Girls Found In Freezer Likely Dead A Year

Adoptive Mother Suspected Of Killing Two Girls, Charged With Abusing A Third; Critics Blame Child Welfare Agency In D.C.

(CBS/AP)  Police investigating child-sized remains found in a basement freezer in southern Maryland believe the children have been dead since at least last fall and the bodies may have been moved several times.

Lt. Paul Starks of the Montgomery County police says investigators are working on the premise that Renee Bowman's two adopted daughters were killed while the family was living in Rockville. Bowman's former landlord there has told police the family moved away in November.

Police searched the Rockville home Tuesday. Investigators told CBS station WUSA in Washington D.C. that they noticed a patch of disturbed earth in the backyard and called in a dog trained to sniff out bodies, or places where bodies have been recently removed.

The dog sent out an ambivalent signal, so police brought in a tarp and more shovels and spent hours digging.

But Capt. Patty Walker, head of Montgomery County Police's Major Crimes Unit told WUSA the digging turned up nothing but more dirt.

The remains in the freezer were found Saturday at Bowman's home in Lusby. Calvert County deputies searched the house after arresting Bowman on child abuse charges related to a third daughter. Autopsy results are pending.

Officials say Bowman was convicted of a misdemeanor and had past financial problems, but was still able to adopt the girls and collect a monthly stipend for their care even after their deaths.

The disturbing case has advocates questioning how the District of Columbia's troubled social services agency evaluates potential adoptive and foster parents.

Bowman told investigators the remains police found over the weekend were those of her two daughters - age 9 and 11 - both adopted from D.C. Bowman, 43, is suspected of killing them and has been charged with first-degree child abuse in the beating and neglect of a third adopted daughter, who is 7.

She was a foster mother to all three before adopting them in 2001 and 2004.

"There is pressure across the board to get those adoption numbers up," Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, said Tuesday. "My question is: Did the D.C. workers have the time to look at it case by case?"
It is the latest tragedy linked to the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency, which has been reeling since the January discovery of the decomposing bodies of four young sisters in a home that had a past report of abuse.

In the Bowman case, officials in D.C. and Maryland say they had no information about any abuse, either before or after the adoptions. But Bowman had a 1999 misdemeanor conviction for threatening to hurt someone, according to court records. Bowman also appeared to be financially unstable, filing for bankruptcy in 2000 and in 2001.

It is unclear when Bowman became a foster mother. Bankruptcy could disqualify a person from becoming one, said D.C. council member Tommy Wells, a former social worker. Bankruptcy might not automatically keep a person from adopting, but it should be considered, he said.

Calvert County deputies made the gruesome discovery of the frozen remains Saturday in Lusby, about 50 miles southeast of Washington.

After adopting the three "special needs" children - a broad category that includes any child over age 5 - Bowman received a monthly stipend of about $2,400 from a federal program for adoptive parents, D.C. Acting Attorney General Peter Nickles said. He said Bowman apparently was being paid even after the children had died.

Before Bowman was allowed to adopt, she was cleared by the FBI and police and passed a background check, which includes a home study, officials said. Bowman worked as an appointment scheduler at a surgery center in northeast D.C. a couple times, the last ending in 2000, a spokeswoman said.

"She had a stable home, her health evaluation, all of those things checked out," city government spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said.

Bowman's background was checked by a contractor, the Baltimore-based Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church. The organization's president did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Nationally, many social services agencies have probationary periods, during which workers visit homes before adoptions are final, said Wexler. However, that might be waived if an applicant had already been observed as a foster parent, as was the case with Bowman, he said.

D.C.'s child welfare system is evaluating its adoption process and the Bowman case, CFSA Interim Director Roque Gerald said in an e-mail.

Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children's Rights, said the New York-based advocacy group has long had concerns about whether D.C.'s child welfare agency adequately supervises private contractors. The group brought a class-action lawsuit against the city nearly 20 years ago that eventually forced the child welfare system into receivership.

In July, Children's Rights sought to hold the city in contempt for failing to make adequate progress. Lowry said work done by contractors was one of the concerns.

