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Cases of baby abuse show spike

Barbara Carmen and Dana Wilson
The Columbus Dispatch
December 14, 2006

Rachel Ewers left her 11-month-old son, Nicholas, with her new live-in boyfriend on Tuesday and headed off to work the early shift at Meijer.

When she returned home around 3 p.m., she checked on her son and found him napping in his crib, she said. "I could see his arm moving. I could see him breathing."

But by 10 p.m., Nicholas was lifeless.

He is now the fifth central Ohio baby who authorities think was shaken or battered by a caregiver in the past three weeks.

His is also the second death. Duy Leon Cenobio died Nov. 22. Her mother’s boyfriend is charged with murder.

Another baby was shaken on Dec. 10 and remains on life support at Children’s Hospital. Two others admitted to the hospital will survive, but they face a lifetime of learning disabilities and physical and behavioral problems.

Raytone Wilson, 21, who has dated Ewers for two months, is charged with one count of murder in the death of her son, Nicholas Goodrich. He was being held yesterday in the Delaware County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.

Ewers, 22, thinks Nicholas bruised his chin by falling off a couch and landing on a toy and that Wilson bruised him while performing CPR in the home they shared at 506 McKinley Lane in Delaware.

But Delaware police Capt. Bruce Pijanowski said the injuries appeared to be caused by a deliberate act. Detectives noted "significant physical trauma" when they were called to Grady Memorial Hospital.

The baby was dead when Ewers and Wilson carried him into the emergency room at 10:25 p.m. Tuesday.

Ewers says she was at home during the baby’s final hours but had fallen asleep. Police, however, think Wilson may have been left alone with Nicholas.The number of battered children concerns Dr. Philip V. Scribano, medical director at the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Children’s Hospital. The last time he saw so many shaken babies was a few years ago when two were killed within a week.

Holiday stress might be pushing some caregivers over the edge, Scribano said.

"Christmas was a holiday that was to bring peace. We see that, unfortunately, people don’t embrace the true essence of the holiday and feel the social pressure to create it.

"So it becomes the straw that broke the camel’s back, in terms of stress management and children being injured and even being neglected."

Children’s typically sees more cases of child abuse during the holidays. Because of federal laws protecting patient confidentiality, the hospital could confirm only the number of shaken babies being treated. Names were not released.

The injuries of the two surviving babies could take years to determine. "They may have problems that will not be manifested until they’re schoolage," Scribano said.

Shaking a baby whips the soft brain against the still-roomy skull, tearing blood vessels. This leaves distinctive bleeding patterns that serve as medical fingerprints.

But Scribano prefers the term "abusive head trauma" because not all children who are shaken are babies and shaking is often accompanied by other physical abuse.

The message still needs to get out, Scribano said, that "you need to make wise decisions as to who should be caregivers for your child. But if you’re feeling desperate, and you need someone to watch your kids so you can go to work," those decisions may be pressured, he said.

Lisa Carroll, a nurse who teaches shaken-baby-prevention programs with state grants, said public education is the key. She’s working with a statewide coalition of doctors and hospitals to push for laws mandating education programs for new parents and child-care providers.

The group hopes to get federal money to produce publicservice announcements during television shows watched by men; national statistics show that 70 percent of shaken babies were shaken by boyfriends, stepfathers or fathers.

"(Five) shaken babies in less than a month –— it just makes me realize we’re not reaching our target audience," Carroll said. "It just makes me sick."

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Man Accused of Causing 11-Month-Old's Death

An 11-month-old baby was battered, bruised and is now dead. Police now say they know who killed him.

Officials are confident that the baby's death was deliberate. They won't say why they're so certain the suspect is to blame, but he's behind bars on a $500,000 bond.

Nicholas Goodrich's mother says her son was sleeping peacefully when she got home at 3 p.m. Tuesday, but by 10:00 p.m., the baby was lifeless in his crib.

"When mom checked the child later in the evening, she determined at some point that there was something wrong," says Capt. Bruce Pijanowski.

The mother and her live in boyfriend, Raytone Wilson, rushed the baby to the emergency room where staff directly dialed 911.

The staff member said the baby had blood on his face and that his mother had said she found him that way.

Delaware police say their investigation revealed more red flags.

