Three-Year-Old Dies In Okmulgee Foster Home's Care

Kyra was a great little girl. She came to the daycare I work at in Okmulgee. She will be missed!

with all these awsome foster homes and the fantastic job DHS does i can see why we would want to make abortion illeagal. there are plenty of great people to raise those unwanted children, and they will all have bright futures

Wait a minute, let's clear this up now, before anymore comments are left here blaming DHS. Read the story, the child was removed from a foster home and placed in a "tribal foster home". The difference being that DHS is not responsible for the tribal homes that are approved by the tribe. This home is under the supervision of the Creek Tribe and Creek Child Welfare. The ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) states that a child that is declared of indian heritage has to be placed within it's own culture;therefore, the tribe has the authority to place children in their approved tribal homes and decide what occurs with an indian child. Even if they do not have a tribal home to offer the child for placement, they have complete say regarding the child's placement and case.Does the Ryan Luke case "ring a bell" to anyone? It was the same situation. The tribe insisted that the little boy be placed with his maternal grandfather despite the public opposition. He ended up dead as well. One thing that should be mentioned is that a tribal home does not have to meet the same standards as a DHS approved foster home. It's so sad that this little one lost her life. It's not fair for DHS to always bear the brunt of everyone's upset at the fact that Oklahoma has too many abused and neglected children. Instead of blaming, people need to do something. Speak up for the kids, become a foster parent,volunteer with CASA, offer to help out at risk families in your community. Don't be reluctant to confront someone when they are mistreating their children. There is a whole list of things that we could all try to do in order to make a difference. Pray for the children and their families. Stress affects families more than you many know and their is alot of stress in this world right now that people cannot cope with; look around and help if you can. Even a little makes a difference.

How in the world do they "choose" these foster parents. The DHS once again has placed an innocent child in the hands of people who do not love or care for the child. What a sad, sad state of affairs! We can't just keep letting this happen to the children of Oklahoma!

noodles wrote:

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Not a good argument for abortion because the babies that will be unwanted will largely be placed up for adoption and there are PLENTY of families wanting to adopt babies.

your rite. from asia and russia. maybe an african. but not an american child. go ack to working for the edge104.5

whats wrong with you people theres nothing wrong with being indian i'm indian and abusing and causing the death of a child comes from all races anyone is capable of hurting a child but people should think before they react go outside cool off don't hurt these babies they are innocent in these situations remember they never asked to be born.

I think someone accidentally posted the wrong draft on the website. How old was she again? Who was her first foster mom? Who was her second? Oops!

big tragedy, awfully written story.

How many children under DHS's supposedly watchful eye are going to have to die before someone steps up and does something with this sham of a government program????

“I think that the message to anybody that hears her story is or reads about it is Kyra was cheated out of any chance of benefit by the very people who claimed to be her own,” said Blake Moses, a friend of the foster family Kyra lived with in Edmond.

What is that supposed to mean? Are you serious? This could have happened to any child, whether they were in foster care or not. Do some of you even have any common sense on here? The story was horribly written, there are no facts out there just speculation, and Okmulgee county doing an investigation are you kidding me?? Also yes this wasn't DHS but a tribal foster home, but that doesn't have anything to do with anything!! There are many broken and grieving hearts out there right now for that beautiful little girl, but don't go assuming that she was in a bad situation because of the outcome. Things happen, sad things happen. I really hope that some of you learn to think before speaking.

Once again, no one has anything nice to say about DHS but if you read the whole story this innocent little girl was moved from a DHS foster home to a tribal home and that's where she was injured. Not putting down tribal homes, but DHS had no control over this. I am a foster parent in Washington County and I have to say that we have an awesome group of case workers who work wonderfully with the foster parents and make the kids their top priority. It is really sad that a few bad seeds give the whole system a bad name.

A case worker's job is one that nobody can be paid enough to perform. Two employees from DHS tried to help my grand-daughter. It was our court system that allowed an over-aggressive attorney to drag out hearing a protective order for a four-year-old’s against a fifty-year-old. The policeman assigned to the case did no more than call the offender. He dropped the investigation after hearing that a custody issue was involved. Forty-five thousand dollars later the little girl won her fight to be kept away from a person she is afraid to be near.

