How Could You? Hall of Shame-Roger Eugene Benson case-child death

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 Snohomish County, Washington, a 2011 missed case reveals that foster child Roger Eugene Benson, 15, committed suicide on January 21, 2011 after running away from the temporary-care, unlocked, psychiatric facility Cypress House after being told that he was on the waiting list to be admitted to a mental hospital.

“Last Friday a teenager jumped off a I-5 overpass, fell to the freeway below, was struck by a van, and died. Many people heard a little bit about what happened because Northbound I-5 was closed for several hours and traffic backed up miles during the afternoon commute.

Who was he?

He was 15 years old, born in December of 1995. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner identifies him as Roger Eugene Benson.

When Benson was three years old, he was taken away from his parents.

“Any child who becomes a dependent of child welfare is a victim of child abuse or neglect,” says Sherry Hill, with the state Children’s Administration. “It has to reach a point of questions of a child’s safety in order to be actually removed from their parents.”

For the next 12 years the bounced around from one home or facility to the next. During that time the state worked “cooperatively” with the Yakama Tribal Court and the Yakama Tribal Child Welfare Agency to provide services for the boy.

Hill says it’s not typical for a child to be a ward of the state for that many years.

“In most cases we do whatever we can to find permanency for children, whether they return home or whether they end up with relatives,” she says.

This wasn’t one of those cases of “permanency.” He was involved in several crimes over the years.

On January 7, 2011 he was placed in a group home in Lynnwood. The facility describes itself as a behavioral rehabilitation service.

“On January 21st he ran away from the facility in the afternoon at 1:45 p.m. and law enforcement was immediately notified,” says Hill.

He left the group home at 1:45 in the afternoon. Fifteen minutes later he was on an I-5 overpass. A witness, who was also walking on the overpass, told investigators it looked like the 15 year old kneeled down momentarily. At 2:06 in the afternoon he jumped to his death. He committed suicide.
There are people who know more about Benson, but they can’t talk about him due to privacy laws. While the state will investigate “the fatality,” as they call it, there’s not more more they’ll say.

Hill says, “Everyone needs to always pay attention to the youth around them, whether they’re in State care or whether they’re at home.”

A spokesperson for the Lynnwood facility the teen ran away from says it “was extremely sad to hear of a young life that has been lost, and this is a very tragic situation. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man.”

The boy who killed himself on I-5
[The News Chick 1/26/11 by Linda Thomas]

“A new report from the Department of Social and Health Services summarizes a teenager’s life and death in eight pages. After bouncing him through 22 foster homes, it concludes that caseworkers and foster parents should have had more information about the boy’s history so they could have helped him.

Benson was born in December of 1995. His history with the state began when he was a toddler. His mother was investigated for abuse or neglect of her children, including Benson, six times. The last time CPS was called, in May of 1998, Benson was placed in protective custody. The boy and his siblings were placed in four foster homes within three years. The longest he was in any one home was two years.

The Yakama Tribal Court tried to get services for the family, but the state says Benson’s parents “failed to consistently access identified services” that might have helped them.

In 2001, Benson’s mother committed suicide. A few years later his father was sent to prison. After that he was placed in a Yakama Nation foster home for over three years. That stable environment changed in September of 2004 when his foster father died. At that point, the foster mom asked that Benson and his siblings be placed somewhere else. Where would Benson go?

Between September of 2004 and June of 2009 he had 13 different places to stay. The state report says he “struggled significantly in new homes.” The solution seemed to be sending him to live at Northwest Idaho Children’s Home, with the hope that he’d get close supervision and help dealing with a young lifetime of behavioral problems.

He was involved with at least two assaults, and in November of 2010 he was sent to the Nez Perce Juvenile Detention facility. The state admits this was a “complex” case and Benson needed more help. While on waiting list to receive help at a psychiatric hospital, he was sent to a temporary care facility in Lynnwood, the Cyprus House, which is an unlocked, staffed facility. When Benson was sent to there, he was told he would be going to a mental hospital at some point.

He had a different plan.
On January 21, 2011 he left the group home at 1:45 p.m. and law enforcement was immediately notified. Fifteen minutes later he was on an I-5 overpass. A witness, who was also walking on the overpass, told investigators it looked like the 15 year old kneeled down momentarily. At 2:06 in the afternoon he jumped to his death.

This boy didn’t have a chance.

Benson was in state care most of his life. What could the state have done differently? Eleven people reviewed the case and concluded that caseworkers didn’t consistently convey information about the boy’s history to all of those involved with his care over the years. It recommends more training for care providers who deal with youth who have behavioral issues. It also suggests more supervision when young people are placed in facilities outside their home communities.”

The life and death of a teenager in state care
[The News Chick 7/22/11 by Linda Thomas]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Serious placement and postplacement issues in this case.