How Could You? Hall of Shame-Tamryn Klapheke case-Child Death and Martha Kiel Whitaker and Gretchen Denny 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 Dyess, Texas, adoptee Tiffany Nicole Klapheke, 21 “— the wife of a deployed airman, was charged Wednesday with three felony counts of injury to a child in connection with her [22-month-old] daughter’s [Tamyrn’s] death and the neglect of her two other daughters, ages 6 months and 3 years.”
“The report also reveals the girl weighed 17.5 pounds — according to a growth chart calculator at babycenter.com, she weighed less than 95 percent of children her weight and size — and her body had postmortem chemical burns on her face, torso and extremities, injuries “possibly related to the conditions in which the child was exposed (human waste).”
She did not have injuries resulting from physical trauma, according to the report. The exact cause of Tamryn’s death is pending, police said.
As of Thursday afternoon, Klapheke remained in custody at the Taylor County Jail with bonds totaling $500,000. Jail records show Klapheke had not retained an attorney.
The other Klapheke siblings remained hospitalized at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth but are showing signs of improvement, according to police.
On Thursday afternoon, George Spindler, APD spokesman, said it was expected that the girls would be moved out of the intensive care unit “in the near future.”
“As with Tamryn, the two surviving children appear to have suffered from severe neglect,” he said.
Klapheke’s husband is identified as Thomas on his wife’s Facebook page. He has not been named publicly by APD or Dyess officials.
Tiffany Klapheke made a 911 call from her residence on base just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to police.
First responders arrived on base to Klapheke’s residence in the 100 block of Washington Loop and called the APD to assist. The unresponsive girl was transported to Abilene Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead by a Taylor County justice of the peace.
The girl’s siblings were flown to Fort Worth for treatment Tuesday.
Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said Thursday her office has taken custody of the two surviving girls. Meisner said she would not be able to discuss the allegations for removal, or if the young mother had prior history with the agency. Her office is in the process of placing the children with family members, she said.
In an interview with KRBC/KTAB aired Wednesday night, Klapheke said it was the stress of being a stay-at-home mom and dealing with her husband being deployed that led her to neglect her children.
“I should have taken them to the doctor,” she told the station. “I should have been a good mom. And I should have took all three of them and just took them to the doctor. I didn’t put them first anymore.”
In the interview, Klapheke spoke about the struggles she went through with her children — even potty training.
“She was doing it all the time and I just got tired of always changing the sheets so it was on there a little bit longer than it should have been,” she said about her deceased daughter’s exposure to human waste. “And so, it was wet and she was laying in the wet spot for like a week.”
Sgt. John Miles, Airman & Family Readiness Center superintendent at Dyess, said that although he would not be able to comment on the case, resources for all families of deployed servicemen are available.
“When a deployment longer for 30 days comes up, military members are required to attend a pre-deployment briefing,” he said. “That briefing is open to the families so they can come and learn about all the resources we have — that falls anywhere from free child care to deployed spouse dinners that are held weekly. There’s a lot of stuff out there. … If we don’t have a specific program, we get the resources and we provide it.”
“According to a Wednesday post on Tina Lucarelli Romano’s Facebook page, “Tiffany is my adopted daughter … I adopted her at age 8 and at that time she had been in over 5 foster placements, some abusive and all unable to care for her unsafe behavior and aggression resulting from extensive abuse and neglect history.”
Scott Romano, Tina Romano’s husband, said he and his wife were “heartbroken” when they learned the news about Tamryn’s death. He said his wife was at Cook hospital in Fort Worth, along with the girls’ grandparents.
A story printed in the Georgetown (Ky.) News-Graphic in 2008 reported that Tina Romano’s former husband, Mark Evan Scott, was given two years probation after he pleaded to an amended charge of sexual misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. He originally was charged with sexual abuse and rape.
The Scotts were married for 20 years when, according to the newspaper story, Tina Scott’s “adopted daughter accused (Mark Scott), the girl’s adoptive father, of abusing her.”
The story did not name then-Tiffany Scott.
Scott Romano said Thomas and Tiffany Klapheke married in 2007, and Dyess AFB is their first military assignment. Thomas Klapheke has been deployed two months, he said. Romano said Thomas Kalpheke is expected to arrive in Fort Worth by Saturday.
The family lived in Tennessee while Klapheke’s husband went through training, he said.
“I can’t make excuses for Tiffany,” Romano said. “What she did was absolutely horrendous. All she had to do was pick up the phone; we’re a phone call away. I don’t think there’s any justification. We’re heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken.”
The last update he said he received was Thursday afternoon, when his wife reported the girls were expected to survive.
“She told me she was holding the baby,” Romano said. “The older one says she’s scared. It looks like they’re going to OK.”
“Whoever would have ever thought this would happen? If we knew this would have happened, we would have intervened. Tamryn was an absolutely beautiful little girl and she deserved a life.”
Early autopsy for neglected Dyess toddler shows signs of dehydration, malnutrition
[Reporter News 8/30/12 by Denise Blaz]
“”I know people hate me and I don’t understand, but it was not my intention. I just wanted a break for my own sanity, that’s all. I didn’t mean for it to go so far,” said Klapheke.
Klapheke said she was distraught after her husband, a Dyess airman, was deployed to the Middle East.
“Nobody took a second to ask me if there was anything they could do to help or if I needed anything and I wish they would have,” Klapheke said.
“I’ve never been in trouble in my life. I’ve never even had a speeding ticket and now I’m stuck here on $500,000 bond,” she said.
She said she felt trapped in her home with her children because she could not afford child care and she didn’t realize her child was as sick as she was.
“I’m not a criminal. I wouldn’t hurt people. I just need help and a chance to make life right. I don’t think I deserve to be here,” Klapheke said.
We asked Klapheke if she has been using any illegal drugs. She says she has never used drugs and passed a drug test at the jail Thursday. Police told us they can not confirm that information.”
JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW: Mother accused of neglecting 3 children, resulting in one dying, speaks
[KTXS 8/31/12 by Jennifer Kendall]
Mother of 3 in jail after daughter dies
[WAve 3 8/30/12 by Sarah Eisenmenger]
REFORM Puzzle Pieces
Update: “A week after a 22-month-old girl was found unresponsive at a Dyess Air Force Base residence and later pronounced dead at a local hospital, the girl’s two surviving sisters remain hospitalized and recovering at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, a family friend said Tuesday.
Tiffany Klapheke, 21 — the girls’ mother — remained in custody at Taylor County Jail on Tuesday, charged with three felony counts of injury to a child in connection to her daughter’s death and neglecting her two other daughters.”
