Child-welfare records draw interest in Rowan Ford case

I had three independent sources who indicated there had been prior hot-line calls made NEOSHO, Mo . - The Newton County prosecutor has subpoenaed Missouri Department of Social Services records for 9-year-old rape and murder victim Rowan Ford. via Joplin Globe

[Rebecca]

I said before in another forum that I suspected there was prior abuse! I hope they look into this! DCFS sucks, and if they had 3 reports that were found to be not credible, and this little girl ended up being that social worker should be charged too! When are they systems put in place to protect these children going to start doing their jobs? This is OUR tax money, people! WE as taxpayers pay these people salaries, and they are too worried about offending negligent parents to do what they are payed to do- which is to be advocates for these children!!!!!!!!

[tonya]

CHARGE THESE SOCIAL WORKERS AND MAYBE THEY WILL START DOING THERE JOB BETTER AND MAYBE IT WILL STOP THEM PUTTING THESE CHILDREN WHERE THEY ARE ABUSED MORE.PUNISH THESE PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE STATE EMPLOYEES DONT MEAN THEY SHOULDEN"T BE HELD ACCCOUNTABLE.

[Josephine Dublin Ohio]

Social Services must go through many processes (get their paperwork & facts) in order before they can even begin investigating. To my knowledge, no times/dates have ever been cited for when these 3 hotline reports were made.
A famous quote says "It takes a Village to Raise a Child". I have seen many neglected children like Rowan and they all have the same indicators:
Too much un-supervised time where they are seen all over town; sad, pleading eyes ~ hungry for affection that they reach out to kind faces they encounter; unkempt and neglected appearances and they are often poorly fed.
Calling Social Services is easy, but making neglected Children your concern requires personal sacrifice. My Grandmother would feed any neighbor child no matter how incovenient, how financially difficult it was. She'd do without before seeing one child go hungry. She'd also would get to know the parents and extend them grace. She'd keep the child with us as long as the parents allowed (and sometimes that was days on end. She practically raised two kids in my neighbor besides her own grandchildren. She didn't judge, she just felt that God gave her heart eyes to see and hands to heal and that is what she did.
My challenge to everyone is this: Don't wait for someone else to DO something, concern yourselves! Personally take interest and see how you can manage the obvious issues instead of waiting for something bad to happen! If more people were like my Grandmother, children wouldn't have to suffer as much!
It should also go without saying that IF you personally see physical proof of child abuse or if the child tells you things that cause you to believe he/she is in immediate danger, then by all means call the Police right away!

[Rebecca]

Josephine Dublin Ohio wrote:

Social Services must go through many processes (get their paperwork & facts) in order before they can even begin investigating. To my knowledge, no times/dates have ever been cited for when these 3 hotline reports were made.
A famous quote says "It takes a Village to Raise a Child". I have seen many neglected children like Rowan and they all have the same indicators:
Too much un-supervised time where they are seen all over town; sad, pleading eyes ~ hungry for affection that they reach out to kind faces they encounter; unkempt and neglected appearances and they are often poorly fed.
Calling Social Services is easy, but making neglected Children your concern requires personal sacrifice. My Grandmother would feed any neighbor child no matter how incovenient, how financially difficult it was. She'd do without before seeing one child go hungry. She'd also would get to know the parents and extend them grace. She'd keep the child with us as long as the parents allowed (and sometimes that was days on end. She practically raised two kids in my neighbor besides her own grandchildren. She didn't judge, she just felt that God gave her heart eyes to see and hands to heal and that is what she did.
My challenge to everyone is this: Don't wait for someone else to DO something, concern yourselves! Personally take interest and see how you can manage the obvious issues instead of waiting for something bad to happen! If more people were like my Grandmother, children wouldn't have to suffer as much!
It should also go without saying that IF you personally see physical proof of child abuse or if the child tells you things that cause you to believe he/she is in immediate danger, then by all means call the Police right away!

