GUILTY TX - Amber Maccurdy, 2 mos, dies of abuse & neglect, Katy, 9 April 2009

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CuriousTwo

CuriousTwo

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By the time paramedics arrived on April 9 to her grandmother's Katy mobile home, the infant had a large gaping abscess on the right side of her chest, the result of a brutal, untreated staph infection. Autopsy results would later find she had broken ribs and a fractured arm, compromising her immune system even more.

Amber's parents — Hobert Maccurdy and Melissa Menkes — along with maternal grandmother Linda Menkes, have been charged, accused of failing to seek medical attention leading to Amber's death. They didn't seek medical care, her mother told authorities, because she was afraid Texas Child Protective Services would take Amber and her two brothers away from them.

After all, CPS investigators had been called to the mobile home a total of four times since 2003, including one time nearly a month before Amber died.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/6596098.html


Seriously ... when do these senseless child murders end?????????
 
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The mobile home is gone, and so is little Amber Maccurdy, who spent a short but torturous life at 3135 Conrad Lane in the Western Pines Mobile Home Community in Katy.

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Father Hobert Maccurdy has been charged, accused of failing to seek medical attention leading to Amber's death.

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Mother Melissa Menkes has also been charged.

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Maternal grandmother Linda Menkes was charged.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/6596098.html
 
Why do we read stories time after time where the system and the parents/grandparents/foster parents all fail these poor babies?! It breaks my heart that Amber never got to feel what it was like to be snuggled and loved. I pray that the other children will now find loving homes where they will be well cared for and that those monsters pay for the suffering of these precious children. I also hope that the so-called social worker loses her job for failing to protect those kids. How many more children have to suffer or die before the system set up to protect them is improved?!
 
so would I be considered a bad person for finding joy in her tears?? ugh, i'm sorry but i just want to let them suffer the way she suffered :(
 
Link below includes video news report ....

cps.jpg


<snipped>
The MacCurdy case comes in the wake of the death of four-year-old Emma Thompson, who just weeks before she died with bruises covering her body and a skull fracture, tested positive for herpes. A caseworker decided not to remove her from her home because she didn't have any other signs of sexual abuse. Then just this week, a three-year-old Montgomery County boy died from blunt force injuries. CPS had visited his guardians three times before his death.

"We are taking a hard look at the work that we do and we are making no excuses, if there is something we could have done," Carter said.

CPS says it will be reviewing these cases with oversight from Austin, fully aware that people like Randy Burton will be watching, hoping this time things will change.

"We expect and we assume that when we call CPS they are the white knight that charges to the child's safety," Burton said. "It's not what happens."

All three of the defendants in the MacCurdy case have plead not guilty. The case is moving forward and the defendants are due in court later this week.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6994096
 
teonspaleprincess said:
Why do we read stories time after time where the system and the parents/grandparents/foster parents all fail these poor babies?! It breaks my heart that Amber never got to feel what it was like to be snuggled and loved. I pray that the other children will now find loving homes where they will be well cared for and that those monsters pay for the suffering of these precious children. I also hope that the so-called social worker loses her job for failing to protect those kids. How many more children have to suffer or die before the system set up to protect them is improved?!
Click to expand...
(bold mine) ...

It has to end soon - this can't go on. When a child is born into a home where not even ONE relative is willing to save it, our society is really in trouble. These criminals all need sentences more harsh than a slap on the wrist.
 
And definitely not in March, when a caseworker came to check a report that Amber's oldest brother, now 9, had been hit with an open fist. All the children were fine, the caseworker reported back to her superiors, according to CPS officials. The caseworker noted she saw no &#8220;marks or bruises&#8221; on Amber.

But the caseworker never examined Amber. The mother refused to let the caseworker see her closely, a fact confirmed by Patrick Crimmins, CPS spokesman in Austin.

&#8220;The mother only allowed the caseworker to examine Amber while holding her, so the worker saw the child's face, arms and legs,&#8221; Crimmins said. &#8220;To the worker, Amber did not appear to be in any distress and did not appear to be injured or harmed in any way.&#8221;
Click to expand...

Someone wanna tell me when is okay for a parent to dictate how a child is searched by caseworkers?????? And this didnt send up red flags??? Omg I am so mad about this. That poor baby had a chance to be saved.
 
We usually get the same old tired excuse that case workers are just so busy that they have a hard time doing their job properly. Well, in this case the caseworker actually went to the home, but STILL didn't do the job. You're there, you have evidence, DO YOUR JOB!!!! How can they sleep at night knowing that they are leaving a poor, defenseless child in harm's way?
 
Because I am normally the one trying to bring up the caseworker side of things and defending the system, to an extent, I felt the need to comment.

From what I've read so far, I agree CPS dropped the ball.

While I will continue to support social workers in many cases, I also have no problem admitting when they screw up. Granted, like in every case, I'm sure there is more to the story. However, from what has been reported, I do believe the ball was dropped.
 
lizzybeth said:
We usually get the same old tired excuse that case workers are just so busy that they have a hard time doing their job properly. Well, in this case the caseworker actually went to the home, but STILL didn't do the job. You're there, you have evidence, DO YOUR JOB!!!! How can they sleep at night knowing that they are leaving a poor, defenseless child in harm's way?
Click to expand...

ITA. The heavy caseload excuse does not apply in most cases. Caseworkers routinely lie in their reports. Their reports do not reflect the reality of their visits at all.

And apparently the new trend is to let parents leave their kids with whomever they want. A recent case in L.A. had mom giving her son to her abusive ex boyfriend who later beat the child to death. Since when do abusive parents get to decide where their kids go?
 
Lyn1001 said:
Because I am normally the one trying to bring up the caseworker side of things and defending the system, to an extent, I felt the need to comment.

From what I've read so far, I agree CPS dropped the ball.

While I will continue to support social workers in many cases, I also have no problem admitting when they screw up. Granted, like in every case, I'm sure there is more to the story. However, from what has been reported, I do believe the ball was dropped.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. However, I strongly believe that human error in cases like these is something that shouldn't happen. These people need to be diligent and suspicious right from the start. I'm sorry, but if a parent tells a caseworker that he/she can't examine a child closely, they should immediately take the child to the hospital or doctor and get a thorough exam. RED FLAG! I want to know who kept calling regarding the children's safety/health. That person deserves a hug because he/she tried to help. Most people give up after their first call is ignored. These stories are so sad. So, so, so sad.
 
This has got to STOP! How many more kids have to be abused or die before a "system" tht is supposed to protect children, does their jobs??
 
Why did this mother care if the children were taken? Seriously? Clearly she did not want them-I mean they were neglected and abused. She did not want to be CHARGED...this is much closer to the truth. Sure, she will kick out babies, but don't expect her to protect and parent them.
 
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