“Scott Romano, the current husband of Klapheke’s adoptive mother, said Tuesday he was in the process of setting up a website to update people about the surviving girls, ages 6 months and 3 years.
Thomas Klapheke, the girls’ father who was on deployment last week, was at Dyess on Monday night and had not yet seen the hospitalized daughters, Romano said.
Tamryn Klapheke, the deceased toddler, will be buried in Lexington, Ky., Romano said, adding a funeral date has not been scheduled. Romano said the girls Friday were moved out of the intensive care unit at Cook. The oldest girl is trying to make sense of what happened.
“There is going to be a lot of healing go on,” he said. “Whatever the 6-month-old has gone through so far we probably won’t know for a while, but it’s very obvious with the older one.”
The young mother called police Aug. 28 after finding one of her three daughter’s unresponsive, police have said.
An exact cause of death has not been determined, but a preliminary autopsy report stated the girl was severely underweight and had suffered chemical burns from her exposure to human waste.”
Surviving girls in Dyess neglect case still hospitalized
[Reporter News 9/4/12 by Denise Blaz]
Op-Ed piece about how fellow military families can prevent this from happening in the future
“Invisible” Air Force Toddler Dies of Neglect
[SpouseBuzz 9/4/12 by Amy Bushatz]
Update 2: A website for the surviving girls has been launched taberleeandtatum.com Money will not go to a defense fund. The home was so filthy that it is a total loss.
Donation website launched for 2 girls in neglect case at Dyess
[Reporter News 9/5/12 by Diane Blaz]
“”I just try to take the day in little pieces, little chunks,” says Tina Romano, who raised Tiffany Klapheke since she was eight-years-old.
When Tina learned of the horrific allegations of neglect, she took the first plane to Abilene, TX and went straight to the hospital, where she didn’t leave until Social Services let her see her grandaughters, Taber Lee and Tatum.
“They’re very traumatized. It’s very hard to see them with such fear,” says Tina Romano.
She says the oldest girl is afraid of closed doors.
In a jail interview, Tiffany Klapheke said she neglected her daughters because she was depressed and missed her airman husband, Thomas Klapheke. Tina Romano thinks it was stubborness that kept her adopted daughter from reaching out for help on the Dyess Air Force Base while her husband, Thomas Klapheke was deployed.
“Tiffany was very private,” says Tina. “She wanted to prove to the world that she was the best at everything.”
They say even as they mourn baby Tamryn’s tragic death, their focus must be on the surviving girls.
“Our focus has to be on Taber Lee and Tatum now, and their future. They have a great dad, a wonderful father,” says Scott Romano, Tina’s husband.”
Website Set Up to Help Surviving Girls in Child Neglect Case
[Lex 18 9/5/12]
Update 3: Tamyrn was buried on September 11, 2012. Tiffany remains in jail.
“Scott Romano, the husband of Klapheke’s adoptive mother, told the Reporter-News on Wednesday that the surviving girls have been released from Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. The girls were transported to the hospital Aug. 28 and were there about seven days, he said.
The girls remain in the custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, he said.
“It’s been a very emotional day,” Romano said Wednesday. “We’re still dealing with the aftershock of it all. The girls are doing good.”
Romano said Tamryn’s funeral was restricted to close friends and family members.
The girls’ father, Thomas Klapheke, who has returned from deployment, is trying to regain custody of his daughters, Romano said.
Marleigh Meisner, DFPS spokeswoman, has said a 30-day investigation needs to take place to determine the best placement for the children.
During the agency’s investigation, the girls’ father would be able to visit them, she said.”
Girl in Dyess severe-neglect case buried; other girls released from hospital
[Reporter News 9/14/12 by Denise Blaz]
Update 4: “Less than a week before a 22-month-old child was found dead in her urine-soaked bed, a Child Protection Services supervisor closed the case – despite it being 11 months since the home had been visited.
Tamryn Klapheke suffered from dehydration and malnutrition and weighed only 17.5 pounds when she died. She also had chemical burns on her face and body, indicating she was exposed to human waste for a long period of time.
Her mother, Tiffany Nicole Klapheke, 21, was charged with three felony counts of injury to a child in connection with her daughter’s death and the severe neglect of her two other daughters, aged six months and three years.
She said she was depressed over her husband’s deployment.
On August 22, Texas CPS caseworker Claudia Gonzalez closed the case without making a required final visit to the family or having someone approve the case’s closure.
Tamryn died on August 28 at an Abilene hospital after being found unresponsive at her Dyess Air Force Base home.
Because of this, and a series of other errors by CPS workers in Abilene, the agency is now the center of a rare criminal investigation, according to the Houston Chronicle.
‘The Abilene Police Department is actively investigating the local CPS office,’ Chief Stan Standridge confirmed, declining to give any other details.
When Tamryn died, the agency had a backlog of almost 500 cases, with each caseworker handling a load of more than 60 at a time.
The Klapheke’s children had been the subject of three previous neglect investigations between April 2010 and September 2011.
Though neglect had been ruled out in all three, between the last visit and the time of Tamryn’s death, a lot had changed within the home.
Klapheke recalled her impatience over her children’s potty training, saying she left her toddler in the crib in her own urine for nearly a week.
CPS records show that she had a boyfriend in the home at the time of Tamryn’s death, also an active duty service member.
Tamryn’s sisters now are in foster care together.
CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins told the Houston Chronicle: ‘We are providing a great deal of support and services to the father, and everyone involved in the case has agreed that this is what is best right now.
‘He is visiting both girls in the home regularly, and our hope is that the family can be reunited.'”
[Daily Mail 10/15/12 by Rachel Quigley]
Update 5: More specifics revealed in CPS investigation
“A former caseworker says she tried to alert the state to practices within the Abilene office. And now that caseworker is in the middle of a cps investigation involving her own daughter.
“They’ve always done it, they just now got caught,” said Joann Thomas. That’s the explanation she gives after learning Abilene’s Department of Family Protective Services is under criminal investigation.
Thomas left her job as a CPS investigator a little over a year ago. At the time, Thomas says she wrote an email to her supervisor and state officials unveiling what she believed were bad practices within the Abilene office; including the false documentation of cases.
“So I can go in and put in documentation…if I save the first screen, that’s going to time stamp it. But, I can go into the actual document and save that as many times as I want to and save it…so I can put something in the computer and make it look like I documented it on this date, but in actuality I didn’t,” said Thomas.
