TX - Colton Turner, 2, Cedar Park, 11 Sept 2014 Media Links/Maps/Timelines

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FBI searching for missing Cedar Park boy
By KXAN News Published: September 11, 2014, 5:51 pm Updated: September 12, 2014, 7:26 pm
CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities are asking for help in finding a missing 2-year-old boy from Cedar Park believed to be a victim of child abuse. Colton Brandt Turner turns 3 years old in nine days.

Police received a call about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday concerned about Colton’s welfare. Cedar Park officers were able to find his mother, 20-year-old Meagan Work, but did not find Colton. Police say Work has been living out of her car for the last several months. Officers found her outside a Cedar Park home but would not say who alerted them to her whereabouts.

Police: Missing 2-year-old was living with homeless mother
American-Statesman Staff Updated: 7:47 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 | Posted: 5:59 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014

7:20 p.m. update: Cedar Park police on Thursday night said the mother of the missing boy is 20-year-old Megan Work, and that she had been living out of a car with her son.
Officials said that several Child Protective Services reports have been filed regarding Work, who lived in her car with all over the area, including Cedar Park, Austin and Houston.
Police did not release any details about the father.
Police said they will charge Work with child endangerment.

Cedar Park police seek help locating missing child
Posted: Sep 11, 2014 5:59 PM CST Updated: Sep 12, 2014 9:48 AM CST
Assistant Chief Mark Harmon with Cedar Park Police Department says, "She's not forthcoming of any information of his whereabouts, or his safety or well-being."
"I don't know too many parents out there who haven't seen their child since July and don't know the whereabouts of it," Harmon adds.
Colton's father is Brandon Pelfrey. He posted photos of the child, bruised, on his Facebook page.
FOX 7 spoke with Pelfrey's mother by phone. She says she hasn't seen Colton since May 30th and Work was a no-show at a recent meeting with CPS.
Colton-Brandt-Turner-missing.jpg5412fb4730e9b.image.jpg
 
7:01 video PRESS CONFERENCE
Police Find Body Of Child In SE Austin
Updated: Friday, September 12 2014, 07:13 PM CDT
Authorities say they've recovered the body of a small child in Southeast Austin and believe it's the remains of a missing 2-year-old boy.
Police had been searching an Austin field for Colton Turner, whose mother was being held in nearby Williamson County on a charge of abandoning and endangering a child.

Colton Turner’s remains found in SE Austin, police say
Published: September 12, 2014, 7:46 am Updated: September 14, 2014, 11:23 pm
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The search for missing 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner turned tragic Friday as a child’s body was found in Southeast Austin where the FBI, Austin and Cedar Park police were searching in a wooded area near the intersection of Burleson Road and Felter Lane.
“We have every reason to believe the remains of that child are those of little Colton Turner,” Cedar Park Chief of Police Sean Mannix said in a news conference Friday afternoon.

Police believe child’s remains found, mother booked into jail
Posted: Sep 12, 2014 9:45 AM CST Updated: Sep 12, 2014 11:10 PM CST
Police say they have every reason to believe that the remains of a small child found in Southeast Austin are those of two-year-old Colton Turner. Cedar Park police reported Colton as missing and in danger Thursday.
Cedar Park police say on Wednesday someone sent them photos of Colton with bruises. Officers located Work and questioned her at length on Thursday. Police say Work told them she last saw her son in July and gave multiple stories that didn't check out as to what happened between then and now.
The Austin Police Department has taken the lead on the investigation. APD Chief Art Acevedo said at a press conference this afternoon, “I can tell you anyone that places a child in a small, shallow grave, the fact you can do that doesn't speak well of you as a human being and I cringe at the thought of the life he had while living.”
 
Bail for Meagan Work set at $250,000
Posted: 11:34 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014
The bail for Meagan Rena Work, the 20-year-old mother suspected of involvement in the likely death of her 2-year-old son Colton Brandt Turner, was set at $250,000, according to Travis County jail records.
After police arrested Work for abandonment of a child Wednesday because she said she hadn’t seen her son for months and didn’t know where he was, investigators found what they believe to be Colton Turner’s remains in South Austin on Friday.

Mom: Colton Turner had a seizure and was buried
Published: September 15, 2014, 9:27 am Updated: September 15, 2014, 6:02 pm

AUSTIN (KXAN) – When it appeared 2-year-old Colton Turner was having a seizure, his parents took him to a motel because they were afraid of being arrested if they took him to a hospital, court documents show.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/239810766/Meagan-Work-and-Michael-Turner-Affidavit
Police say Turner is the one who told them the truth about Colton’s death and led them to the body.
Tampering with Evidence is typically a 3rd degree felony (2-10 year sentence), however, when the evidence is a human body it can be enhanced to a 2nd degree (2-20 years). The enhancement for cases involving a human body came in response to the murder of Jennifer Cave who was murdered and dismembered in West Campus back in 2005.
If murder charges are filed, it is possible it could be tried as a Capital Murder case due to Colton Turner’s age.