This child had her life ahead of her,but now she will not see her 4TH BIRTHDAY,HER PROM,HER GRADUATION,HER WEDDING DAY, OR HAVE CHILDREN OF HER OWN. WHY? because the sytem has failed her.She was in a foster home where she was a LIVE AND WELL,but because she was indian the tribal foster care wanted her to be with her own kind and look
where she ended up.All she wanted was to be love
and have a familyshe could call her on,this isall any child wants;however i think that ALL FOSTERS HOMES SHOULD HAVE AN EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECK
BEFORE placing an innocent child in harm's way.
If I was able,I would be fostering a child right now.Children don't ask for much,just a hug,a bedtime story and some love. Now is that to much to ask for?????

I worked at the daycare that Kyra went to in Edmond, she was a great little girl. When my mom called and told me what happend it broke my heart. She made an impact on me like no other little child.. I will miss her dearly but she will always be in my heart..

You have no idea, how that little girl was doing, she was a beautiful, sweet girl full of life and she would sing the sweetest songs.... But there some of you go again blaming child foster care...blah blah. Like I said this could have happened to anyone---rich, poor, black, white, Indian, you name it. It seems as though people always want to judge and point the finger before knowing actual facts...its getting ridiculous. And TAS 1958, how do you know they don't provide background checks huh? " but because she was indian the tribal foster care wanted her to be with her own kind and look where she ended up" Again nothing to do with anything...only when something happens people want to be judgemental and act like what they know is right. People are hurting tonight, leave it alone. When facts come out than base your judgment.

I worked at the daycare in Edmond where Kyra went when she was an infant. Her father abused her and that's why she was taken away in the first place. It is horrible that native americans have their own laws in the first place. She never had a chance to begin with. Now her sister has a chance of being given back to the same people that hurt Kyra in the beginning. Her Edmond foster mom tried so hard to adopt her and they kept dragging their feet. She was a beautiful and sweet little angel. She will forever be missed. We will continue to fight her fight. She is now with the only father you could ever count on. Rest in peace sweet angel!!

Those who abuse children will face a child of God. Those who abuse the elderly will face an elderly maker. Those who abuse the innocent will face the innocense they stole. Those who abuse the uneducated, will face the enlightment of eternal damnation. Watch out, Richard Roberts, you may see the walls of Hell!!

While reading these ridiculous comments from the society that has removed responsibility from most families in rearing the children brought into a situation that only a few can survive unscathed and unscarred... and the judgements passed by persons that have nothing more than a poorly written newspaper story as proof of wrong doing... I wonder how the system can change when it seems to have gone far beyond common sense and decency ?

sad in tulsa wrote:

Wait a minute, let's clear this up now, before anymore comments are left here blaming DHS. Read the story, the child was removed from a foster home and placed in a "tribal foster home". The difference being that DHS is not responsible for the tribal homes that are approved by the tribe. This home is under the supervision of the Creek Tribe and Creek Child Welfare. The ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) states that a child that is declared of indian heritage has to be placed within it's own culture;therefore, the tribe has the authority to place children in their approved tribal homes and decide what occurs with an indian child. Even if they do not have a tribal home to offer the child for placement, they have complete say regarding the child's placement and case.Does the Ryan Luke case "ring a bell" to anyone? It was the same situation. The tribe insisted that the little boy be placed with his maternal grandfather despite the public opposition. He ended up dead as well. One thing that should be mentioned is that a tribal home does not have to meet the same standards as a DHS approved foster home. It's so sad that this little one lost her life. It's not fair for DHS to always bear the brunt of everyone's upset at the fact that Oklahoma has too many abused and neglected children. Instead of blaming, people need to do something. Speak up for the kids, become a foster parent,volunteer with CASA, offer to help out at risk families in your community. Don't be reluctant to confront someone when they are mistreating their children. There is a whole list of things that we could all try to do in order to make a difference. Pray for the children and their families. Stress affects families more than you many know and their is alot of stress in this world right now that people cannot cope with; look around and help if you can. Even a little makes a difference.

My children were placed in a Creek Nation tribal fosterhome. though we are not Creek. The fostermother is Creek and thus they were allegedly trained by the Creek Nation. Apparently they were trained to spank, hit, lock in closets etc by the Creek Nation. After their return by Judge Dean, I filed a complaint with the Creek Nation. Even went to Okmulgee. Nothing ever Happened. More about what OKDHS and the Creek Nation foster care program is available at http://hallcase.bravehost.com

This child fits the FBI profile and should be investigated and the killer should be punished which means a probation in OKLAHOMA. I salute the people that have filed suite against DHS and hope they can end that situation.