Illinois state lawmaker pushing DCFS for answers following 8-year-old's murder in Round Lake Beach
How much did the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services know about past abuse allegations against a Round Lake Beach mother and her boyfriend, who are now charged in an 8-year-old boy's death? And what did they do?
A state lawmaker is joining the growing call for accountability.
Illinois state Sen. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) is concerned about the lack of transparency that's been provided by DCFS so far in this case. He's asking for a face-to-face meeting with DCFS Director Heidi Mueller to find out what the department had been told in the months leading up to Markell Pierce's death.
"The safety net failed," Lewis said, referring to prosecutors' statements citing reports DCFS received about Markell's well-being before his death.
His former daycare director, Carrie Pinskie, has said she told DCFS about the red flags she noticed in an April phone call.
"I was happy that DCFS was involved at that point," she said.
But DCFS hasn't acknowledged any of it, saying only that his family was not receiving services when he died.
"There's an immediate cloak of, 'We weren't involved, so we don't feel it's necessarily our issue to comment on,'" Lewis said.
The boy's mother, Dominique Servant, and her boyfriend, Joey Ruffin, were charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment after Markell was found dead in their Round Lake Beach home last week.
The boy showed signs of long-term abuse and malnourishment that spanned almost two years, according to prosecutors.
"I believe we just found a gaping hole in our safety net that needs to be reviewed, looked at, and most importantly, fixed," Lewis said.
The state senator said that's why he's asking for a meeting with the director of DCFS to get specifics on the agency's prior involvement in Markell's case.
While Illinois law requires DCFS to produce an official report in cases like these when a child dies as a result of abuse or neglect, Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert said it's not clear if DCFS is actually completing all of those reports.
"It's really a mess, and it's really we're not getting the transparency that we need," Golbert said.
Golbert also has filed a request for an audit with the Illinois Auditor General. He is furthermore concerned with a bill just proposed this legislative session that he said would water down DCFS' reporting requirements in cases like these.
For example, the agency would no longer have to prepare a report when a kid has a life-threatening injury.
Golbert argues that transparency is key to prevention.
"Lack of transparency at a time where it's like squeezing a dried lemon to get information from DCFS about its involvement in Markell's case," Golbert said.
It's clear DCFS had been called about Markell's family before he died.
DCFS initially cited a pending investigation with the Lake County States Attorney's Office as the reason why they couldn't release any information in this case, but police and prosecutors both said they have not asked DCFS to withhold information.
In a statement Friday afternoon, a DCFS spokesperson did not specifically answer a question about incomplete reporting but said their reporting consistently exceeds the requirements set forth in state law:
"As previously stated, we are unable to provide further comment about the specifics of this case at this time. DCFS will provide additional information, including a detailed timeline – in consultation with the Lake County State's Attorney – as soon as we are able to do so in a way that does not interfere with the criminal investigation. DCFS' priority is to support law enforcement as they pursue justice for this tragedy."
