How Could You? Hall of Shame-Sandra Caraveo and Marcos Gomez UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From New Mexico, first-time foster parents Sandra Cara-Veo, 37, and Marcos Gomez, 32, “are in custody Wednesday for a case of child abuse so severe a four-year-old is now permanently blind.”

“The Children, Youth and Families Department said the child was in the care of Sandra Cara-Veo and Marcos Gomez. Both Cara-Veo and Gomez were first-time foster parents who received their licenses and were awarded custody in May.

According to CYFD officials, the child suffered a loss of oxygen to the brain, which could be the result of Shaken Baby Syndrome or suffocation.

Cara-Veo and Gomez were arrested for child abuse with great bodily harm.”

Four-year-old suffers injuries from abuse by foster parents
[KOB 10/12/11 by Danielle Flores]

Update: KOB reports ” Doctors said it appears he was blind for several days, maybe a couple weeks before he was taken in for medical care.

Police said the poor child was first taken away from his biological parents last November because they were abusing him, then he went to live with another family, but investigators say he was abused again.

Now for the third time in a year, he is having to start all over, and this time, with a life long disability.

Marcos Gomez and Sandra Caraveo were given custody of the boy and his sister this summer. In the time since, they are accused of abusing the boy to the point of blindness from the loss of oxygen – possibly from being suffocated. No injuries on the girl were reported.

According to police, the parents deny ever abusing him saying they took the child to the hospital Saturday after he complained he couldn’t see. Doctors said it appeared he had been immobile for more than a week.

A Children, Youth and Families Department spokesman said the couple had been rigorously vetted and had been checked on many times.

“There were no warning signs that were evident, the case workers who were going there, and this is one of those cases where the fact is it’s a human system and we’re never going to be able to predict human behavior,” said CYFD spokesman, Enrique Knell.

As for why this couple ever became foster parents, Caraveo told police:

“We have been dating for five years. We have been trying to have kids for awhile we couldn’t get pregnant so we thought we would adopt. I work from home and I was bored so that’s when I thought I wanted to have kids.” [Are you kidding me? The child was abused in his FIRST foster home and then this is the kind of person that was approved to foster this child and his sister? An unmarried couple who were bored and wanted kids. THAT was the best that you could do for this child?]

Doctors Say Four-Year-Old Abuse Victim Permanently Blind
[KOB 10/12/11 by Eddie Garcia]

Note in this article how the writer bends over backward to try to show that these people “cared” about this child. Again he was likely blind FOR WEEKS before they brought him to the hospital!

” Two Albuquerque foster parents were arrested Wednesday and charged with child abuse after bringing one of their foster children to the hospital and reporting he was having trouble seeing.

After medical tests, doctors determined the 4-year-old boy’s blindness should be considered nonaccidental and evidence of abuse, possibly by shaking, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department said.

Marcos Gomez, 32, and Sandra Caraveo, 37, had just become foster parents in May and had taken the boy and his 2-year-old sister into their care in June.

The boy is still in the hospital where he is being treated, and CYFD said his blindness may be permanent.

His sister was immediately taken away from Gomez and Caraveo and placed in another foster home. She will also be checked out by doctors for signs of abuse.”

Here comes the CPS CYA portion of the article (although it really just confirms incompetence):

“This is heartbreaking, and I am praying for this child to heal and to eventually thrive,” said CYFD Secretary Yolanda Berumen-Deines. “Our entire mission is to keep kids safe, and we do everything we can to ensure their safety. We will continue to improve our system and strive to reduce maltreatment in foster care. This incident should not cast a shadow over the hundreds of exceptional foster parent families that we depend on to provide a loving and healing home for kids in crisis.”

CYFD said both parents were licensed and had gone through all the required state and federal background checks and attended the necessary trainings. [Obviously not enough, eh?] The injured boy and his sister were the couple’s first foster children.

CYFD caseworkers visited the home multiple times since the children were placed there, and there had been no issues until the foster parents brought the boy to the hospital Sunday night.

Enrique Carlos Knell, spokesman for CYFD, said all first-time foster parents must have three visits from caseworkers within the first 30 days of placement, a new procedure designed to increase support and provide an effective safety assessment.

Since then the family was visited twice a month by caseworkers.

CYFD is conducting its own investigation of the case in addition to the criminal one.

Knell said in New Mexico there are no occurrences of maltreatment in 99.75 percent of all foster placements, exceeding the national standard of 99.67 percent.”