Tuesday, Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge announced his department is investigating three women; Bit Whitaker, Gretchen Denny, and Barbara McDaniel for allegedly tampering with or fabricating evidence in the case of Tamryn Klapheke, the 22 month old girl found dead from neglect inside a Dyess home. Her mother, Tiffany Klapheke, now sits in the Taylor County Jail. [No explanation for why the caseworker Claudia Gonzalez who closed the case isn’t under investigation?]
Fabricating or tampering with evidence is something Thomas says was not uncommon within the Abilene CPS office. “I remember one particular supervisor – she wanted me to go out and do a removal, and I was like, I’m not removing these kids, there’s no grounds for removal of these kids…and she said, yeah you are, and I’ll help you if you need me to fluff the affidavit. 
That’s another phrase that you use that everyone in the agency knows what you’re talking about,” said Thomas.
We want to reiterate that during just the past month, Thomas has become the focus of a CPS investigation herself, a year after sending that email about CPS.”
KLAPHEKE DEATH: Ex-CPS worker alleges document tampering wasn’t uncommon at Abilene office
[KTXS 10/18/12 by Mari Cockerell]
Update 6: “A Dyess airman has been charged with failure to report child abuse or neglect, adultery and child endangerment in relation to the death of 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke.
Officials allege Senior Airman Christopher Perez was involved in a relationship with Tiffany Klapheke, 22, when Tamryn was found dead in late August. Klapheke, whose husband Thomas was deployed when the child died, remains in Taylor County Jail on $500,000 bond on charges of severely neglecting Tamryn and her two siblings.
Earlier this month, Thomas Klapheke filed for divorce.
According to police, the three children were left alone – without adult care – for about a week. Tamyrn’s two sisters were hospitalized, recuperated and are now in foster care.
Dyess Air Force Base officials announced the charges against Perez in a news release Friday afternoon. The officials said Perez could be dismissed or court-martialed and that a hearing will take place in the near future.
Below is Friday’s press release from Dyess Air Force Base:
On October 19, 2012, Senior Airman Christopher Perez, 7th Security Forces Squadron,was charged with failure to report child abuse or neglect under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), as well as adultery and child endangerment under Article 134 of the UCMJ,in relation to the case of Tiffany Klapheke.
Additionally, in an allegation which is not related to the Klapheke case, Senior Airman Perez was charged with wrongful sexual contact of an adult female under Article 120 of the UCMJ. The charges are only accusations and the accused is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty
Col. Glen VanHerck, 7th Bomb Wing commander, has appointed an officer under Article 32 of the UCMJ to conduct a hearing to thoroughly investigate the charges. Following the hearing, the investigating officer will make recommendations about the disposition of the allegations. Possible dispositions of the charges range from dismissal to a General Court-Martial. The hearing will proceed at Dyess in the near future.
“The Air Force is committed to holding offenders accountable, but it is important to remember that those charged are innocent until they are proven guilty,” said Col. VanHerck. “What happened to the Klapheke children was a terrible tragedy and every effort is being made to bring justice to those responsible for what happened to those children.”
KLAPHEKE CASE: Dyess airman charged for failing to report child abuse, neglect
[KTXS 10/19/12]
Update 7: “An Article 32 hearing for Senior Airman Christopher Perez, slapped with three charges by Dyess Air Force Base officials last week in connection with the case of a woman’s alleged abuse and neglect of her daughters, is scheduled Monday.
The hearing, similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian courts, will begin at 9 a.m., according to a statement from Dyess on Thursday.
Perez was charged Oct. 19 under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with failure to report child abuse or neglect, adultery and child endangerment.
Tiffany Klapheke, the mother of the three girls, was charged Aug. 29 with three counts of felony injury of a child, one day after her 22-month-old daughter, Tamryn, died at Abilene Regional Medical Center from apparent neglect. Tamryn was found unresponsive in Klapheke’s home and had chemical burns on her body from exposure to human waste.
Klapheke’s other two children, ages 7 months and 3, were taken to a Fort Worth hospital and later released to the custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Service.
The charges facing Perez are connected to allegations that he and Klapheke had a sexual relationship. Klapheke was married to Airman Thomas Klapheke when Tamryn died. He was deployed at the time. Thomas Klapheke is the father of all three of Tiffany Klapheke’s children.
“The purpose of the investigation is to inquire into the truth of the matter alleged in the charges, to consider the form of the charges, to make recommendations as to disposition of the charges, and provide discovery about the case to the defense,” said Capt. Trisha Eldredge, chief of public affairs at Dyess.
Perez is also charged with one count of wrongful sexual conduct, which is not related to the Klapheke case.
As of late last week, Perez had not been jailed, but was not allowed to leave the base.
After the hearing, Col. Glen VanHerck, 7th Wing Bomb Commander, will make a recommendation on whether to proceed with the allegations and how. Actions could range from dismissal of charges to a general court-martial.’
Hearing set for Dyess man tied to case of woman’s alleged neglect of daughters
[Reporter News 10/25/12 by Christopher Collins]
Update 8: Hearing did not occur on October 29, 2012 “Christopher Perez’s lawyer put in a request for a continuance to delay his hearing. There is currently no hearing date set.”
UPDATE: Dyess Airman implicated in Klapheke case has military hearing delayed
[KTXS 10/28/12 by Jennifer Kendall]
“Abilene Police Department began investigating whether three CPS employees withheld or tampered with evidence in connection with its investigation into the girl’s death.
The three employees — Regions 2 and 9 Director Bit Whitaker, Investigation Supervisor Barbara McDaniel and former Program Director Gretchen Denny — were placed by on emergency leave last week by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Denny had been reassigned on Oct. 1 as a resolution specialist.
A fourth woman, Geneva Schroeder who works in the Wichita Falls office, was placed on paid emergency leave Monday [October 22, 2012] pending the results of the investigation.
“Ms. Schroeder was the program administrator who supervised the staff involved in the Klapheke CPS investigation,” Meisner said.
Meisner said Schroeder oversees CPS investigations for 60 counties including Wichita and Taylor County and reports directly to Whitaker.
Texas DFPS is conducting an internal investigation at the Abilene office.
Police Chief Stan Standridge said Texas Office of Inspector General sent staff to Abilene on Monday to assist police with “this complex investigation.”
Abilene CPS operating normally despite probe into death of Dyess toddler
[Abilene Reporter News 10/26/12 by Tiffany Walden]
Update 9: “District Judge Lee Hamilton issued an order Thursday appointing a special prosecutor in the investigation of four Abilene-based Child Protective Services’ employees in connection to a case in which a 22-month-old girl died, Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge said Friday.
Mark Parker, of the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office in Waco, will serve as lead counsel, according to Standridge, and will be directed by McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna.