Affidavit: Mother’s boyfriend led police to Colton Turner’s grave
Updated: 11:53 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 | Posted: 9:53 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, 2014
Work had told inconsistent stories about what happened to her son, Colton, police said. But after learning that Turner had showed police where the boy was buried, Work said Colton had died on July 7 after having a seizure the day before, according to the affidavit.
Work said Colton had hit his head on an air-conditioning unit inside a motel room on July 6 “as a result of Colton being assaulted,” according to the affidavit. The document does not say who allegedly assaulted the boy. Colton was unable to walk and was not acting normally afterward, the document says. Later that day, Colton had a seizure andWork and Turner brought him back to the motel room to nurse him back to health, the affidavit says. Work said that when she woke up on July 7, Colton was dead and they buried him.

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2014/09/15/Meagan_Work_affidavit.pdf

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/news/documents/2014/09/15/Michael_Turner_arrest_affidavit.pdf
 
Police: Mom and Boyfriend Took Colton To Hotel Before Death In July
Updated: Monday, September 15 2014, 07:42 PM CDT
According to court documents released Monday, Meagan Work gave police several different stories as to what happened to her son, Colton Turner, before telling them the truth.
Initially, the arrest affidavit states Work sent Colton to Sachse in the North Texas area, to stay with a friend. Police went to the home, and didn't find him. The person at that residence told investigators that Work told her Colton was staying with family in East Texas, but that turned out to also not be true.
Work's third version of events, according to the arrest affidavit, was that Colton had been kidnapped from her vehicle, along with her wallet and a purple blanket. When confronted by police, Work changed her story again, saying she gave Colton to a couple she met at a fast-food restaurant, but she could not give a detailed description of the couple.
Both Work and Turner have been charged with tampering with evidence, a second degree felony. The charge of abandoning a child was dropped for Work, during the investigation. Both are being held on $250,000 bond.

New details in the death of two-year-old Colton Turner
Posted: Sep 15, 2014 10:14 AM CST Updated: Sep 15, 2014 6:30 PM CST
Austin Police want access to Meagan Work's Facebook account. On Monday a judge signed off on a search warrant where police say Work has pictures that show alleged abuse. It's part of the ongoing investigation homicide detectives are working on.
You can read the full search warrant here:
http://ftpcontent3.worldnow.com/ktbc/PDF Files/Work Search Warrant .pdf
 
Colton Turner vigil draws hundreds, despite the rain and cool air
Posted: Sep 13, 2014 11:14 PM CST Updated: Sep 15, 2014 7:31 PM CST
The air was chilly and the rain was falling...but the crowd only grew.
<snip>
As the scheduled time for the vigil drew closer, the rain let up...and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Hundreds paid their respects to Colton -- writing messages, leaving toys, lighting candles and releasing balloons into the sky.

BxgQGQXIYAAhwLZ.jpg
https://twitter.com/keyetv/status/511176258042863617/photo/1

9 photos in gallery: Colton Turner vigil, 09.13.14
http://www.statesman.com/gallery/ne...mp=statesman_social_facebook_2014_sfp#6129869
 
Why weren’t Colton Turner photos turned over sooner?
Published: September 15, 2014, 7:31 pm Updated: September 15, 2014, 7:39 pm
CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) – Cedar Park’s Chief of Police is questioning why photos of Colton Brandt Turner purporting to show bruises on the back and face of the 2-year-old were not turned over to police investigators before late last week and the discovery of the little boy’s body.
<snip>
The affidavit also alleges the state’s Division of Child Protective Services ‘had been advised’ of the photos Cedar Park detectives saw for the first time last week.

Sources: CPS had 4 abuse complaints for Colton Turner
Posted: 9:55 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, 2014
CPS received its first complaint about Colton’s welfare when he was about 6 months old and got three more reports in the months and weeks before investigators said they found the child’s body in a shallow grave Friday in Southeast Austin, the sources said.

Two of the previous complaints had been closed, but it is unclear how CPS resolved them, according to the sources. The agency had open cases stemming from the two other complaints but had been unable to investigate them because they could not locate Colton or his mother.

Meagan Work's Troubled Youth
Updated: Monday, September 15 2014, 09:01 PM CDT
There are now questions about Meagan's youth and if that also played a role. Inside the Williamson County courthouse are dozens of pages from her past. She and two sisters were removed from a home in Round Rock in a Child Protective Services investigation.
Work's mother Tayleen has also had several arrests. The children also reported seeing domestic violence. It's just one of multiple CPS cases that began from when Meagan Work was two years old until she was 13 and removed from the home.
 
