The legal system has failed to protect a 15 month old girl, who had the misfortune to be born into an abusive home. State investigators were first in her home in late July in response to reports of injuries to her five year old brother. His most serious injury was a broken ankle. Authorities took no action because the child insisted that he had sustained the injury while skateboarding.
On October 4, police were called to the hospital when his sister, A’Anya Cantley, was brought in by her mother’s boyfriend with second degree burns to her face and torso. The boyfriend said that she had pulled a pot of boiling water down on herself. Doctors were worried because she also had old injuries including bruises from belt marks and a broken thumb. Both children were put into foster care.
In Child Protective Services abuse cases in Texas, an attorney is appointed by the judge to represent the child and see that her best interests are protected. State law mandates that the attorney for the child shall know the facts of the case and interview all parties including investigators. In many cases, the attorney merely reads the CPS affidavit to prepare for the case.
In this case, the attorney did not interview the state investigator or the police officer. Moments before the case, she asked to meet the mother and talked to her for a few minutes. She now relates that the mother said that the problem was the boyfriend and that he would not be with her children again.
The officer and the CPS investigator opposed returning the children to their mother. The child’s attorney had become sympathetic to the mother and defended her and recommended that the child be returned to the home. She promised that the boyfriend would not be allowed back.
By November 17, it was reported that the boyfriend was back in the home. State investigators tried to find the family without success on a number of occasions. On November 26, A’Anya was dead at a local hospital with a lacerated liver, severe internal bleeding, and various bruises. Her mother said that a rocking chair had fallen on her.
She has been charged with murder. Our legal system is also to blame for this little girl’s death. Child Protective Services is understaffed and can not give any one case the time it deserves. The ultimate problem was that no one involved in the case cared enough to prevent this child’s death.
Related Blog:
Child Left With Caretaker is Dead