“Our office has been asked to assist in the investigation and/or prosecution of this matter,” Reyna said in a written statement. “Proper paperwork is being completed to achieve that goal. At this time, we will have no further comment as this matter remains under investigation.”
The local CPS office came under investigation following the Aug. 28 death of Tamryn Klapheke, the daughter of a Dyess Air Force Base couple living in base housing.
Her two sisters, age 6 months and 3 years, were hospitalized for what has been described by officials as severe neglect.
The 22-month-old girl died six days after CPS Investigator Claudia Gonzales closed a case investigating medical neglect of Tamryn and one of her sisters without a mandatory final visit with the family, according to an Abilene police affidavit. Gonzales has since resigned.
A preliminary autopsy report showed the girl had chemical burns due to exposure to human waste and was severely underweight.
Tiffany Klapheke, Tamryn’s mother, was arrested a day after the girl’s death and charged with three counts of injury to a child. Klapheke remains in Taylor County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Tamryn’s two sisters were sent to a Fort Worth hospital and later placed in foster care.
The girls’ father, Thomas, was deployed at the time of the neglect discovery.
In related news Friday, Dyess Senior Airman Christopher Perez, who faces four charges from the Air Force — three include failure to report child abuse or neglect, adultery and child endangerment in connection with the Klapheke case — will attend a rescheduled Article 32 hearing Nov. 19 at the base. Perez is accused by the Air Force of having a sexual relationship with Tiffany Klapheke.
The hearing was postponed before its scheduled start Oct. 29 because defense attorneys asked for a delay, according to Dyess officials.
Also reported Friday by The Associated Press, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Howard Baldwin told his staff Thursday that he will resign his head of the child welfare agency role in Texas.
Baldwin’s resignation is effective at the end of the month, according to the Houston Chronicle.
According to an online story published Thursday by the Chronicle, the Klapheke case was one of hundreds of delinquent and backlogged CPS cases across the state that failed to reach resolution. Julia Martinez, of Houston, died in August after her case was not addressed for months.
The state department employs 10,621, with 8,363 working for Child Protective Services.
“The CPS commissioner, according to HHSC (Health and Human Services Commission), has resigned to pursue other interests,” Standridge said. “This does not change our investigation.”
Three local CPS employees — Regions 2 and 9 Director Bit Whitaker, investigation supervisor Barbara McDaniel and resolution specialist Gretchen Denny — were placed on paid administrative leave last month. Denny had been reassigned Oct. 1 from her previous job as program director.
A fourth employee, Geneva Schroeder, who works in the Wichita Falls office, was placed on leave the following week pending the results of the investigation.
Schroeder was the program administrator who supervised the staff involved in the staff involved in the CPS investigation of the Klapheke family, CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said previously.
Standridge said the special prosecutor will take days, if not weeks to fully review the investigations.
“I am pleased with the progress of this investigation,” Standridge wrote in a news release Friday. “In the weeks ahead, detectives will present their evidence to Mr. Park for his consideration.”
Special prosecutor appointed to investigation of Abilene CPS employees
[Abilene Reporter News 11/9/12 by Tiffany Walden]
Update 10: “The Abilene Child Protective Services office did not maintain continual contact with the Klapheke family, a Dyess Family Advocacy Clinic official said Monday at a military hearing for a Dyess airman.
The airman, Christopher Perez, was involved with Tiffany Klapheke, the mother of 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke who died Aug. 28 apparently of neglect, according to testimony in the hearing. Perez has three military charges against him in connection with the case and a fourth unrelated charge.
CPS workers “refused to call me,” Ed Wilcock, treatment manager at the Dyess clinic, said about several attempts to reach the Klapheke’s caseworker.
Abilene police are still collecting information in its investigation of four CPS employees for allegedly tampering with or withholding information in connection with the Klapheke case, said Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge.
Mark Parker of the McLennan County district attorney’s office in Waco will review the information in the coming weeks. He will be directed by Abel Reyna of the same district attorney’s office.
“Because there are employees in the (Taylor County) district attorney’s office who are potential witnesses in the investigation,” said District Judge Lee Hamilton, “Mr. (James) Eidson felt his office had a conflict of interest and he asked me to appoint a special prosecutor.”
Hamilton is the local administrative judge for Taylor County.
Tamryn died six days after CPS investigator Claudia Gonzales closed a case looking into possible medical neglect of Tamryn and one of her sisters without a mandatory final home visit with the family, according to an Abilene police affidavit. Gonzales has since resigned.
Sisters Taberlee Klapheke and Tatum Klapheke, ages 6 months and 3 years at the time, were hospitalized in Fort Worth for severe neglect. They were later placed in foster care.
The four CPS employees came under investigation after Tamryn’s death.
Regions 2 and 9 Director Bit Whitaker, Investigation Supervisor Barbara McDaniel and Resolution Specialist Gretchen Denny — three of the CPS employees — were placed on emergency leave in October. Denny served as program director at the time of Tamryn’s death.
Geneva Schroeder of the Wichita Falls CPS office was placed on paid emergency leave the following week pending the results of the investigation.
A former state district judge, John J. Specia, was named to replace Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Howard Baldwin, who announced his resignation this month to pursue other interests.
Specia will oversee the 11,000-employee state agency starting Dec. 1.
“My first priority is the 28,000 children in foster care and all the others who rely on us for their protection and well-being,” Specia said in a news release.
Tiffany Klapheke, the girls’ mother, remains in Taylor County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond. She was charged with three counts of injury to a child.
Tamryn’s father, Thomas Klapheke, was deployed at the time of her death, but is now assigned to duties with the 7th Logistic Readiness Squadron on base, a Dyess spokeswoman said.
Wilcock testified at the Monday military hearing that Thomas Klapheke was aware of the relationship between Sr. Airman Christopher Perez and his wife.
Perez, 23, faces military charges of failure to report child abuse or neglect, adultery and child endangerment in connection to Tiffany Klapheke. A Dyess special investigator will recommend to Col. Glen VanHerck, 7th Bomb Wing commander, next week whether to proceed with the charges. VanHerck will then decide on a total dismissal of the Perez’ charges or to send him to a general court martial.
Asked whether the Dyess community becomes responsible when a situation like Tiffany Klapheke and Perez takes place on base, a Dyess spokeswoman said “the 7th Bomb Wing leadership is committed to fully investigating how and why this tragic incident occurred and to holding accountable under the law those who may have contributed to this situation.”
Capt. Trisha Guillebeau, chief of Dyess public affairs, said VanHerck has hosted three town hall meetings since Tamryn’s death as a support service for those affected by the tragedy.
