John Hill: A Baby’s ‘Bizarre’ Death Exposes Hawaii’s Penchant For Secrecy In Child Welfare Cases

A Community’s Right to Know: The Case of a Child’s Unexplained Death

A community deserves to know when one of its children dies of unnatural causes. That’s especially true if the family had already come to the attention of child protection officials. In that case, the natural question is why, despite the warnings, the state failed to prevent the death.

The Unpublicized Case

So now I will tell you the strange and disturbing story of the death of a 5-month-old baby on the Waianae Coast and what it says about Hawaii’s disclosure of information in such cases.

Short answer: nothing good.

Even if you are a diligent follower of the news, you would never have heard of this case. That’s because not a single word has been written about it by any media outlet since the baby’s death two years ago, not a single mention on the TV news.

Discovering the Case

I learned that the federal government requires states to disclose certain information to the public in cases of death or near death from maltreatment.

According to a 2012 report, “The federal government has determined that the good that can be gained from disclosing information about child abuse or neglect deaths or near deaths will exceed any potential harm or embarrassment that some individuals might experience as a result.”

“The public has a right to know if the laws for the protection of children are being followed and its tax dollars well-spent. Child abuse deaths and near deaths reflect the system’s worst failures.”

Once I learned about the federal law, I asked the Hawaii Department of Human Services for a list of such cases over the last several years. The department, eventually, provided it.

The Case Details

One of the cases stood out. It said that in 2021 a social worker from Child Welfare Services had visited an infant’s “caregiver” – apparently as the result of a complaint – and that the “caregiver shared that the child had passed.” This caregiver initially stated that the child had drowned, CWS said, but the death remained unexplained.

CWS two and a half months earlier had gotten a “report of concern” about the baby, then 3 months old. CWS concluded that the caregiver had “mental health and substance use issues.” For reasons that are not explained, CWS did not officially confirm abuse or neglect, which it must do to initiate Family Court proceedings.

It left the case open, however. When the baby died, it finally confirmed “threat of abuse and neglect” by the caregiver.

And that was that. No names, no location, no detail about what CWS did and did not do or why – not even an explanation of the caregiver’s relationship to the baby. Oh, and CWS incorrectly listed the baby’s age as 3 years, not 5 months.

With only the date of the death in hand, I contacted the Honolulu Medical Examiner. And lo and behold, they were able to provide a report that included the baby’s name and details about what happened.

I asked the Honolulu Police Department for its report from that night. Earlier this year, HPD declined because the investigation was still open. But when I asked again recently, the case had closed and HPD gave me the heavily redacted 144-page report.

With these two documents, I was able to piece together the following bizarre narrative.

Shortly before 4 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2021, the baby’s mother called 911 from an apartment in Makaha Valley reporting that the baby had drowned. The firefighter who got there first found the baby lying face up on the bathroom floor, wearing a blue onesie, a diaper and white socks on his hands.

The firefighter carried the baby to the living room to perform CPR on a table. The mother kept yelling “get the water out.” But CPR had no effect. The baby was clearly dead.

Police noted that the tub and the sink were dry and the toilet lid closed. There was, however, a wet washcloth and the back and sides of the mother’s pants appeared to be wet.

One officer’s report describes the mother as “somewhat upset, but not distraught.” Another said she sat in the patrol car just staring into space. She said she “didn’t care if she got arrested, just wanted EMS to get the water out of her son’s body.”

Her explanation of what happened? “I fainted and then went walking. I could have been dreaming and then I came back and my baby was on the floor.”

At another point that night, she “related that she experienced a lapse in her memory and the next thing that she remembers she was walking on the roadway.” Her location is redacted in the police report, but the medical examiner makes clear it’s the Waianae Mall. That’s more than 4 miles from her home – a walk of well over an hour.

Her explanation continued, “She caught a ride from a stranger and returned home” where she found her baby lying on the bathroom floor. She was “adamant that she could not recall anything.”

HPD checked her record and found that she had previously been referred by the police for emergency psychiatric treatment because she had been suicidal. The medical examiner reported a history of anxiety and depression and possibly schizophrenia, as well as a suicide attempt during pregnancy.

Four days later, police interviewed the mother’s mother – the baby’s grandmother. She reported that she used to see her grandson more frequently, but because of her daughter’s irrational behavior, had not spent time with him or her daughter as often. She had not seen the baby for two and a half weeks.

The important point is that these accounts raise legitimate and crucial questions about how CWS handled this case.

The

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The article discusses the lack of transparency and accountability in Hawaii’s child welfare system, specifically regarding the disclosure of information related to child deaths and near deaths. This issue is connected to SDG 16, which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels

The article highlights the need for transparency and accountability in Hawaii’s child welfare system. By disclosing information about child maltreatment deaths and near deaths, the system can be held accountable for its actions and decisions. Target 16.6 aims to develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels to ensure access to justice and promote the rule of law.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 16.6.1: Primary government expenditures on the criminal justice system as a proportion of total government expenditures and GDP

The article does not explicitly mention any indicators related to Target 16.6. However, Indicator 16.6.1 measures primary government expenditures on the criminal justice system as a proportion of total government expenditures and GDP. While not directly related to child welfare, this indicator reflects the allocation of resources towards ensuring effective, accountable, and transparent institutions, which is a key aspect of Target 16.6.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: civilbeat.org

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