How Could You? Hall of Shame-Michael Hadden

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 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, foster parent Michael Hadden, 52, is “accused of abusing children in his care over several years, coupled with a separate case in which a child died after overdosing three times from opioids, has state lawmakers fuming.

“I have a lot of questions and I have a lot of concerns, because this is the department [that is] tasked with ensuring that our kids are safe when they have been placed in already unsafe situations and here it goes again that it appears that we are failing them,” said Regina Barrow, (D)-LA.

Barrow chairs the state senate’s Select Committee on Women and Children and has called leaders from Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to face the music and answer questions about both cases Monday, August 8.

Just moments before interviewing with WAFB Friday, Aug. 5, Barrow learned disturbing details about the arrest of 52-year-old Michael Hadden.

Hadden was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison in connection with at least three allegations of sexual abuse involving children in his care, Thursday, August 4, arrest records obtained by WAFB revealed.

The documents detail rape allegations at a home in Zachary. WAFB cameras captured the battered home and a nearby trailer, where Hadden allegedly forced an intoxicated teen to perform oral sex on him, and allegedly took advantage of another child with developmental delays, among other crimes.

Deputies said one of the teens was interviewed twice, once in early 2021 and then again in 2022, records say. At that time, the teen did not disclose information about a sexual assault, according to the arrest report. The case was then referred to an expert interviewer in New Orleans, where investigators learned the teen was forced into sexual acts, officials said.

At some point, DCFS had found enough evidence to remove one of the children from the home as it probed even more allegations made against Hadden, but the child was returned to his custody, arrest records say.

A DCFS spokesperson did not consent to an interview with WAFB about the case or explain why the child was returned to Hadden. However, WAFB was provided the following written statement from DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters.

“We learned through media accounts of the horrific allegations involving an individual who was a [caregiver]. Due to confidentiality laws, we cannot answer questions about a specific case. But it is important for the public to know that allegations like this involving [caregivers] are extremely rare and are not indicative of our [caregivers], most of whom open their homes and dedicate their lives to helping kids. All [caregivers] must meet a rigorous standard that includes passing a federal criminal background check, a child abuse/neglect background clearance and an extensive reference check. On a daily basis, DCFS works hand-in-hand with law enforcement and the courts to make decisions about keeping children safe.”

When the 9News Investigators pressed the agency on how Walters had only come to find out about those details Friday, despite her agency being the driving force behind the investigation, a spokeswoman said staff worked the case, but only just brought the case to the secretary’s attention. That decision came on the heels of mounting backlash.

“We’ve been seeing cases where there could have been intervention by DCFS to where if they would have stepped in, if they would have done certain things we might not have had some tragedy occur and this is raising a lot of questions,” said Franz Borghardt, a Baton Rouge area attorney.”

After caretaker’s sexual abuse arrest, toddler’s overdose death, DCFS to face questions from lawmakers
[KALB 8/5/22 by Scottie Hunter and Kevin Foster]

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