She said commanders, first sergeants, key spouses and on-base subject experts have been present at the meetings.
“The feedback obtained from these meetings will allow base leadership to improve communication and teamwork at Dyess,” Guillebeau said, “thereby better ensuring that airmen and their families are better taken care of.”
Dyess hearing witness testifies Abilene CPS did not maintain contact with the Klapheke family
[Abilene Reporter News 11/20/12 by Tiffany Walden]
Update 11: “Col. Glen VanHerck, Dyess Air Force Base 7th Bomb Wing Commander, will decide next week whether to proceed with four military charges against Senior Airman Christopher Perez.
Three of the charges are in connection with Tiffany Klapheke whose 22 month-old daughter died Aug. 28 apparently of neglect.
VanHerck’s disposition could “range from dismissal to a general court-martial,” according to a Dyess AFB news release Thursday. The Reporter-News reported Tuesday that VanHerck’s decision typically was expected in seven to 10 days.
Perez, 23, faces charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice of child abuse or neglect, adultery and child endangerment. He also faces a fourth unrelated charge of wrongful sexual conduct.
Perez remains restricted to Dyess Air Force Base.”
Disposition on Dyess airman allegations in child neglect case due next week
[Abilene Reporter News 12/6/12 by Tiffany Walden]
Update 12: “Tiffany Nicole Klapheke, the Dyess woman jailed Aug. 28 after her toddler died of apparent neglect, was indicted by a Taylor County grand jury Thursday [December 13, 2012] on three counts of injury to a child.
The grand jury indicted Klapheke for failing to provide food to Tamryn, her 22-month-old daughter. The indictment also held that Klapheke did not provide adequate medical attention for Tamryn, and that she starved the child.”
“An interview of Klapheke by Daniel Peterson, an investigator for the district attorney’s office, was included in the indictment. In it, Klapheke said there was a period of two weeks in which Tamryn lost her appetite and would not eat.
“The investigation revealed that Tiffany Klapheke, the mother of the child, not only failed to feed the child, but failed to get any medical attention for the child when it failed to eat,” Peterson wrote. “She admitted she was not giving her the attention that Tamryn needed.”
He wrote that the kitchen in the Klapheke’s home was well-stocked with food and beverages at the time of Tamryn’s death. But the girl’s bedroom, which she shared with her 3-year-old sister, was another story.
“The room where the children were kept appeared in disarray with what appeared to be vomit, fecal matter and urine stains located on the bed,” the complaint said.
Peterson wrote that Klapheke’s other two children also appeared to be malnourished when Tamryn was found unresponsive. The grand jury did not indict Klapheke on any charges in connection with the other children. They were taken to a Fort Worth hospital and later placed in foster care.”
Tiffany Klapheke indicted in Dyess child neglect case
[Abilene Reporter News 12/13/12 by Christopher Collins]
Update 13: “Col. Glen VanHerck, Dyess Air Force Base 7th Bomb Wing Commander, has yet to reach a decision on whether to proceed with four military charges against Senior Airman Christopher Perez, according to a Dyess spokeswoman.
Three of the four charges are in connection with Tiffany Klapheke, the mother of the 22-month-old girl who died Aug. 28, apparently of neglect.
“A disposition decision is still pending and it could come as early as next week,” Nicole Ferrara, Dyess spokeswoman, said after corresponding with the base’s 7th Bomb Wing Judge Advocate office.
It’s been nearly a month since Lt. Col. Sandra Kent — the Dyess judge advocate who presided over Perez’s military hearing — completed her Investigation Officer’s Report, outlining her disposition recommendation. A copy of Kent’s report was given to Perez’s defense counsel and VanHerck, according to a Dyess statement.
“The decision process typically takes seven to 10 days, and possible dispositions of the charges range from dismissal to a general court-martial,” as written in the Dec. 3 statement.
Perez faces child abuse or neglect, adultery and child endangerment charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He also faces a fourth unrelated charge of wrongful sexual conduct. The airman remains restricted to base.
Tamryn Klapheke was found unresponsive at her Dyess Air Force Base home before authorities later pronounced the toddler dead at Abilene Regional Medical Center. Her death came six days after the local Child Protective Services office closed a case — investigating possible neglect of Tamryn and one of her sisters — without a mandatory home visit, according to an Abilene police affidavit.
Tiffany Klapheke, Tamryn’s mother, was indicted earlier this month on three counts of injury to a child. Klapheke, 22, remains in Taylor County Jail on a $500,000 bond.”
Disposition on Dyess airman in child neglect case still pending
[Abilene Reporter News 12/27/12 by Tiffany Walden]
Update 14: “A Dyess Air Force Base commander says a senior airman accused of neglecting a toddler who later died will be tried in military court.
Dyess officials announced Friday Senior Airman Christopher Perez’s court-martial is set for March 4. He’s charged with child endangerment, failure to report child abuse and adultery.
He was living with Tiffany Klapheke when her 22-month-old daughter died in August from malnutrition and dehydration. Klapheke, a civilian, will be tried in Abilene on injury to a child charges.
After her arrest, Klapheke said her husband’s deployment made her too stressed to take care of their three young children. Her husband, Thomas Klapheke, has since filed for divorce.
Perez’s attorneys say he had little access to the children and didn’t want to criticize how they were being raised.”
Court-martial set for airman in child-neglect case
[Houston Chronicle 1/11/13 by Associated Press]
Update 15: Tiffany’s trial date is set for July 15, 2013.
“A preliminary autopsy showed Tamryn was severely malnourished and dehydrated. The toddler had also suffered chemical burns from her own waste.
Tamryn’s sisters, Tatum and Taberlee, suffered similar injuries and had to be hospitalized.
A Taylor County grand jury indicted Klapheke Dec. 13. As of Monday, Klapheke remains in the Taylor County Jail on bond totaling $500,000.”
“Klapheke’s live-in boyfriend, Senior Airman Christopher Perez, 23, will undergo court martial at Dyess March 4.
Witness testimony in a November military hearing for Perez revealed Perez had moved into the Klapheke home after Klapheke’s husband, Thomas, deployed to the Middle East.
Thomas returned to Abilene after the toddler’s death and filed for divorce Oct. 8.”
Trial date set in Klapheke child death case
[KTXS 2/11/13 by Ariana Garza]
Update 16: “he Texas child welfare agency under investigation for its mishandling of a toddler’s death last year has disciplined two employees after discovering one of them had “an inappropriate relationship” with the child’s father, an agency spokesman said Tuesday.