Wexler, of the reform group, said he worries that D.C. social workers might have been under pressure to hastily finalize adoptions because of payments - up to $8,000 per child - that state and local governments get from the federal government for adoptions.

Gerald said D.C. received an incentive award only in 2004, the year Bowman adopted the two younger girls.

Calvert County deputies found the remains when they went to Bowman's home with a search warrant to investigate what happened to the youngest daughter, who was found wandering the neighborhood, injured and hungry in a blood- and feces-soaked nightshirt. Bowman admitted beating her with a "hard-heeled shoe," officials said.

CBS station WJZ in Baltimore reports that neighbors in Lusby rarely saw Bowman or an apparent boyfriend and they nearly never saw any children.

"I never once saw kids from the time they moved in," Melinda Miller, a neighbor told WJZ.

That was until this past weekend, when the 7-year-old girl escaped.

Phillip Garrett found her wandering and was shocked at what he saw.

"Wounds, injuries, scars, scrapes, the smell, none of this could have happened overnight," Garrett told WJZ. "It definitely was something that developed over time."

[susieq_13]

What the hell is going on? I would give anything to adopt a child(ren) but I can''t b/c I don''t make enough money and my house isn''t big enough. But I could definitely provide a loving home. I already have 3 children of my own, but I would still love to adopt and help a child out. And look at how these poor poor girls were treated. Abused by their adoptive mom. What a sick women she is. I could have provided a loving home just like a lot of families but instead this monster took those girls in and killed them!!! That just goes to show what is wrong with the system!

[cvenable39]

When will we start blaming the people inflicting these horrible attrocities on children (that is, the parents, adoptive or otherwise) and quit blaming everyone else in the food chain? It is impossible for the child protection agencies to keep up with the staggering number of child abuse cases. There was a case in Oklahoma where a child was killed by the mother and/or her boyfriend, but who do you think took the blunt of the public outcry? The judge, DHS, child welfare workers, etc. There may be some responsibility here, but they are just trying to do their jobs. It is the PARENTS'' job to take care of and SUPPORT their children - not the government''s!

[jamesetling4]

Foster mothers can be downright chilly sometimes.

[thevicar1]

Critics Blame Child Welfare Agency In D.C. - - - -



Makes more sense than blaming Renee Bowman, huh?

[thevicar1]

If the woman killed the girls, its the womans fault ---------------------- Posted by Hwy71So



...unless the girls did something to make her mad...then its their fault.

[observer2020]

It is the PARENTS'''' job to take care of and SUPPORT their children - not the government''''s!
Posted by cvenable39

Tell that to the people in Nebraska and the man who dumped his kids on the state.

[questionnews]

Girls Found In Freezer Likely Dead A Year

Woman Found In Alaska Governor`s Mansion Likely Brain-Dead A Year

Posted by Nancy_Naive at 03:33 PM : Oct 01, 2008

Boy, you politically obsessed psychos won''t let any story by without posting your fanatical partisan brain farrt comments.

Did you know that there is a section called "Politics" on the CBS main page???? Please haul your steaming pile of political opinions over there!

[livewire190]

...unless the girls did something to make her mad...then its their fault.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by TheVicar1 at 01:32 PM

Now how in the hell is this their fault! I dont care what a little kid do while thier young nothen in the world should make somebody do this to a child! If she was mad then give them back to the gov. not kill them then stick''em in a freezer.

From the sound of your comment I now think you have a habit of abussing helpless children. Sad sham.

[plakpder]

I hope the FBI investigate the individual who wrote "...unless the girls did something to make her mad...then its their fault. This speaks volume about this persons mindset...obviously, this individual is abusive or shows a propensity for being a child abuser. What grown up with a sound mind would fault a child...not to mention corpal punishment.

[lovesamerica]

Too many levels of Gov. agencies has caused a system inadequate to check on the kids in foster homes and orphanages,and where they are placed. Kids having kids. unwed mothers,drug abusers all keep adding to the number of children needing homes.The poor girls were lost in a system that is broken. There is something to be said for abortion,the children that are already here need our full attention

[mydiatribe]

Murder for profit is a capital crime.
I believe Maryland still has the death penalty.
This woman is deaerving of the most severe punishment.
I hope the prosecutor has the courage to proceed accordingly.

