GUILTY TX - Tamryn Klapheke, 22 mos, dies of severe neglect, Abilene, 28 Aug 2012

peeples said:

we have a thread on the mom already

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183271&highlight=Tiffany+Klapheke

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http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/oct/16/charges-may-be-pending-against-cps-employees-say...
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A CPS employee told police another employee took the Klapheke file home and when it was returned the following day, "multiple documents including the notes regarding the investigation" were missing, according to the affidavit...(snip)

Standridge said during the investigation, CPS workers were advised by their supervisors to be uncooperative with law enforcement in the police investigation of the child's death...

According to the affidavit, a supervisor recounted to police "several other cases involving Callahan County Sheriff's Office and Tye Police department" where Denny and McDaniel had ordered investigators not to share information with law enforcement....(snip)

...several CPS administrative supervisors "knowingly concealed, altered, and/or destroyed records and other documentation" about Child Protective Services' involvement with the girl's family.

"Early evidence would suggest some of this conduct pre-existed the Klapheke investigation," Standridge said. "Clearly some of the documents that we got today will shed more light on that question."

© 2012 Abilene Reporter-News.

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http://www.ktxs.com/news/KLAPHEKE-D...ase/-/14769632/16995858/-/2q8b8x/-/index.html

The affidavit claims CPS caseworker Claudia Gonzalez closed a neglect investigation on Tamryn just six days before the child died. Gonzalez resigned September 13 and, according to CPS, did not follow CPS protocol when she closed the case.

According to a state memo, Gonzalez's supervisor, Barbara McDaniel, was formally disciplined twice and put on a six month probation for not tracking Gonzalez's work. It reads: "Your lack of follow-up and supervision resulted in Ms. Gonzalez not having regular contact with the family and ensuring the children's safety."

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ABILENE, Texas (AP) — Texas Child Protective Services placed three employees on leave Friday in the wake of the death of a nearly 2-year-old Abilene girl whose mother claims she was too stressed by her husband's deployment to care for her children.

The workers — a regional director, an investigation supervisor and a caseworker — were cited in a search warrant affidavit earlier this week as being suspected of tampering with evidence. But no charges have been filed against them.

Memos released by the agency late Friday show that top CPS officials told the three employees that they were on "emergency leave" pending the results of an Abilene police investigation into the Aug. 28 death of Tamryn Klapheke.

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Police launched a rare investigation of the Texas child protection agency after the girl died at an Abilene hospital. Abilene police Chief Stan Standridge has said his department began investigating the local CPS office after "certain CPS supervisors" refused to cooperate with officers investigating the death.

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Agency spokesman Patrick Crimmins had said the CPS caseworker assigned to investigate allegations of medical neglect against Klapheke had closed the case soon after being promoted to supervisor and just six days before Tamryn died. In doing so, the employee violated CPS guidelines that require a final face-to-face visit and someone else to sign off on the closure, he said.

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Dyess man charged in case involving Klapheke
By Christopher Collins christopher.collins@reporternews.com 325-676-6721

Friday, October 19, 2012

A Dyess Air Force Base airman was charged with four offenses Friday, three of which were in connection with the case of Tiffany Klapheke, according to a statement released by Dyess.

Senior Airman Christopher Perez, 23, was charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with failure to report child abuse or neglect, adultery, and child endangerment in the Klapheke case.

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Child Protective Services investigated the Klapheke household four times dating back to April 2010. Three of the four investigations were "ruled out," meaning CPS no longer suspected neglect was going on. A fourth investigation was administratively closed.

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Abilene detectives opened an investigation Tuesday [October 16] on Denny, Whitaker and McDaniel for possibly tampering with or withholding the Klapheke's neglect case evidence, a third-degree felony.

No charges have been filed.

DFPS is conducting an internal investigation, and the state's inspector general is also investigating.

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WICHITA FALLS — The program administrator for the Child Protective Services office in Wichita Falls has been placed on emergency leave in connection with an investigation into CPS in Abilene that involves possible tampering or withholding evidence from an investigation.

Marleigh Meisner, a spokesperson for CPS, confirmed that Geneva Schroeder was put on paid emergency leave Monday. She said she can’t discuss the reason because of the ongoing investigation.

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Patrick Crimmins, a CPS spokesperson in Austin, said Schroeder is the highest ranking executive in the investigations program in the region and reports directly to the Region 2 and 9 director.

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But it's the behind-the-scenes action, in which police said CPS workers were told by super*visors not to cooperate with officers investigating the case, that now takes center stage and could affect hundreds of other cases in the Abilene region.

"The evidence suggests that the conduct being investigated predates the Klapheke investigation," Chief Stan Standridge told the Houston Chronicle, which reported Monday that a CPS investigator quietly closed a previous case involving Tamryn and her sister six days before the girls were found.