Officials were tipped in May that the relationship between Thomas Klapheke and the caseworker started after the investigation into the Aug. 28 death of 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke began, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. The caseworker was later moved into a supervisory job.
Crimmins said the two women who resigned were investigating the case. Two others not assigned to the case but who were aware of the relationship and did not report it to supervisors were reprimanded and reassigned, he said.
The agency remains under scrutiny on charges of evidence tampering for what authorities have said was lack of cooperation as investigators looked into the child’s death. That criminal investigation is ongoing.
The toddler’s mother, Tiffany Klapheke, claimed she was too stressed by her military spouse’s deployment to care for her children. She faces a charge of injury to a child.
Tiffany Klapheke remained jailed Tuesday on $500,000. Her attorney, David Thedford, who through a receptionist declined to comment Tuesday, is seeking a change of venue in the case.
Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge said Tuesday he expected the evidence tampering case to be presented to a grand jury later this month.
The Abilene Reporter-News first reported the resignations and reassignments.
The toddler died in August after being found unresponsive at her Dyess Air Force Base home, and she had suffered from malnutrition, dehydration and a basic lack of care over a period of time, according to a preliminary autopsy report. The child weighed only 17.5 pounds and her body had chemical burns, indicating she had been exposed to human waste, the report said.
Her two sisters were hospitalized for severe neglect and later placed with relatives.
Since the toddler’s death, Thomas Klapheke has returned from deployment and filed for divorce.
After the toddler died, Abilene police launched a rare investigation into the local Child Protective Services office because “certain CPS supervisors” refused to cooperate with officers investigating the death, Standridge has said.
A CPS spokesman has said a caseworker investigating medical neglect allegations against Tiffany Klapheke beginning in September 2011 closed the case without the required final visit just six days before the toddler died.
The worker, who had not seen the family in about 10 months, resigned shortly after the toddler died.”
Texas child welfare workers resign amid probe
[Greenwich Time 6/18/13 by Betsy Blaney/Associated Press]
Update 17: “Last week, the 326th District Court granted the divorce of Tiffany Klapheke and her husband. This week, a hearing will be held on a change of venue for her injury to a child trial. ”
Tiffany Klapheke pre-trial hearing on change of venue set
[Reporter News 8/5/13 by Tiffany Walden]
“A Dyess Air Force Base airman and his wife have divorced as she awaits trial on allegations that neglect led to the death of the couple’s toddler daughter.
A judge in Abilene will hold a hearing Friday on a change of venue request for Tiffany Klapheke (klah-PEEK’), who faces trial Sept. 30.
Her 22-month-old daughter, Tamryn, died last August. The mother has been charged with injury to a child and remains in custody over the death blamed on dehydration and malnourishment.
Tiffany Klapheke has said she was stressed by Airman Thomas Klapheke’s deployment.
The Abilene Reporter-News (http://bit.ly/11JVZBq ) reports the divorce sought by him became final July 31. Tiffany Klapheke lost custody of the couple’s two other daughters.
The state has temporary conservatorship with their father granted restrictive custody.”
Divorce final for Dyess airman, woman charged with injury to child in their daughter’s death
[The Republic 8/6/13 by Associated Press]
Update 18:“Senior Airman Christopher Perez was sentenced Oct. 18 to three years in prison and a dishonorable discharge for adultery and child endangerment in the August 2012 death of a toddler at her home on Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.
Perez, who was having an affair with the toddler’s mother, was living at the home where 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke was found unresponsive in her crib by her mother. Tamryn was pronounced dead at an Abilene hospital. An autopsy later revealed Tamryn had died from malnutrition and dehydration. Her sisters, who were six months and three years at the time, showed similar signs of neglect. All three girls suffered chemical burns from lying in their own waste, according to trial testimony.
The girls’ father, former Senior Airman Thomas Klapheke, had deployed two months before Tamryn died.
“Sir, I will be haunted by what happened to the Klapheke children for the rest of my life,” Perez said in a tearful statement before he was sentenced.
Military judge Col. Donald Eller found Perez not guilty of dereliction of duty following a week-long court-martial at the base. Perez had asked a judge, rather than a jury, to decide the case.
Tiffany Klapheke stands trial in January on a charge of felony injury to a child. She faces up to 99 years if convicted.
The prosecution contended Perez had a duty to intervene on behalf of the children and should have reported the neglect. The defense said it was not Perez’s responsibility, and that he rarely saw the girls, who were kept in a bedroom for days.
Perez told police he heard the girls crying but did not check on them.
“Those children were imprisoned in their room,” said Air Force prosecutor Capt. Jason Gammons. “Thirsty, hungry, confused, scared. Staring at the knob of the bedroom door, hoping it would turn.”
The room was covered in food, vomit and human and animal waste, according to testimony.
“Perez had a duty to open that door,” Gammons argued.
Defense attorney Capt. Justin Lonergan said, however, that Perez “felt like an outsider in this home and he didn’t feel like a father because he’s not.”
Perez was not aware of the neglect and was not obligated to report the living conditions inside the home because he was not contracted to care for the children, Lonergan said. “The only thing worse than this tragedy is a miscarriage of justice.”
The girls’ father also testified during the week-long court-martial, where it was revealed publicly for the first time that Thomas Klapheke had received an Article 15 related to child neglect allegations. He testified he had seen the girls over Skype on his cell phone just once leading up to Tamryn’s death and that he did not believe they were being neglected. Thomas Klapheke also denied he had any role in the children’s neglect.
He has since divorced Tiffany Klapheke and left the Air Force. The two surviving children are being cared for by family, according to Child Protective Services.
Tamryn’s death left many in the Dyess community asking how it could have happened. Both Child Protective Services and the Dyess Family Advocacy Program had investigated the family on allegations of neglect multiple times in the two years leading up to Tamryn’s death. CPS closed an investigation just days before the girl died without a required home visit and supervisor approval.’
Airman convicted of adultery, child endangerment in Dyess toddler death case[Air Force Times 10/21/13 byChristopher Collins and Kristin Davis]
” A trial date is set for a West Texas woman who claimed her military husband’s deployment overseas left her too stressed to care for their three children, including a 22-month-old daughter who died.
Reports say that Tiffany Klapheke’s trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 27. Klapheke is charged with injury to a child in the August 2012 death of Tamryn Klapheke, who died of malnutrition and dehydration. Tiffany Klapheke faces up to life in prison if convicted.
She has said she was too stressed by her military spouse’s deployment to care for her three daughters. Airman Thomas Klapheke divorced his wife. The state has temporary conservatorship with their father granted restrictive custody.”