"We noticed bruising all over the baby's body," says Capt. Pijanowski.

Nicholas' mother, who didn't want to talk on camera, says the baby fell off the couch. She also says she's left her son alone with Wilson many times before and says she doesn't believe he would hurt the child. Police say they do. They charged Wilson with murder.

Police searched the couple's home and Nicholas' mother says detectives took the baby's crib, teddy bear and blanket. An autopsy will reveal exactly how the baby died. Until then, police will only say they have a strong case.

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Mother Shares Details of Baby's Last Day Alive

Reported by Tanisha Mallett
10TV News

A baby was murdered and the mother of the 11-month-old and the man accused of killing him spoke to 10TV.

The boy's mother, Rachael Ewers, says she knows her boyfriend would never hurt her child. Raytone Wilson is charged in the death of 11-month-old Nicholas Goodrich.

Ewers says police never considered other reasons why her son died before charging Wilson with murder.

"I never had any reason to believe what so ever that he could do this," says Ewers.

That's why Ewers says she had no problem with Wilson watching her son.

Ewers says, "He's not the father of my baby but he has been a great step-in to replace and he's never been anything but good to him."

Ewers says that was the case Wednesday when she went to work around 5:00 a.m. and when she came home around 2:45 p.m.

"We checked on him periodically throughout the evening and every time we checked, he was sleeping and I even saw him moving and snoring and breathing. He was just fine," says Ewers.

However, Ewers says she and Wilson found the baby lifeless in his crib around 10:00 p.m. Wilson said he noticed it first.

"I picked him up and he was just lifeless," he says.

Wilson says he immediately started CPR, but blood started coming out of the baby's nose.

"His face started swelling up real bad and [so did] the back of his head. That's when I ran back in the front room and said, 'Babe, there's something wrong with him,'" he says.

Wilson denies ever hurting the child. He says, "If I had intentionally done this then he would have been dead when she got home. If I would have done something to him."

Ewers says she has no idea what happened to her son and can't understand how police can point the finger at her boyfriend so soon.

"I believe they haven't even given the chance to look into the opportunity that it could be SIDS," says Ewers.

The Delaware Police Department told 10TV that it is not possible the baby died as a result of SIDS or even shaken baby syndrome. They are certain this was an unnatural death.

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NOVEMBER CALLS TO AUTHORITIES
Sitter says she reported abuse before baby died

Randy Ludlow and Dana Wilson
The Columbus Dispatch
December 15, 2006

DELAWARE, Ohio — A baby sitter alarmed by bruises on 11-month-old Nicholas Goodrich said she called children services officials on Nov. 20 to report that she suspected abuse.

What steps children services workers took to investigate the complaint are uncertain because such matters are confidential.

This much is certain: Nicholas is dead.

The lifeless infant with blood on his face was carried by his mother and her boyfriend into the emergency room of a Delaware hospital Tuesday night.

Police charged Raytone Wilson, 21, with murdering the son of Rachel Ewers, 22, his girlfriend of two months.

A baby sitter said she was concerned for Nicholas’ well-being and called children services in Franklin and Delaware counties three weeks before he died.

The infant had heavy bruises on the right side of his head, particularly on his right ear, said the woman, who asked not to be named because she fears for her safety.

The sitter said Ewers told her that the boy got the bruises after falling off a couch while sleeping. The woman, however, said she had noticed other signs that the baby had been abused or neglected.

She said she took photographs of the child’s injuries and gave them to Delaware police officers who interviewed her Wednesday.

Capt. Bruce Pijanowski said officers were looking into the woman’s report that she called children services officials with her suspicions.

Mona Reilly, director of the Delaware County Department of Job and Family Services, said the agency was "checking into the calls that came in" but could neither confirm nor deny receiving a report.

Investigations of reported child abuse are mandatory under state law.

The baby sitter said she called Franklin County Children Services on Nov. 20 and was told to call Delaware County because Ewers and Wilson recently had moved to Delaware.

Wilson, who played football and ran track at Central Crossing High School, grew up in the Grove City area.

Franklin County Children Services confirmed that the agency received a call about Nicholas Goodrich last month.

The agency reviewed the report but did not investigate, spokeswoman Kay Marshall said. Agency Director John Saros has requested an administrative inquiry into how the matter was handled, Marshall said.

