How Could You? Hall of Shame-Mary Denease Matthews

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 Warren, Michigan, foster mother Mary Denease Matthews, 56, “faces three counts of  second-degree child abuse, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and three counts of fourth-degree child abuse. The latter offense is a 1-year misdemeanor.”

“Warren police said Child Protective  Services representatives made an unannounced visit to the home in June [2012].”

Along with  4 foster children, Mary has  6 children and 26 grandchildren (unknown how many lived in the house) and had been a foster parent for five years.

Her “license as a foster parent has been terminated — said Tuesday her real mistake was to leave the siblings in the care of her 15-year-old granddaughter.

“I’m not trying to run away from this. I did leave my granddaughter to baby-sit,” said Matthews, reached at her home for comment. “If I’m guilty and wrong of that, OK, I can accept that and deal with that. I didn’t try to abuse them in any way.”

” A 6-month-old girl was left unattended in a “pack and play,” wrapped in blankets when the temperature was 93 degrees, with spoiled milk.

A toddler wore dirty clothes as he and his 9-year-old sister were in the dirty, cluttered house that smelled of feces.”

Foster parent charged with child abuse

[Macomb Daily 10/16/12 by Norb Franz]

“A toddler was spotted playing unsupervised by a staircase.

Two of the children were not properly secured in child car seats.

“From talking to CPS, they said it was pretty bad,” Warren Detective Cpl. Scott Isaacson said. “The natural mother noticed marks (on the children) and a lack of care.”

The children were immediately removed from the house, and Matthews’ license as a foster parent was terminated, police said.

Matthews is free on $5,000 bond as she awaits a preliminary hearing Oct. 25 in 37th District Court to determine whether she should stand trial.

The Warren woman told The Macomb Daily that she had cared for the children for two months and that she and their mother “never got along from day one.”[Gee, I wonder why?]

The woman was allowed weekly visits supervised by a social worker. Matthews claimed that on the day the children were placed with her, she took one of the girls, an infant, to a hospital for rash and inflammation on the neck, buttocks and genitals.

“It was never diaper rash, but a fungus. She tried to blame me for that,” Matthews said. “She said that I never held her baby. It’s common sense that you have to pick a baby up.”

“Matthews said that on the day of the visit by CPS, she attended orientation by her new employer and allowed her 15-year-old granddaughter to supervise the children. The Warren woman said she was to start her new job on the afternoon shift within a few days, allowing her to care for the four siblings during the day and that her 20-year-old son would tend to them when she headed to work.

“I didn’t think that a 15-year-old was not an appropriate age to watch children,” Matthews said. “The allegations they are making are just that — allegations.

“The children were only here a short while. Those children were not harmed in any way,” she said.

The children were placed with Matthews through Ennis Center for Children, a Flint-based nonprofit corporation that helps place children with adoptive families.

Robert Ennis, the founder and president of the agency, was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

Gale Frase, vice president for administrative services, said she was not familiar with Matthews’ case but said the investigation and the revocation of Matthews’ state-issued foster care license would have been handled by the Michigan Department of Human Services.”

Foster parent charged with child abuse
[Macomb Daily 10/17/12 by Norb Franz]

Ennis Center for Children is the placing agency of 3-year-old James Bradley, who died by homicide in 2007 while in care of his foster parents Christine Woodward and her husband, Lasana Karva . There were never any arrests but a lawsuit was filed. See his case here.

REFORM Puzzle Pieces

 How many of those grandchildren-caregivers were screened during the homestudy? We know the answer to that one already.