Mother’s trial in child’s death set for Jan. 27[Wafb 1/18/14 by Associated Press]
Update 19: ““… I don’t believe it was all Tiffany’s fault,” said Scott Romano, speaking exclusively to KTXS following Saturday’s arrest of Martha Kiel “Bit” Whitaker, ex-regional director for Child Protective Services.
Tiffany Klapheke, in February, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for her role in her 22-month-old daughter’s death from severe neglect.
According to jail records, Whitaker was charged with tampering with physical evidence on Aug. 29, 2012 – one day after Klapheke’s daughter Tamryn was found unresponsive in her Dyess Air Force Base home.
Tamryn reportedly died six days after CPS closed an investigation of medical neglect on the Klapheke family.
Whitaker was the CPS regional director when Tamryn Klapheke died from severe neglect.
“I had made a comment before that I’ll be surprised if any other people are prosecuted for this because I think there’s a whole bunch of people that could have prevented it and didn’t,” Romano said.
Romano also said he’s sad that the lives of innocent children were left in the hands of the CPS agents on the case.
Tamryn’s two young sisters were also found to be in poor physical condition at the time of her death.
“I think there are other people involved in this thing and I think that fact that there were so many referrals made on those children is showing you that there was a problem from the very beginning,” Romano said.
Romano said he hopes more arrests will be made, and he wants people to realize that this issue isn’t isolated.
“She’s (Tiffany Klapheke) taken responsibility and she knows what she did was wrong, but I also think there was other people that could have prevented it,” Romano said. “It’s like how many people need to walk by and turn their head the other way?”
Romano said his family talks with Tiffany about three times a week.”
CPS arrest: Klapheke family happy ‘somebody else … taking some blame’[KTXS 7/28/14 by Dora Miller]
Update 20: “A former Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) supervisor arrested on a tampering with evidence charge in connection with a highly publicized 2012 Abilene child dehydration and starvation death case will be going to trial soon, as reported by KTXS 12 News in Abilene. The local station reported that she appeared in Taylor County, Texas, court for a pre-trial hearing.
Breitbart Texas reported in July of 2014 that Whitaker had been arrested and was out on bond after being charged with a third degree felony.
Whitaker faces a possible sentence of two to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The stepfather of the child spoke exclusively to KTXS in Abilene. Scott Romano told the station that he blamed CPS for not preventing the infant’s death because so many referrals had been made to the agency.
KTXS reported that Whitaker was the CPS supervisor when the 22-month-old child, Tamryn Klapheke, died from abuse in August of 2012. The young child’s mother, Tiffany Klapheke, was convicted of causing injury to a child and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The mother had been accused of failing to feed her three daughters. Tamryn Klapheke was her youngest daughter. The family was living on Dyess Airforce Base at the time.
According to KTXS, the CPS investigation of the Klapheke family was closed just six weeks before the death of Tamryn Klapheke.
Whitaker retired in 2013.
In 2012, Texas Watchdog reported that the commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at the time, Howard Baldwin, resigned amid an investigation, just two months after the infant’s death.”
FORMER TEXAS CPS SUPERVISOR FACING TRIAL FOR FELONY EVIDENCE TAMPERING [Breitbart 9/15/15 by Lana Shadwick]
Update 21:“A former Child Protective Services worker was arrested on charges connected to the Tiffany Klapheke neglect case.
Klapheke, 25, was convicted and sentenced to serve thirty years in prison in 2014 for neglecting her three daughters, one of whom, Tamaryn Klapheke, 22 months, passed away as a result of the neglect.
Gretchen Denny, 42, was arrested on December 19, 2015 on a Tampering With/Fabricating Physical Evidence charge due to allegations that surfaced during the investigation into Klapheke. She was released from jail the next day after posting a $10,000 bond.
Court documents allege Denny, who was a CPS worker when the investigation was being conducted, “did intentionally and knowingly alter or conceal . . . Child Protective Services documents detailing the investigation of the Klapheke children and/or medical records of the Klapheke children and/or Dyess Family Advocacy office records of the Klapheke children, with intent to impair its availability as evidence in the investigation”.
Denny is set for arraignment on January 29th. BigCountryHomepage will keep you updated throughout her criminal proceedings. Denny was dismissed from employment at CPS during the investigation following Klapheke’s conviction.
Tiffany Klapheke is back in Abilene at the Taylor County Jail as she awaits the retrial for Senior Airman Christopher Perez. Klapheke and Perez were having a relationship when the children were neglected.
A military judge sentenced Perez to three years of confinement for adultery and three counts of child endangerment in connection to the Klapheke case
A retrial will take place at Dyess Air Force Base in the coming months. A Dyess Air Force Base representative explains this process, saying whenever an Airman is sentenced to one or more years of confinement, the case is automatically appealed, unless the individual waives his or her right to appeal. ”
Former CPS Worker Arrested in Connection to Klapheke Case [Big Country 1/5/16]
Update 22: “The 350th District Court plans to reset hearings scheduled Friday for two former Child Protective Services employees accused of tampering with evidence in the death of 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke.
The court had scheduled hearings for Martha Kiel “Bit” Whitaker and Gretchen Denny for Friday afternoon. A date has not been set for the rescheduled hearings.
A Taylor County grand jury indicted Whitaker, a former CPS supervisor, in 2014 on a charge of tampering with physical evidence. She turned herself in to police in July 2014.
A jury trial was set for March 14, later was postponed until June 27.
In July, Whitaker was told by the court administrator that the court had released the present prosecutor and that a new prosecutor would be sought.
Judge Jay Gibson, a visiting judge, appointed Julie Stone and Jason Scully-Clemmons of the prosecution assistance division of the Texas attorney general’s office to serve as attorneys in Whitaker’s case.”
Former Abilene CPS supervisor Bit Whitaker hearing postponed again[Abilene Reporter News 10/14/16 by Brooke Crum]
Update 23:“A judge has denied a former Abilene CPS supervisor’s request to have her charge connected to the fatal Tiffany Klapheke child abuse case dismissed.
Martha ‘Bit’ Whitaker will stand trial for Tampering With/Fabricating Physical evidence after a judge decided the amount of time she’s spent waiting for trial does not impact her ability to have a fair trial. This decision was made during court proceedings Tuesday afternoon.
Whitaker was charged two years after Tamryn Klapheke, 22 months, was found deceased at a home on Dyess Air Force Base in 2012. Two other kids that were neglected and malnourished were removed from the home.
Court documents say Whitaker “did intentionally and knowingly alter or conceal . . . Child Protective Services documents detailing the investigation of the Klapheke children and/or medical records of the Klapheke children and/or Dyess Family Advocacy office records of the Klapheke children, with intent to impair its availability as evidence in the investigation”.
