Nearly three years before Deshaunsay Sykes-Crowder was allegedly killed by the woman who became her guardian in the wake of abuse by her mother, Dane County pondered whether to bring the two back to Madison to review a protection plan for the girl.
A report issued by the state Department of Children and Families second-guessed the decision by the Dane County Department of Health and Family Services not to bring Deshaunsay and her aunt, Lynda Sykes, back when it became apparent Sykes was not cooperating with the protection plan.
Deshaunsay was 6 years old on July 16 when her guardian, Sykes allegedly inflicted the injuries that killed the girl in Cleveland, Ohio, where they were living. She is charged with aggravated murder, a death penalty offense in Ohio, and is in the Cuyahoga County Jail awaiting a May trial.
Ohio court records show Sykes abused Deshaunsay, leading to her removal from Sykes’ home from May 2007 to April 2008. Then on July 16, she was arrested and accused of killing Deshaunsay.
The state review generally found little fault with the way Dane County Human Services handled Deshaunsay’s history with Sykes, who has a history of violent crime and went to prison in 1996 for stabbing another woman.
But Human Services Director Lynn Green said the state is “Monday morning quarterbacking” in its report when it said it is now requiring Dane County to send child protection cases back to judges whenever they fit the circumstances of Deshaunsay’s case — when a child under protection moves out of state and has no protection plan set up in the new home state.
Green also questioned why Dane County alone must do this, when there is no legal requirement that any other county in the state do the same thing.
Full Article and Source:
State report second-guesses Dane County child protection decision
See also:
Unfit Guardian?
A report issued by the state Department of Children and Families second-guessed the decision by the Dane County Department of Health and Family Services not to bring Deshaunsay and her aunt, Lynda Sykes, back when it became apparent Sykes was not cooperating with the protection plan.
Deshaunsay was 6 years old on July 16 when her guardian, Sykes allegedly inflicted the injuries that killed the girl in Cleveland, Ohio, where they were living. She is charged with aggravated murder, a death penalty offense in Ohio, and is in the Cuyahoga County Jail awaiting a May trial.
Ohio court records show Sykes abused Deshaunsay, leading to her removal from Sykes’ home from May 2007 to April 2008. Then on July 16, she was arrested and accused of killing Deshaunsay.
The state review generally found little fault with the way Dane County Human Services handled Deshaunsay’s history with Sykes, who has a history of violent crime and went to prison in 1996 for stabbing another woman.
But Human Services Director Lynn Green said the state is “Monday morning quarterbacking” in its report when it said it is now requiring Dane County to send child protection cases back to judges whenever they fit the circumstances of Deshaunsay’s case — when a child under protection moves out of state and has no protection plan set up in the new home state.
Green also questioned why Dane County alone must do this, when there is no legal requirement that any other county in the state do the same thing.
Full Article and Source:
State report second-guesses Dane County child protection decision
See also:
Unfit Guardian?
3 comments:
This is another one of those opportunities missed. They happen all the time because someone wonders if something should be done (out of intuition or out of direct evidence) but then drops the ball and doesn't follow through.
This woman had a track record. I don't think it's a good idea to have cases like this reviewed by OUTSIDE of state individuals with no connection or political agenda to get to the bottom of this case.
State reviews rarely find fault -- and then something tragic happens and they all wonder why.
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