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http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/23/10487071-florida-agency-returned-kids-to-monster-dad
The two children of a Florida man who stabbed his entire family in a Deerfield Beach RV park earlier this month were allowed to return to him and his wife despite a troubled history, according to the Department of Children and Families.
There wasn't enough evidence to meet the "very high burden of proof" required to permanently remove the children from their parents, Joe Follick, the DCF's communications director, told NBC 6 in Miami on Wednesday.
In February 2008, William DeJesus wife, Deanna Beauchamp, told authorities that they both had been molesting their two sons, newly released DCF documents show.
"When the mother made allegations of sexual abuse, we immediately asked for permanent removal of the children from the family. She recanted," Follick said.
He said the agency had no physical evidence, and it was difficult to get clear statements from the two children, including the older son, who barely spoke.
On the night of Feb. 9, DeJesus, of Port Orange, drove his family into the Highland Woods RV park in Deerfield Beach, where he shot a Canadian man twice, killing him, before he went into the mans home and ultimately stabbed his wife, his sons and himself, according to the Broward Sheriffs Office. His standoff with a SWAT team lasted six hours.
Beauchamp, 37, and their 7-year-old son survived and are recovering, and DeJesus, 41, and their 9-year-old son died.
Hundreds of pages of documents the DCF released on the case Wednesday reveal that DeJesus was previously accused of stabbing and assaulting his wife, and that his youngest son called him Monster Jackson.
Much more with a link to the full DCF file....this and so many other Florida tragic cases are due to "very high burden of proof" the legislature has set in the child welfare laws in the name of preserving the family. I'm sure workers make mistakes but proving abuse to this level is an impossible job to begin with, plus with privitization the workers are not well trained or experienced. The turnover is enormous. I'm glad I worked CPS when we could do what we were supposed to do: protect the children.
The two children of a Florida man who stabbed his entire family in a Deerfield Beach RV park earlier this month were allowed to return to him and his wife despite a troubled history, according to the Department of Children and Families.
There wasn't enough evidence to meet the "very high burden of proof" required to permanently remove the children from their parents, Joe Follick, the DCF's communications director, told NBC 6 in Miami on Wednesday.
In February 2008, William DeJesus wife, Deanna Beauchamp, told authorities that they both had been molesting their two sons, newly released DCF documents show.
"When the mother made allegations of sexual abuse, we immediately asked for permanent removal of the children from the family. She recanted," Follick said.
He said the agency had no physical evidence, and it was difficult to get clear statements from the two children, including the older son, who barely spoke.
On the night of Feb. 9, DeJesus, of Port Orange, drove his family into the Highland Woods RV park in Deerfield Beach, where he shot a Canadian man twice, killing him, before he went into the mans home and ultimately stabbed his wife, his sons and himself, according to the Broward Sheriffs Office. His standoff with a SWAT team lasted six hours.
Beauchamp, 37, and their 7-year-old son survived and are recovering, and DeJesus, 41, and their 9-year-old son died.
Hundreds of pages of documents the DCF released on the case Wednesday reveal that DeJesus was previously accused of stabbing and assaulting his wife, and that his youngest son called him Monster Jackson.
Much more with a link to the full DCF file....this and so many other Florida tragic cases are due to "very high burden of proof" the legislature has set in the child welfare laws in the name of preserving the family. I'm sure workers make mistakes but proving abuse to this level is an impossible job to begin with, plus with privitization the workers are not well trained or experienced. The turnover is enormous. I'm glad I worked CPS when we could do what we were supposed to do: protect the children.