Court hearing set for Colton Turner’s mother
Updated: 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 | Posted: 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014
American-Statesman Staff
The first court hearing for the mother of Colton Turner, Meagan Work, has been set for next week, according to court records. Work is accused of helping bury her 2-year-old in a shallow grave in Southeast Austin after the child died while she slept.
Court records state Work, 20, is due for her first appearance in court in the 167th District Court on Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. Her attorney is listed as Darla D. Davis. A phone message to Davis was not immediately returned.

Michael Brandt Turner transferred to Travis County
Published: September 16, 2014, 11:03 am Updated: September 16, 2014, 9:46 pm
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Michael Brandt Turner, Meagan Work’s boyfriend charged in connection to 2-year-old Colton Brandt Turner’s death, has been transferred to the Travis County Jail from San Saba County.

Texas CPS ‘had involvement’ with Colton Turner
Published: September 16, 2014, 1:56 pm Updated: September 16, 2014, 8:08 pm
AUSTIN (KXAN) – The timeline on when the Texas Division of Child and Protective Services first learned about abuse complaints involving Colton Turner remains unclear. But CPS Spokesperson Julie Moody tells KXAN the agency ‘had involvement’ with Turner’s mother, Meagan Work.
Moody also confirms to KXAN CPS staff decided last Friday evening to conduct an internal review into how its investigators handled any complaints.
CPS will also conduct a standard death investigation. State law also requires CPS staff to fill out a form 2059 – a Summary of Client Needs. It could reveal more about how Colton was living before he disappeared – providing it turns out there was an investigation then
KXAN also confirms the Office of Inspector General of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission will review the Turner case. A spokesperson says the OIG has been reviewing child death cases where there was prior CPS history since late 2012. Once the OIG finishes its review, a summary report that is available to the public.
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http://apps.lininteractive.com/css/time2time/images/timelines/865.jpg
http://kxan.com/2014/09/16/michael-brandt-turner-transferred-to-travis-county/
 
Details emerge about Colton Turner's mother, Meagan Work
9:23 a.m. CDT September 17, 2014
A 17-page report details an investigation into her parents back in 2007, leading up to when the state put her and her siblings in foster care. The Department of Family and Protective Services report details what life was like for the then-13-year-old girl. That's when the DFPS began an investigation into her parents, Tayleen and Sidney Work.
<snip>
The report also says therapists diagnosed Meagan with adjustment disorder, mixed anxiety and depression. Friends told KVUE Meagan's mother died earlier this year. They also say Meagan is homeless, living in hotels and with friends and she's four months pregnant.
Meagan also has a criminal history including assault and cruelty to animals. She is in jail charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Meagan Work's Troubled Youth

Published on Sep 16, 2014 KEYE TV Youtube
Friends of Meagan Work say she cared for her son. Laci Bittner has known Work several years. "At first she seemed really great with him. She hugged him, she loved him, she was there for him," Bittner says.
Now police accuse Work of playing a role in Colton Turner's death. And Bittner says she noticed a change in Work. "She was into big, hardcore drugs and hanging with the wrong people and I think that played a role in what happened," she says.
Several photos of Work's parents in the video.

How the community can learn from Colton Turner case
7:42 a.m. CDT September 17, 2014
Child abuse experts hope Colton's case serves as a reminder to the community about the importance of reporting suspected child abuse or neglect.
<snip>
On Sunday, Sept. 21, Colton's family is inviting the public to Milburn Park at 7 p.m. It would have been Colton's third birthday.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a child's toy. Colton's family is donating the toys to abused children.
The Safe Haven Infant Protection Laws are designed to give parents in crisis an way to give up an unwanted infant safely, legally and anonymously. Go here for more information on the National Safe Haven Alliance.
 
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/di...d=172462457&mid=6120581#.VBt8euG-TUA.facebook

In Memory of
Colton Turner Pelfrey
September 21, 2011 - September 12, 2014

b3f63be6-41ba-41c6-ada2-4440975893db.jpg

 
https://www.scribd.com/doc/241706248/A-Review-of-Child-Protective-Services-Investigations-Regarding-Colton-Turner-Final

A Review of Child Protective Services Investigations Regarding Colton Turner-Final
Ratings: (0)|Views: 17,030 |Likes: 1
Published by kxanwebteam
A report issued following the death of a Texas toddler.

Summary of CPS History on Colton Turner
Investigation #1 &#8722; July 27, 2012 - September 11, 2012
Investigation #2 &#8722; March 23, 2013 - June 13, 2013
Investigation #3 &#8722; June 27, 2013 - March 3, 2014
Investigation #4 &#8722; May 21, 2014 (investigation is ongoing)
Each investigation has lengthy policy violations noted and areas of concern noted in the 7 page document released today by The Department of Family and Protective Services and published by KXAN.
As a result of this review, DFPS has taken or will take these actions:
DFPS has terminated three employees: the investigation caseworker, supervisor and the program director who had responsibility for the May 21, 2014, investigation.