Dear Josephine-
I also have practically raised several of my daughters friends. I would also keep them for days on end- sometimes weeks. My husband and I end up falling in love with these kids as much as we love our own children. With one set of sisters in particular. I tried befriending the mom, but she was usually too intoxicated or under the influence of drugs to have a conversation. The end of my rope came when one of the sisters came over and she had a black eye, a bruise in the clear shape of a handprint, and her lower eyelid almost all the way torn off. When I asked her what happened she said the cat did it. Later that night she came in my room when I was reading and said her mom did it. She begged me not to call the police because she was terrified but I did it anyway. I told her I love her too much to let her be in danger.
Dcfs did NOTHING. In fact, even though the mom was arrested and has 4 counts of aggrevated battery against her, they said the case was unfounded! They refused to remove the children from home, but the State's Attorney's office over-rode them and removed the children. Thank God!

[Rebecca]

I called DCFS every day after the incident and reported everything the kids told me that was going on in the house and DCFS still did nothing.
I ended up going to his boss. And then to HIS boss. Then I called the main office in Springfield and went to the main boss.
Then I filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals office.
I hope they all get fired.
At the time she was beaten their office had 3 compalints they were "investigating" regarding this family!!!!!

[Angela Mo]

ya know people want to look all on the welfare and men who did this but you also have to stop and think that the mother married this man. She knew this man and I don't feel she should of left him in charge of this little girl cause he was a partier and so were his friends and that was known. So the soul person who was to keep this baby safe at all cost is her momma and I feel that was not done so may god be with everyone in this situation.

[Blankman]

DFS can only do what they are allowed to do within the restrictions set upon them by law. You can thank ultra-liberal groups who fight for the "civil rights" of criminals for those restrictions.

[tonya]

THERE RESTRICTIONS they dont seem to have boundries when they jerk children out of the homes where they are safer than the homes they put them in where the foster parenets rape them they are killed in foster care ect ect ect restrictions they just dont care .

[Blankman]

tonya wrote:

THERE RESTRICTIONS they dont seem to have boundries when they jerk children out of the homes where they are safer than the homes they put them in where the foster parenets rape them they are killed in foster care ect ect ect restrictions they just dont care .

First of all, "Puncuation": Learn it, use it, help us actually understand what you're saying.
Second, these calls were for head lice. Despite what you think, schools do call DFS for recurring head lice infestations. And, despite what you think, DFS is limited by LAWS. Just like police and every other public safety entity. They have certain procedures they must follow, criteria that must be met to remove a child, etc.
Third, have you ever taken in foster kids? I love our society, we are willing to complain about what we think is wrong but so often refuse to be a part of the solution.

[tonya]

No, I Have not taken in foster kids. I had my kid put in foster care away from me for no good reason and placed in a home with a woman with a long history of drug abuse and a man who was on probation for murder shooting a man putting him a van and burning his body. Vicci spicer (CASE WORKER).Thought that was a safe place. They just dont care nor do they take time to investigate. My son was in this dangerous place for 8 days before DFS even ran a back ground check on these people.

[Claire Messick]

There are good and bad in every situation with social services. I know of a a case where they actually saved a childs life. But sometimes they are placed in a home that is worse then the one they are taken out of. They do have regulations and rules to follow, we as the tax payers do need to see that the proper investigations are done on both the children's homeand the foster home. We all need to work together and see that this is done. "Good by sweet Rowan" She isin a much better place now. What is being done wth the step grandmother? We all know she new what was going on.

[harold s billingsley]

the dfs should be held resp. for this little girl. thet come in like gang busters for you telling your kids to be home at a certain time,( this is called child abuse), or thet are grounded. come on dfs, step up and say that you were wrong. no way chicken livers will you admit this

[AmandaS]

DFS is a JOKE! The WHOLE legal system in respect to "child welfare" is a joke. It's about impossible to spank your child anymore with some hassle from them...but they'll let kids get literally beaten, and they do nothing. Then, they put children with these monsters of the foster home situation. Had a couple arrested here in town that were taking in foster kids...getting the nice government checks, and smoking marijuana..right in front of the kids! JUST GREAT! HELLO>>>DRUG TESTING? Ever heard of it? Ya have to take one to get a decent job around here..but not to be a foster parent? Ridiculous! I by no means think that all foster parents are "BAD APPLES," and i believe that the concept of the foster care program is a great and powerful thing. But come on, tighten up the system. Regualate it. DCFS should take some of the blame for this incident...most definitely..however, Im sure they won't.