Ewers, reached Wednesday, defended Wilson, saying he would not harm her child.

The results of the infant’s autopsy could be released today. Wilson is being held on a $500,000 bond. The case is expected to be reviewed next week by a grand jury.

[Admin]

Mother charged in baby’s death
Police say 11-month-old died of severe brain injuries; woman accused of child-endangering

Dana Wilson
The Columbus Dispatch
December 16, 2006

DELAWARE, Ohio — Police arrested the 22-year-old mother of an infant who died this week, accusing her of not caring for and protecting her son.

Rachel Ewers, of 506 McKinley Lane in Delaware, was charged yesterday with one count of child endangering. She is the second person to be charged after the death of her son, 11-month-old Nicholas Goodrich.

Authorities this week linked Ewers’ live-in boyfriend, Raytone Wilson, 21, to the infant’s death and charged him with murder.

Ewers is accused of endangering Nicholas between Nov. 1 and Tuesday, when she and Wilson carried the lifeless child into the emergency room at Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware.

Hospital officials called police, who quickly determined the injuries appeared to be caused by a deliberate act.

Authorities announced yesterday that Nicholas died as a result of severe injuries to the brain.

A preliminary autopsy report ruled out shakenbaby syndrome and sudden infant death syndrome, also known as crib death, said Delaware Police Capt. Bruce Pijanowski.

"The severity of the injuries make it clear that it was an assault," Pijanowski said. He declined to elaborate on what specifically caused the child’s injuries.

Police are not saying that Ewers had any part in her son’s death but say she should’ve been aware something was wrong with his care.

Ewers told The Dispatch this week that she thought Wilson was innocent. She said she awoke from a nap about 10 p.m. Tuesday to the sounds of Wilson performing CPR on Nicholas.

"He tried to resuscitate him for a few minutes," Ewers said. "I heard him in there … I thought he was giving him raspberries (kisses). That’s when he came out and said, ‘I think there’s something wrong.’ "

Ewers said she felt shocked and afraid as they drove to the hospital.

A babysitter said she was concerned for Nicholas’ wellbeing and called children services in Franklin and Delaware counties three weeks before he died.

The infant had heavy bruises on the right side of his head, particularly on his right ear, said the woman, who asked not to be named because she fears for her safety.

The sitter said Ewers told her that the boy got the bruises after falling off a couch while sleeping. Franklin County Children Services confirmed that the agency received a call about Nicholas last month. Agency officials are reviewing how the matter was handled.

Mona Reilly, director of the Delaware County Department of Job and Family Services, said the agency was "checking into the calls that came in" but yesterday could neither confirm nor deny receiving a report.

The cases against Ewers and Wilson are expected to be reviewed next week by a grand jury.

Pijanowski said his officers are driven to get justice for Nicholas.

"This is something that sickens everyone," he said.

[Admin]

Delaware couple indicted in infant’s death

The Columbus Dispatch
Thursday, December 21, 2006

DELAWARE, Ohio -- A 21-year-old man accused last week of killing an infant was indicted for murder with death-penalty specifications today by a Delaware County grand jury.

Raytone Wilson is charged in the death of 11-month-old Nicholas Goodrich on one count each of aggravated murder and murder, as well as two counts of endangering children, according to the Delaware County prosecutor's office.

The infant's mother, Rachel Ewers, 22, of Delaware, also was indicted today on charges of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of endangering children.

Delaware police last week linked Wilson, Ewers' live-in boyfriend, to the infant's death and charged him with murder.

Ewers also was accused by police of endangering Nicholas between Nov. 1 and Nov. 12, when she and Wilson carried the lifeless child into the emergency room at Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware.

Hospital officials called police, who quickly determined the injuries appeared to be caused by a deliberate act.

Authorities later confirmed that Nicholas died as a result of severe injuries to the brain.

[Admin]

Delaware County woman fired for mishandling report of child abuse

By Dana Wilson
The Columbus Dispatch
December 28, 2006

DELAWARE, Ohio -- A Delaware County Children Services supervisor was fired today for failing to respond to reported abuse of an 11-month-old boy who later died, officials said.

Commissioners emerged from a brief private meeting this morning and voted to terminate Lee Hayes from her position as an intake supervisor.