[myopinion381]

WHERE IS THE BIOLOGICAL MOTHER, FATHER, GRANDMOTHER, GRANDFATHER, AUNT, UNCLE!? WHERE!! Posted by proisrael at 03:11 PM

It could be possible that these children''s parents were killed (i.e. car accident or something like that). And, it not unusual for some families to be small. A lot of people are waiting until they are older to have children and by that time, the grandparents may have passed away. Just some things that could be possible. We shouldn''t judge the biological parents until all the facts are know. Now blaming the adoptive mother, that I can totally agree with.

[airboatboy1]

Relax PROISREAL! He was only kidding! I was going to make a smart-a$$ comment but I won''t now!

[myopinion381]

Oh god! What world do you live in? What are the chances that your scenario is correct? I think it is more like a teenage mother having babies. She doesn''''t want to take care of them so she doesn''''t. Father doesn''''t want them either. They take the kids away and put them in foster care. How about that? Doesn''''t that sound more reasonable to you? Do you ever read the newspaper, listen to the news? Posted by proisrael at 05:40 PM

To answer your question, I live in the same world that you do, that is if you live on earth. Now I''m starting to wonder. All I''m trying to say is that not everyone has family to back them up. I happen to come from a family that, unfortunately, is down to 4 living members. Do you think I like that? NO. But then again, I really don''t have much choice in the matter!!

[myopinion381]

Oh and another thing proisrael, I do watch the news at least twice a day. And as far as if I read the newspaper, what do you think I''m doing now? Pretty stupid questions from you, if you ask me.

[myopinion381]

Pretty stupid scenario, if you ask me. Posted by proisrael at 05:52 PM

And what is so stupid about the scenario?

[kansas1946]

The foster care system is in deplorable condition. There is too little funding and children are suffering unimaginable horrors everyday because of it.

[rhs648]

Murder for profit is a capital crime.
I believe Maryland still has the death penalty.
This woman is deaerving of the most severe punishment.
I hope the prosecutor has the courage to proceed accordingly.

Posted by mydiatribe

Maryland has the death penalty but has suspended it while the governor and legislature decide whether to allow the continued use of the death penalty. In other words, we have it but do not use it. The governor is opposed to the death penalty on religious grounds.

[rhs648]

The foster care system is in deplorable condition. There is too little funding and children are suffering unimaginable horrors everyday because of it.

Posted by kansas1946

Is money the real issue. If Bowman''s stipend for csring for her children were doubled, do you think the outcome would be different. This woman is a horrible excuse for a human. She must be a psychopath to murder children in her care. If she were decent, she could have given the children back to child protective services. Some people are just garbage.

[gramto8]

The foster care system is in deplorable condition. There is too little funding and children are suffering unimaginable horrors everyday because of it.

Posted by kansas1946
Is money the real issue. If Bowman''''s stipend for csring for her children were doubled, do you think the outcome would be different. This woman is a horrible excuse for a human. She must be a psychopath to murder children in her care. If she were decent, she could have given the children back to child protective services. Some people are just garbage.

Posted by rhs648

I have to agree with rhs548. This person got $2400/month to ''care'' for these girls. She even got this $$$ after she had killed and frozen the two older girls. That is a nice paycheck to care for three girls... needless to say it is excellent for just the one. There is no monetary reason for her actions. There is only her abhorent attitude that she didn''t want to deal with raising the girls she adopted.

[gly2012]

These stories are so sad for all the innocent children...these agencies get things wrong with the abusive adults while tending to sometimes harass innocent children because of false claims by disgruntled third parties.

[lynnt11]

My heart goes out to this brave little girl.I really hope she is adopted by a nice family who will give her the love and attention that she deserves.I would really like to send her a teddy bear or a donation to her. Any suggestions anyone?

[maggg1]

For anyone wanting to donate either money or gifts for the little girl can contact the DC Child Protective Services and they will instruct you on what to do.