[tonya]

YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! MY SON WAS TAKEN FROM ME FOR A BOGAS PETTY CHARGE AND DFS PLACED HIM WITH HIS FATHER THAT WAS IN TROUBLE FOR BEING INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF DAN GILDEA 2001 AND BURNING HIS BODY IN A VAN IN BAXTER SPRINGS KS. MY SON WAS IN HIS CARE AT THE TIME .(HELLO)RECENTLY HE WAS MAD AT MY SON AND THREATENED HIM SAYING HE WAS GONA BEAT HIM UNRECONIZIBLE AND TO TAKE A PHOTO OF HIS SELF HE WONT LOOK THE SAME WHEN HE GETS DONE WITH HIM. DFS SAYS ITS NOT A REPTIBLE CLAIM HE HASEN"T HURT HIM. THREATENING A CHILD IS NOT A CRIME. SAVE THESE CHILDREN FROM NOT ONLY PHYSICLE ABUSE BUT IT IS A SHAME THEY HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR AND MENTALLY TORTURED.

[Rebecca]

I don't know about your state but I live in Illinois. DCFS is a joke here. There are horrible parents who have been reported mutiple times and DCFS doesn't investigate. They say they have to go check within 24 hours on it- but they have nobody who holds them accountable. And if you call back when you see NOTHING happened and the kids are STILL being abused and they won't tell you anything!!! Kids have to be murdered before they do anything.

[Evalles]

I know, my 16 yr old daughter was placed with criminals after I yelled at her. I made the worker angry and I've been to court 12 times in a year and my kid never had a mark on her. After a year, the worst they can say about me is that I'm sarcastic..DFS in Missouri needs to be taken out,

tonya wrote:

YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! MY SON WAS TAKEN FROM ME FOR A BOGAS PETTY CHARGE AND DFS PLACED HIM WITH HIS FATHER THAT WAS IN TROUBLE FOR BEING INVOLVED IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF DAN GILDEA 2001 AND BURNING HIS BODY IN A VAN IN BAXTER SPRINGS KS. MY SON WAS IN HIS CARE AT THE TIME .(HELLO)RECENTLY HE WAS MAD AT MY SON AND THREATENED HIM SAYING HE WAS GONA BEAT HIM UNRECONIZIBLE AND TO TAKE A PHOTO OF HIS SELF HE WONT LOOK THE SAME WHEN HE GETS DONE WITH HIM. DFS SAYS ITS NOT A REPTIBLE CLAIM HE HASEN"T HURT HIM. THREATENING A CHILD IS NOT A CRIME. SAVE THESE CHILDREN FROM NOT ONLY PHYSICLE ABUSE BUT IT IS A SHAME THEY HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR AND MENTALLY TORTURED.

[Jan]

I live in Montana and I know DFS is not only a joke here but in TN as well. My sisters daughter contracted Bacterial pnuemonia (not common here) we took her to the doctors that very day for a runny nose and watery eyes, The doctor told us she had a cold (like I said that form of pnuemonia isn't common here) sent her home, My sister left her with her husband, we went and did laundry, my sister tucked her in and kissed her goodnight, I went over the next morning to find out that my sister had found her 18 month old daughter dead against her bedroom door and that she had asphyxiated on stuff in her lungs. DFS took my nephews, refused custody to family, after the state released the autopsy result and ruled out foul play or anything else, DFS STILL refused to give my sister or myself or her husbands family custody of the boys, those 3 kids did not get to attend their sisters funeral, they never got to say goodbye to their sister and DFS kept them and did not inform or let anyone else inform them that their sister had passed away..DFS kept them for an unfounded 2.5 years before handing them over to my mother who was charged with multiple accounts of child abandonment and abuse on myself and another sibling. I myself grew up in 23 different foster homes after living with a mother who abandoned me 6 times, and beat me near death only to be returned time and again, only ending up in the system by the grace of a man who refused to take no for an answer.

TN. Split my own children up after my exhusband abducted my daughter. I have not seen her now in 7 years. The one time I found him I called his probation officer, he was arrested for probation violation and released, and my child returned to him....Sounds like DFS is having issues across the board. They don't like you they take your kids..If you scare them, they run away..these people typically have no backbones, and myself enduring mental and physical abuse at the hands of people with no backbones, leaves me no sympathy for DFS whatsoever.

[Ann]

Well I know when I went to my foster care classes.
They really checked our back ground. There is alway exceptions to the rule. Instead of comlaining all the time do some thing about it. Become a foster parent. Some times it can be hard having these children in your home and because of there home life have a lot of problems.