The commissioners' decision follows an internal review that examined two calls made to Children Services workers in November. The second of two calls, both of which reported suspected abuse of Nicholas Goodrich, was mishandled by Hayes, Commissioner Jim Ward said.

Nicholas died weeks later of severe injuries to his brain. The boy's mother, Rachel Ewers, 22, of Delaware, and her live-in boyfriend, Raytone Wilson, 21, have been charged in the boy's death.

Hayes oversaw employees who receive calls and investigate allegations of child abuse and/or neglect. She has worked for the county since 1992.

“(Hayes) was the supervisor, and it was her responsibility that this sort of thing should never have happened,” Ward said. “She did not handle things correctly.”

Ward said it remains unclear why Hayes did not respond to the complaints once Children Services confirmed Ewers lived in the county's jurisdiction. Ewers previously lived in Franklin County.

“I have heard nothing to tell me why,” Ward said.

Hayes' attorney, Tony Heald, said his client will consider appealing the commissioners' decision to the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.

Meanwhile, how the case was handled by child-welfare officials in Delaware and Franklin counties is being reviewed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

[Admin]

Mother denied second chance
Judge gives her 13 years for role in baby's death

By Dana Wilson
The Columbus Dispatch
October 12, 2007

DELAWARE, Ohio -- Rachel Ewers broke down as she apologized in court yesterday for being naive and for not realizing that her son was being harmed.

She sobbed before the judge and told him that her heart aches for her 11-month-old boy, Nicholas Goodrich, who died in December at the hands of Ewers' live-in boyfriend. She called the baby, whom prosecutors say she neglected in the months before his death, her "heart and soul."

Then she asked the judge to give her a second chance, so she could care for the daughter she gave birth to seven months after her son's death.

"Your honor, I would like to request mercy, not for me but for the little girl back home waiting for my return," said Ewers, 23. "Not only do I need her but more importantly, she needs me."

After listening to her pleas that she is now a better mother, the judge sentenced Ewers to 13 years in prison. And he told her exactly why.

"Quite frankly, ma'am, why should I ever give you a second chance with your daughter when you showed no compassion for your son, Nicholas, whatsoever?" asked Common Pleas Judge W. Duncan Whitney.

"I did, your honor," Ewers said.

"Well, not from the record I can see," Whitney said.

Authorities have said Nicholas died Dec. 12 in the apartment Ewers and her boyfriend, Ray-Tone Wilson, shared in Delaware but that hours passed before the couple took the child to Grady Memorial Hospital.

An autopsy determined that Nicholas died of head injuries, which included bleeding of the brain and extensive retinal hemorrhages -- evidence of severe shaking and blunt-force trauma.

In the weeks before Nicholas' death, at least five referrals about his care and condition were made to Children Services agencies in Delaware and Franklin counties. Some of the callers reported bumps and bruises on his body. Neither agency opened an investigation.

A state review of the baby's death found that child-welfare employees mishandled reports of Nicholas' abuse.

The boy's death prompted Delaware County officials to fire Children Services intake supervisor Lee Hayes for ignoring a call from someone reporting suspected abuse. Hayes is appealing her termination with the Ohio State Personnel Board of Review.

Ewers will serve her sentence in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville.

She had changed her initial not-guilty plea on charges of involuntary manslaughter, endangering children and permitting child abuse. She entered an Alford plea -- not an admission of guilt, but a concession that the state had enough evidence to convict her -- to three felony counts of child endangering, avoiding a jury trial.

In June, Whitney sentenced Wilson to a mandatory prison term of 15 years to life for Nicholas' murder. Wilson is the father of Ewers' daughter.

Delaware County Assistant Prosecutor Alison Peters told the judge yesterday that Nicholas lived an unhappy life. The boy was neglected during his final two months, when on seven occasions he was left alone in his crib for up to eight hours at a time while Ewers and Wilson were at work, Peters said.

She told the judge that Ewers had many chances to prevent the baby's death.

"No one is here today on Nicholas Goodrich, the baby's, behalf," Peters said. "No one is here today to speak out for him."

Ewers' attorney, Ross Long, told the judge that his client had rebelled from her parents' strict upbringing and had very low self-esteem.

