm about the family. At a news conference Monday, Fenty played tapes of two calls she made after Brittany Jacks stopped coming to school to try to get city agencies to investigate.

Lopes describes visiting the house, but not being let in by the mother, Banita Jacks. She said Jacks told her she did not want Brittany going to school because she was afraid she would run away. She reported seeing two or three younger children, who also were not in school.

In a follow-up call, Lopes expresses frustration at being transferred among several departments.

"It appears the mother is suffering from some mental illness and is holding all the children hostage," she says on the tape.

A Child and Family Services social worker made at least two subsequent visits to Jacks's rowhouse, in the 4200 block of Sixth Street SE but no one answered the door either time.

Less than three weeks later, Child and Family Services staffers closed the case, after receiving an unconfirmed report that the Jacks family might have moved to Maryland to live with relatives, reports the Washington Post.

The six employees who are being terminated work for the District of Columbia's Child and Family Services Agency. More workers could lose their jobs as an investigation continues, Fenty said.

Fenty praised Lopes, who works at the Booker T. Washington Public Charter School.

"Unfortunately, she stands out really because so many other people didn't do their job in the way they're supposed to," Fenty said. "The sense of urgency that she showed should be shown in every case and every call that comes through our hot line."

The social worker's call was not the first time someone had tried to alert city officials about the family's situation.

In July 2006, a nurse who had been treating the father of Jacks' youngest two daughters at George Washington Hospital contacted the Child and Family Services hotline to say the family was living in a van and that both parents were struggling with substance abuse. The nurse couldn't provide an address for the family so social workers did not follow up.

Jacks has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. She told investigators that the children were possessed by demons and died in their sleep.

Authorities have not yet determined when the girls died, but say it was at least 15 days before they were found. Jacks' statement to police indicated they had been dead for months.

The medical examiner's office has said there is evidence that Brittany Jacks, 17, had been stabbed and that Tatianna Jacks, 11; N'Kiah Fogle, 6; and Aja Fogle, 5, had markings on their necks and other signs of trauma.

[michellem99-2009]

We can do all these neat things..Go in to space. Give aid to them over seas. We can''t do for our nation''s children. They have abuse and the social worker knows it. Pretty poor system. I hated the foster home program. He/she will be messed up due to that abuse. Yet yer can''t do nothing about it. It is a broken system that need to be fixed. At my age my best friend has heard me cry in my sleep, I was not aware I still do. It is pitiful for the children. They basiclly ware house children in them homes and it is money driven..Some never recover from that life. I have beared my soul in eveey post this platform. Can ye write to them if yer letters would help. Yer Grandbaby have my prayers.

[ewinstedal]

MichelleM99

Thank you for your support! The State has very limited Grandparent''s rights. and Our Child Protection Services as very limited to what they can do. I know the woes of a bad forster home I was in one as a pre teen myself but I was also in a couple of good ones. The child protection services that is working this case is very upset over her hands being tied. All I know at this point is to pray and ask everyone who will to pray with me for his protection.

[Netterz]

Its all about the gov''t stepping in,& power tripping on families they shouldnt, ignoring ones with extreme problems. When the gov''t moved into all of our homes &lives, telling us & our kids from the day they are born just about anything but a sweet smile is abuse. The systems abused nonstop, everytime you ground your kid or tell them no they go run there head into the wall or something, call the cops, next thing you know, mom/dad is sitting in jail, the kid is happy at a game which is what they wanted, to get away with it, & do what the want. We have allowed this to happen, allowed the gov''t to take over our lives, & the result is horrors like this happening, too many people report abuses for stupid reasons, revenge on the ex, kids lying about abuse to put there good parents on the stake to be burned, while the kids who do need protection, fall thru the cracks. I had a freind I testified for at CPS the ex is crazy the worker was 20yo, no kids, but given power to make/break a home/family. I know ppl who claim be licensed to foster kids, are huge dope heads. A good portion of ppl are in it for the $. The system isnt broke, its smashed beyond repair.

[michellem99-2009]

Dear
Yer right. I do feel for yer Grandchild/ren. I know the helplessness of trying to get out of a bad foster home, they look the other way. Can''t the police do welfare check on your Grandchild. Don''t they have the power to go to that home. Does yer state have a Grandparents law? Maine does. Foster mum could not bar my late Grand parents from seeing me, she did not like it. I tryed to report abuse years ago of a child. They did nothing. I saw the child abused and she begged us to take her. We could not I told the girl. Her mum was mean. Some families are not a tight knit family. They go their way. Yer can''t force what is not there. This is pitiful.

[ewinstedal]

To All Who Is Asking Where The Family Was!
It is next to impossiable for a family to interven if the Mother chooses to block you!
With out a pocket full of money for Lawers your hands are tied.
Even after spending $1,000.00''s it dose no good
My Grandson''s Mother is under court orders and I have not seen my Grandson since Nov. and unless I can come up with another $1,500.00 to pay the lawer someone in her family or friend can continue on Molesting & abusing my Grandson and guess what DHR today told me that they where very worried about him but the law has their hands tied!
So trust me I speek form knowing there is not much a family can do!

[michellem99-2009]

The foster homes they are not much better. I know that life. Sure there were red flags..we can ask all the whys as I did growing up. Never an answer. I do not believe them children was possecessed. The Mum sounda like a fanatical christian. If she could not properly care for the girls why this. Mum dumpped us on the town. I say yer fix people who should not children. Some must be fixed. Other people don''t want to raise other people''s kids as my late foster mothers made that clear. The system is broken..Has been for years.

[dowjones20k]

Sad how once again, more children have died because of incompetence and stupidity ...

This craziness goes on daily in this country where DCS, CPS or whatever acronym used is run by bleeding hearts who cant see the forest for the trees ...

The director who runs this outfit should be the one to get the ax also ... as they are the ultimate one who is responsible and has blood on their hands ..

PITIFUL!!!

[taylpatr]

Don''t anybody think that this is a big city problem. A person was turned in because her little kids were running around the yard naked(in an Idaho winter).The place was a mess- the parent was a speed freak and drunk. The child services called them and told them that they had been turned in and could expect a visit and inspection within two weeks. Real effective. Just another example of a nation-wide problem that America suffers from: Slugs that don''t do their job. I wore my back out carrying them around the construction world for 25 years. It''s a shame when they kill the innocent with their incompetence and lack of fortitude. These are definitly not the kind you can depend on.They desreve accessory charges at least.

[gerrim]

Somebody is writing about Defacs but doesn''t explain what that is???

There are NO excuses for the family, neighbors and government agencies who dropped the ball. How does a family not check in regularly to see that the underaged grandchildren are properly cared for?? You may want to drop the wayward daughter but if she is mentally ill you cannot do that. You don''t have children or grandchildren and then drop them.

[thgdriver]

Right, and this 2 by 4 town is taking the second amendment to the supreme court. They have far more serious problems to address then honest citizens defending themselves from the vermin thats obviously abundant there.