How Could You? Hall of Shame-Devantae Beard 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 Moreland, Hill, Ohio, two-year-old foster child Devantae Beard “who was revived after being found floating in a pool Labor Day weekend, died Thursday[September 19, 2013] afternoon at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.”

“The victim, identified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office as Devantae Beard, had been transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Rainbow from Hillcrest Hospital, where he was initially taken on Sept. 1 and kept about a week.

The boy had been living with foster parents in University Heights before the accident, which occurred at the home of one of the caregiver’s relatives on East Juniper Lane in Moreland Hills.

“They were there for a family cookout and they took their eyes off him,” said Interim Moreland Hills Police Chief Dale Canter, noting that there is an estimate of 15 to 19 minutes when the child was unaccounted for.

Canter also noted that the gate to the in-ground pool was open at the time the child got in.

Police were notified just before 1 p.m. of a young boy who was not breathing. As a rescue squad from Chagrin Falls was en route, the officer performed CPR, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

He got a lot of water out of the lungs, but the child was still unresponsive and without a pulse when EMTs arrived and brought him back. He remained on a ventilator and other life support equipment at the hospital.

“The police officer and paramedics put forth their best efforts to give him a shot at survival,” Canter said Friday.

A Moreland Hills detective is talking to investigators from Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services today.

“Devantae’s death is heartbreaking for everyone involved, including all of us here at DCFS,” children’s services spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said.

“Since he was a ward of the county, they will make a recommendation to us if they believe there was negligence involved,” Canter said.

From there, information and evidence could be gathered for a prosecutor’s ruling on the matter.

“In cases like these, we’re always sensitive to the fact that there’s no intent involved here — it’s just very tragic,” Canter said.

Although the boy’s death appears to be drowning, officials at the county Medical Examiner’s Office were scheduled to conduct a review Friday and issue a ruling on cause and manner of death after that.”

Foster child, 2, dies nearly three weeks after being pulled from pool

[Sun News 9/20/13 by Thomas Jewell]

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