He acknowledged that her parenting skills were "not the best" but said she has worked to become a better mother.

He asked the judge not to send his client to prison.

"Rachel had no intent to harm this child," Long said.

Referrals were made to Children Services before Nicholas' death. His autopsy revealed blunt-force trauma.

[Admin]

System fails, kids die
Agency workers' bad decisions leave children in hands of abusers

Randy Ludlow
The Columbus Dispatch
December 21, 2008

Nicholas Goodrich would have been walking and talking by now.

Instead, he rests beneath a stone, eternally 11 months old.

He's dead in part because the government workers entrusted to protect him ignored pleas -- at least 12 calls to officials in Franklin and Delaware counties over four weeks -- to stop the abuse.

Nicholas was speckled with bruises and had a bite mark on his cheek. He had severe diaper rash and appeared malnourished. "It's like he was a punching bag for somebody," a caller complained.

In a sickening prediction, another caller told a children-services caseworker: "Because there's nothing that has been done, that poor child will end up dead."

The Delaware infant died after his mother's boyfriend picked Nicholas up by the throat and threw him across the room. The boyfriend was playing a Madden NFL 06 video game and became angered by the baby's crying.

Nicholas' death on Dec. 12, 2006, was neither unique nor the last.

County children-services agencies responsible for investigating child-abuse reports and removing imperiled kids from danger regularly make fatal mistakes.

An investigation by The Dispatch found that 87 of the 234 children who succumbed to abuse and neglect from 2002 to 2007 died on the watch of Ohio's children services agencies. Their families or caregivers were being assisted and monitored by county children-services workers at the time of, or within a year before their deaths.

They've been kicked, strangled, suffocated, beaten, shaken, thrown, drowned, burned, frozen, poisoned, starved and denied medical care, all while county officials were monitoring their families, foster parents or caregivers.

Not all of the deaths could have been prevented; many abuse deaths stem from impulsive acts of anger by parents or their partners and other caregivers.

Crystal Ward Allen, executive director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, defended overworked caseworkers.

Theirs is an agonizing job that quickly burns out many when "reality overcomes altruism," she said. The turnover among caseworkers is about 30 percent annually, Ward Allen said.

"It's still a complex system. It's a very difficult job. You can never predict human behavior. You're never going to create the Ward Cleaver family," said Ward Allen, a former caseworker. "Hindsight is perfect."

But some children-services workers have misread or discounted signs that children were in danger.

The six-year total for abuse and neglect deaths comes from a statewide survey by The Dispatch of all 88 county children-services agencies and a review of death certificates, child-fatality reports, other public records and news reports.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which oversees county agencies, reports a larger number of child-abuse and neglect deaths to federal officials. State officials reported 358 such deaths from 2002 to 2006, and children-services officials were involved with 92 of those children, or 26 percent, within five years of children's deaths.

That percentage is more than twice the 12 percent national average and third highest among the states submitting figures to the federal government, trailing Alabama (42 percent) and Florida (28 percent).

State officials say the numbers reported to federal authorities include deaths such as the "rollover" suffocation of babies sharing beds with parents and cases of inadequate supervision. The Dispatch excluded some of those cases that clearly were accidental or did not lead to criminal charges.

The investigation by The Dispatch found that Ohio's child-protection system is riddled with problems:

• County child-fatality review boards, created to find ways to reduce deaths, dramatically underreport the number of children dying from abuse and neglect. Reports from 2002 to 2006 listed 136 child-abuse deaths, far below the 203 confirmed by The Dispatch for those years. Figures for 2007 are not yet available.

• While state regulations require a review of the death of every child involved with county agencies, the state failed to review nearly 30 percent of deaths until The Dispatch discovered the shortcoming.

• State child-fatality reviews fault county agencies for major flaws in their response to abuse reports, including placing children with unsuitable caregivers and then not checking their safety.

• With 27 deaths from 2002 through 2007, Franklin County led Ohio in the number of child-abuse deaths. The county's children-services agency had cases open on 11 of the children's families or caregivers.

• Many of Ohio's children-services agencies, particularly in smaller, rural counties without local tax levies, are underfunded by the state. Only Minnesota contributes a smaller percentage of children-services spending. States provide an average of 39 percent nationally. Ohio's figure: 9 percent.