Really? 99.75 percent  “no maltreatment ” yet this boy was abused by TWO DIFFERENT FOSTER FAMILIES IN ONE YEAR!!!! Your system is an EPIC FAIL. We will not be holding our breaths waiting for your “investigation.” We doubt that changes in who you approve or how you train or monitor will occur. He is just that unlucky 0.25% huh? 

Foster Parents Face Child Abuse Charge
[Albuquerque Journal 10/13/11 by Juan Carlos Rodriguez]

Update 2: “An Albuquerque couple is behind bars Thursday morning after police say they shook their foster son so badly it damaged his brain and could cost him his sight.

Police say Marcos Gomez and Sandra Caraveo brought the 4-year-old boy to the emergency room earlier this week and claimed the boy was bumping into walls and furniture around the house.

Investigators did not believe the couple’s story and took them into custody on charges of child abuse.

Officials say the young boy and his sister had been taken away from their biological parents because of abuse.

Gomez and Caraveo were first time foster parents but CYFD officials claim the couple had been screened intensely and passed every test and background check.

CYFD has more than a thousands foster families taking care of kids and say they’re checked on at least once a month.

Police say the boy’s sister is OK.

Gomez and Carveo are expected to make their first court appearance as early as Thursday. ”

Police: Couple shook foster son
[KRQE 10/13/11 by Magdelena Sharpe]

“There are new developments in the case against two foster parents accused of blinding a 4-year-old.

On Thursday, Action 7 News learned that the state is demanding answers about how the two got custody of the child.

Action 7 News reporter Ilana Gold said an investigation is under way, and the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department has a lot of questions. The CYFD said it is looking into every case worker who dealt with the family.

The agency said it wants to know if something wasn’t caught that should have been.

The foster parents, Sandra Caraveo, and her boyfriend, Marcos Gomez, were in court on Thursday.

Police said the two are very dangerous, leaving a 4-year-old boy blinded after he was either shaken, suffocated or hit.

A report shows that Caraveo wanted to have kids because she works from home and was bored. She and Gomez thought about adoption and became foster parents in June when CYFD placed the boy in their northwest Albuquerque residence. That is where police said the abuse occurred.”

“Caraveo and Gomez are at Metropolitan Detention Center charged with child abuse resulting in great bodily harm. Their bond is set at $200,000 each.

The boy is at the University of New Mexico Hospital, and doctors said he has lost all of his eyesight. The boy’s 2-year-old sister was also placed in the home, and she has been moved to a different foster home. The girl showed no signs of abuse, officials said.”
CYFD Launches Investigation Into Boy’s Abuse
[KOAT 10/14/11]

Update 3/June 25, 2012

A search of Bernalillo County Municipal Court records shows that Sandra was charged with 1 felony count of child abuse. She had a court appearance on 12/7/11 . The defense attorney is listed as active in this case.

A search for Marcos Gomez indicates a felony count of child abuse 2. He had court appearances on 10/24/12 and 10/26/12. The defense attorney is listed as active in this case.

Sandra had bonded out in October 2011 according to the court record and Foster Mom Shocked By Child Abuse Case [KOAT 10/17/11]

Couple Held on $200,000 Bond Each [Albuquerque Journal 10/15/11 by Charles D. Brunt] also add “The couple was arrested Wednesday after bringing the boy to University of New Mexico Hospital and telling doctors he had been having trouble seeing.

CYFD spokesman Enrique Carlos Knell said doctors suspected child abuse and contacted authorities.

The boy’s sister is now in the care of another foster family, Knell said.

“A comprehensive test was done on her (Friday), and there are no indications that she was abused,” Knell said. “The test is called a CART – a Child Abuse Response Team evaluation – performed by a team of doctors, nurses and caseworkers who specialize in finding medical evidence of abuse or neglect.”

Knell said the boy was in stable condition and UNMH, but the prognosis that he might be permanently blind – a possible result of severe shaking – had not changed Friday.

CYFD is conducting an internal review, while law enforcement authorities conduct a criminal investigation.

“As far as the (CYFD) internal review, they have already started collecting the different documents and reports, and are talking with the caseworkers who have been involved in this case,” Knell said Friday. “At this point, we have not found anything that indicates there was something out of the ordinary or something we might have missed.

“We are working very closely with the Crimes Against Children Unit in their criminal investigation,” he said.”

REFORM Puzzle Pieces