Whitaker was indicted for her charge connected to the Klapheke case on July 17, 2014, and was not arrested until July 26, 2014.
Another CPS worker, Gretchen Denny, has also been charged with Tampering With/Fabricating Physical Evidence for the same reason as Whitaker. Denny has also not been to trial.
Whitaker and Denny are now both scheduled to have status hearings in May of 2017 so both sides of the case can review any evidence, arraignment dates, and other procedural issues.
Their trial date will likely be decided during those hearings.
Tiffany Klapheke was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February of 2014 on charges connected to the death of Tamryn and the abuse of her other two children.
Klapheke’s then-boyfriend, Senior Airman Perez, is scheduled for a re-trial at Dyess Air Force Base on an undetermined date. He was originally sentenced to three years of confinement for adultery and three counts of child endangerment.”
Klapheke Case: Judge Denies Former CPS Worker’s Request to Drop Charges
[Big Country 12/20/16]
Update 24:“The sentencing phase began Thursday morning in the case of a Child Protective Services worker who was convicted of tampering with evidence, after a child died as a result of malnourishment and neglect in 2012.
Gretchen Denny faces two to 10 years in prison. A Taylor County judge will decide her sentence.
After Denny was found guilty in April, there was a pre-sentencing investigation.
The case centered around a photo of the deceased 22-month-old girl. Denny was accused of ordering another CPS worker to delete the photo to keep it from medical personnel.
Police said they found a lack of cooperation from CPS during its investigation of Tamryn Klapheke’s death. The child died of neglect in 2012 while under her mother Tiffany Klapheke’s care.
A CPS worker under Denny closed the Klapheke case just six days prior to the death of the child. Tiffany Klapheke was later sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with her daughter’s death.
Klapheke’s two other children, who were 3 years old and 6 months old at the time of the crime, were badly malnourished and survived.
During the trial in April, the state argued text messages existed of a CPS worker asking Denny if she could send a photo of the deceased child at the request of hospital staff. Denny replied ,“no” and later texted “say you deleted it.”
The defense argued Denny didn’t want the graphic photo to circulate and that what Denny did didn’t constitute concealing information.
Martha ‘Bit’ Whitaker, a former CPS supervisor, was also charged with tampering with evidence in the Klapheke case. She has not yet gone to trial.””
Sentencing phase begins in ex-CPS worker convicted in Klapheke child death case
[KTXS 7/19/18 by Maria Aguilera]
“Gretchen Denny was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in jail and six years probation for her role in an attempt to cover up evidence in the death of Tamryn Klapheke.
Denny, 44, was found guilty of tampering with evidence in April after she was accused of altering or concealing a photograph involved in the 2012 death investigation of the 2-year-old child at Dyess Air Force Base.
Denny was also ordered to pay a fine and court costs Thursday. She is required to report to jail before the end of the day Friday.
Her short-term fate was delayed at the time due to a pre-sentence investigation.
In August 2012, CPS and police were called to Dyess due to the death of the 2-year-old child. Two siblings, then ages 3 years and 6 months, were in critical condition at the time, according to testimony, and taken to Hendrick Medical Center for treatment by one of Denny’s subordinates.
According to text messages submitted as evidence in the case, Abilene Police Department Sgt. Lynn Beard took a photo of Tamryn and sent it to a different subordinate of Denny’s. The two subordinates were in contact, with the one at the hospital trying to obtain the picture from the other to provide to Hendrick nurses for possible use in diagnosing what had caused the injuries to the two surviving children.
In text messages between Denny and her subordinate, Denny said to not share the photo and that the subordinate should “say you deleted it” and to “delete it.”
In February 2014, Tamryn’s mother, Tiffany Klapheke, was found guilty of child endangerment resulting in death and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Another former CPS worker, Martha “Bit” Whitaker is also charged with tampering with evidence, and is awaiting trial.”
Gretchen Denny, CPS administrator during Klapheke incident, sentenced
[Abilene Reporter News 7/19/18 by Timothy Chipp]
Update 25:“A prosecutor from the Texas Attorney General’s office has filed a motion to dismiss a tampering with evidence charge against former Child Protective Services’ Abilene regional director Martha Kiel “Bit” Whitaker.
The motion comes more than four years after a Taylor County grand jury indicted Whitaker on the third-degree felony in connection with the 2012 death of 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke.
The motion to dismiss was filed on Aug. 16 in 350th District Court in Abilene by Jason Scully-Clemmons, an assistant attorney general in Austin. A special prosecutor and visiting judge were assigned to handle the case after local officials recused themselves.
Grounds for the state’s motion were based on “the state cannot prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt,” according to the court motion.
Randy Wilson, defense attorney for Whitaker, declined to comment on the motion until an order of dismissal has been signed and entered by the court.
“Ms. Whitaker will not make any comment at this time,” Wilson said in an email Monday.
Visiting Judge Ray Gibson from the Midland/Odessa area had not signed the motion, as of noon Monday.
According to Reporter-News archives, Whitaker and fellow CPS supervisors Gretchen Denny came under fire in soon after Tamryn Klapheke’s death in August 2012.
The girl died of dehydration and malnutrition in her Dyess Air Force Base home, while her two siblings, 3-year-old Taberlee and 6-month-old Tatum, were near death when police found them.
Denny was sentenced to 60 days in jail and six years probation on July 19 after being found guilty of tampering with evidence in an April trial.
CPS began receiving medical reports about the Klapheke children’s care in 2010. The entity’s last face-to-face contact with Tiffany Klapheke, the girls’ mother, was in October 2011.
CPS investigator Claudia Gonzales closed the neglect case mere days before Tamryn died Aug, 28, 2012.
Whitaker, who served as CPS director for regions 2 and 9, retired in March 2013 after being placed on administrative paid leave.
Tiffany Klapheke was found guilty of injury to a child in February 2014 and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Whitaker was indicted July 17, 2014. She turned herself in a few days later and was released on $1,000 bond.
During a Dec. 20, 2016, hearing on a defense motion to dismiss the charge, Whitaker testified that she was unable to find a job and that her social worker license was suspended, according to Abilene Reporter-News files.
She further testified that she had lost weight and hair, suffered from anxiety and sleep deprivation and had to seek medical help for grinding her teeth.
The 2016 motion to dismiss was denied.”
State files motion to drop charge against ex-Abilene CPS director Martha ‘Bit’ Whitaker
[Reporter News 8/27/18 by Laura Gutschke]
Y isnt the father gettin charged Does it only take 2 months to starve a beautiful bein ?