To ensure the safety of children who are possible victims in pending Travis County investigations, CPS has assigned additional Master Investigators. By October 6, there will be 10 Master Investigators and three Master Investigator Supervisors assigned specifically to Travis County.

Special investigators from other parts of the state will be temporarily reassigned to Travis County to assist investigative caseworkers with delinquent and difficult investigations.

A program director from another region is assigned to support staff in the investigation units formerly overseen by the program director who was terminated.

By October 15, 2014, CPS investigation caseworkers will be instructed to record differently the date and time of all face-to-face contact with alleged victims. This change will allow CPS to better track face-to-face visits with children in investigations.

CPS began a targeted case review process on September 29 in Travis County using specialized reviewers from outside the region. A team of case readers from the Child Safety Specialists and CPS Quality Assurance teams will review the open investigations, prioritizing cases with children 5 or younger with previous CPS reports and when no actual initial contact is recorded. The case reviewer will identify and refer any cases needing immediate action. As that concludes, reviewers also will examine recently closed cases using the same tool. Plans to expand beyond Travis County will be formulated based on the issues that arise from the case review.

Pursuant to some allegations of unfair and ineffective management practices in the Central Texas region of the agency, CPS has requested a Management initiated investigation (MII) by the HHSC Office of Civil Rights (OCR).

DFPS Internal Audit is conducting a review of the use of Child Safety Specialists and Special Investigators. The audit will look specifically at the role of these specialist positions and how CPS can more effectively use them.

CPS will implement a research-based tool to guide and support child-safety decisions. CPS will require investigators to conduct and document a safety assessment within 24-hours after first contact with victim(s). Early adopters in each region will begin using the tool in January 2015, and all CPS Investigators will begin using the tool by April 2015.

CPS is reviewing policy regarding how new reports are handled in open investigations and will issue new directives if needed.

CPS is reviewing policy regarding when home visits are required in investigations and will issue new directives if needed.

IMPACT, the CPS database for cases, is being upgraded and CPS will seek improvements in how historical data on closed investigations is stored for ease of review
http://kxan.com/2014/10/02/cps-workers-fired-in-colton-turner-case/
 
'Colton's Law' passes House Committee in unanimous vote

KHOU April 9, 2015
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas House Committee on Juvenile and Family Issues voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve House Bill 2053, also known as "Colton's Law."
"I don't know what to say. I feel like Colton is getting his justice. This is his justice. Protecting other kids," said Colton's great-aunt Raquel Helfrich Wednesday evening after the vote.
"I'm blessed that they did that. It just made everything so much better and I know that my son got justice. He's saving a lot of other kids that CPS didn't," said Colton's biological dad Brandon Pelfrey.
 
Williamson Co. advocacy center dedicates area to Colton Turner
KXAN News Published: April 17, 2015,
http://kxan.com/2015/04/17/williamson-co-advocacy-center-dedicates-area-to-colton-turner/
GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Williamson County hosted a special ceremony in Colton Turner’s memory.

The Children’s Advocacy Center in Georgetown hosted an open house debuting three newly-renovated playrooms inside. Those rooms are now reserved in a hallway called Colton’s Way. The center hopes this area provides a sanctuary for other children.

Meagan Work pleads not guilty in Colton Turner’s death
KXAN News Published: May 11, 2015
http://kxan.com/2015/05/11/meagan-work-trial-in-colton-turners-death-set-for-mid-november/
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The trial for the mother accused in the death of 2-year-old Colton Turner is set to begin the week of Nov. 16. Meagan Work was in court Monday morning and pleaded not guilty.

The attorney for boyfriend Michael Turner was in court Monday morning as well. Steven Brand is new and says he wants more time to review his client’s case. A judge is setting his next hearing for May 26.

Colton's Law is now a Law
KLBJ Newsroom
Jun. 22, 2015
http://www.newsradioklbj.com/news/austin-local-news/coltons-law-now-law
Colton's Law is just that now. Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill. Liz St. Clair, who was pushing for the bill to pass, says she just wants children to be protected, unlike Colton Turner. The three-year-old Cedar Park boy’s body was found buried September 2014 in Southeast Austin. His mother, Megan Work, had been stopped by different officers in different counties.

The goal of Colton's Law was to get Child Protective Services to communicate with the Department of Public Safety officers to alert all law enforcement when there is an at-risk child that CPS can't locate. Colton's Law goes into effect immediately.
 
SBM
The Third Court of Appeals has upheld Meagan Work's conviction in connection to the death of her son Colton Turner. In their ruling, the judges said they didn't find any reversible error in the trial court's judgment.
 

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