Michael Fox, a former state representative who now is director of Butler County Children Services, finds the number of dead children unacceptable.

"As a general rule, the child-welfare system is broke. And it has been broke for years," he says.

Fox attributes some fatal mistakes to children-services agencies' reliance on "fuzzy information" and an obsession with confidentiality that can restrict the sharing of information that can save lives.

Oversight lacking
Some state reviews of county cases show that caseworkers failed to assess the safety of children, did not check the backgrounds of adults in abusive homes and improperly closed cases when children were still at risk.

Foster-care placement agencies licensed by the state have failed to screen or run background checks on foster parents, including in a Cincinnati-area case where a 3-year-old boy was bound, stuffed in a closet and died.

State officials who oversee the county-run children services agencies concede that improving the system is a work in progress.

"No child death is acceptable. We accept that we have work to do," said Barbara Manuel, assistant deputy director of the Office for Children and Families at the Department of Job and Family Services.

Sandra Holt, deputy director of the Office for Children and Families, said the state is working to assist county agencies and better train caseworkers "so we never, ever miss what is paramount in our work -- child safety."

A new "alternative-response" program is finding creative ways to address family needs and lessen the danger of abuse while keeping children out of foster care and families together, the state officials said.

And within a couple of weeks, county agencies will learn when foster caregivers, adoptive parents and other adults in at-risk households have been fingerprinted in connection with a crime to allow a quick assessment of potential dangers to children.

County agencies received 70,752 reports of child abuse and neglect last year, an average of 194 a day. Only about 4 percent of the complaints led to the removal of children from abusive homes and placement in foster care.

The 3,309 children removed from homes for abuse and neglect in 2007 represents a drop of more than 50 percent from the 6,880 removed in 2002. The drop reflects the increased emphasis on keeping children in their homes, or with relatives, with increased county assistance and oversight.

Agencies better informed
All 88 counties now are linked to the $116 million-plus Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System. The system gives caseworkers immediate access to information about the backgrounds of at-risk children and adults with whom they could be placed.

An accompanying child-abuse risk-evaluation tool allows caseworkers to input information about a case and assess how it should be handled. Caseworkers can disagree with its recommendations and take other action but must justify their concerns with supervisors.

Both computerized tools hold the promise of improving case evaluation and improving the safety of abused children, state officials said. Ohio, however, is a latecomer to sharing information about child-protection cases. It is the 27th state with a statewide computerized information system.

Ward Allen believes more funding to lower caseloads per worker and the evolution of the statewide computer system will reduce the number of deadly mistakes.

Half of Ohio's 88 counties have dedicated children-services tax levies; others scrape by on what county commissioners can provide and state funding. Ohio provides 9 percent of the $800 million spent on services each year and ideally should provide at least one third, Ward Allen said.

Earlier this year, Highland County foster parents went without care subsidies for four months because the county agency ran out of money. The state came through with some cash, but foster parents still are receiving only one-third their normal payments. Ohio is one of only 11 states in which counties, rather than the state, run the children-services system. Critics say that can lead to variance in funding and quality of work with local officials making nonuniform calls.

Officials are beginning discussions of a state-operated system, but it would be costly amid recession-ravaged state tax collections. And it would meet objections from well-funded agencies, such as Franklin County's, with local tax levies.

But even solid funding and manageable caseloads do not ensure success in protecting vulnerable children.

Not even heroic efforts can save all children, because, as Franklin County Children Services executive director Eric Fenner puts it, "There are evil people out there."

But in the Nicholas Goodrich case, there were no heroic efforts. In fact, there was no effort.

"It was not our finest hour," Fenner said.

A Delaware County worker was fired, and Franklin County workers were disciplined. The infant's mother, Rachel Ewers, is serving 13 years in prison for child endangering. Her boyfriend, Ray-Tone Wilson, is serving 15 years to life for murder.

"Any child harmed in our care is unacceptable. We can do better," Fenner said.

The boy's death prompted reforms that include having supervisors rather than intake caseworkers review complaints and then deciding what action to take.

Fenner said he is distressed that Franklin County led the state in child-abuse deaths in recent years.

"Not many people get as second-guessed as a children-services director. We have to make decisions in real time. If you make a mistake, a child can die. That's a terrorizing thought."