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The search warrant affidavit details suspicions that CPS regional administrator Bit Whitaker; program director Gretchen Denny, who has since relinquished that post and been reassigned; and CPS supervisor Barbara McDaniel, who was later reprimanded by CPS; tampered with evidence involving the Klapheke investigation.

Specifically, the affidavit states that another CPS worker, Rebecca Tapia, "was ordered not to release any information or photographs to medical staff or law enforcement" after Tamryn's death and while investigators were at the hospital with the surviving sisters.

"Rebecca did not provide a photograph because she was directed by a supervisor not to provide a photograph," Standridge told the Chronicle.

According to the affidavit, Abilene detectives interviewed 12 CPS employees in the weeks since Tamryn's death and believe that several supervisors "have intentionally and knowingly concealed, altered or destroyed records and other documentation material to this investigation because of the damaging nature of the documents."

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Tiffany Klapheke also had a "paramour," CPS records show. Spokesman Patrick Crimmins verified the man was in the home when Tamyrn was found dead. Base officials identified him as an active duty service member.

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Klapheke's husband, Thomas, filed for divorce last week [two weeks ago]. His attorney's office said there would be no comment on the case.

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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.

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ABILENE, Texas (AP) — Detectives will present evidence "in the weeks ahead" about whether a state child protection agency may have hindered a police probe into a Dyess Air Force Base toddler's death, a West Texas police chief said Friday.

Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge said the McLennan County District Attorney's Office in Waco recently was appointed as the special prosecutor over the case of possible evidence tampering involving Child Protective Services.

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Klapheke, a 22-year-old civilian, remained jailed Friday on $500,000 bond. Her attorney did not immediately return a call Friday seeking comment. The Taylor County District Attorney's Office will prosecute her case.

Last month, Senior Airman Christopher Perez was charged in military court with adultery, child endangerment and failure to report child abuse in relation to Klapheke's case. Perez allegedly was Klapheke's boyfriend, according to Dyess officials. An Air Force hearing to determine if there is enough evidence against Perez for a trial is set for Nov. 19.

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A retired district judge from San Antonio was named commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services on Tuesday, taking over an agency facing criminal investigation in the death of a 22-month-old Abilene toddler.

Retired Bexar County Judge John J. Specia replaces Howard Baldwin...

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Special prosecutor named in airman toddler's death
Updated 4:11 p.m., Friday, November 9, 2012

Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge said the McLennan County District Attorney's Office in Waco recently was appointed as the special prosecutor over the case of possible evidence tampering involving Child Protective Services.

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The children's mother, Tiffany Nicole Klapheke....The Taylor County District Attorney's Office will prosecute her case.

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MsFacetious said:

CPS workers also confirmed there had been "neglectful supervision" of the girls by Tamryn's mother, her boyfriend and father.

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Tamryn's sisters now are in foster care together.

"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," Crimmins said.
"He is visiting both girls in the home regularly, and our hope is that the family can be reunited."

http://www.chron.com/default/article/CPS-target-of-probe-after-toddler-dies-3948135.php


Dad is listed as divorced on facebook, but is still friends with Mom. So is his family.

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teedie2 said:

It appears that 9 months prior to dad's deployment, CPS was investigating neglect regarding Tamryn. Since the father was still at home, he would basically be involved in that neglect, wouldn't he? Perhaps allowing it to happen? Do I misread this?

CPS is hoping now to reunite the family, the father and two surviving children.

Does that sound familiar?

MOO, or at least, I'm wondering .. someone, please correct me.

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Col. Glen VanHerck, Dyess Air Force Base 7th Bomb Wing Commander, will give his disposition next week on four military charges against Senior Airman Christopher Perez accused of three charges in connection with Tiffany Klapheke whose 22-month-old daughter died Aug. 28 apparently of neglect.

In a separate matter relating to the girl's death, a special prosecutor received Abilene Police Department detectives' reports Friday investigating four Child Protective Services employees in connection with withholding or possibly tampering with evidence.

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Special Prosecutor Mark Parker, of the McLennan County district attorney's office in Waco, received some of the Abilene detective's evidence reports on Friday.

Parker said the reports have information dating back to April 2010 when local CPS office first investigated the Klapheke family.

"(The case) will definitely go to a grand jury," Parker said, "but I can't tell you right now if it needs additional investigation or not."

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Dstevenson_1956 said:

I vote that young Mothers have Psychological test or at least be evaluated before birthing multiple children whom they can not take care of;even if they are married.

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Police investigating possible attempted strangling of 11-year-old girl at Dyess Air Force Base

http://www.ktxs.com/news/UPDATE-Pol...ase/-/14769632/17691408/-/2wtfnt/-/index.html

Called to Dyess Air Force Base on Wednesday, Abilene police are currently attempting to determine if the girl’s injuries are consistent with what her stepfather is telling law enforcement. The unidentified man told police his stepdaughter had tried to hang herself, but police are working with doctors at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth to determine if attempted strangulation of the girl is a possibility.

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