OH - Raymond Brown & Phineas Scovil for starving 2 toddlers, Cleveland, 2010

CLEVELAND - The aunt of the two toddlers found malnourished at their Cleveland home said her sister kept the kids in the basement and nearly starved them to death.

The children's mother, 25-year-old Phineas Scovil, was arrested Wednesday night at her home on Colfax Road in Cleveland and charged with child endangerment.

The children's aunt had a sense that something was wrong and went to check on them on March 6. She found them slumped over in their home and took them to Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.

The 3-year-old weighed 20 pounds and the 2-year-old weighed 23 pounds. Authorities soon became involved in the situation. A police report states that their weight is far below normal. However, the children are currently listed as being in "fair" condition at the hospital.

The aunt told NewsChannel 5 on Friday that doctors said the children would have died in a week had she not taken action.

Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services, which called the aunt a hero, closed the case against Scovil on Feb. 1 from her previous conviction of child endangerment. In that case, she pleaded guilty to burning and breaking the arm of one her children.

The aunt is now pushing to get custody of all four of Scovil's kids, including two older ones who were not malnourished.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/aunt:-mom-kept-kids-in-basement,-starved

Thank goodness the aunt did the right thing -- looks like CFS met their goal of reunification....so much for servicing the children & keeping them safe!! :furious:

wow cps messed up..........im stunned

Children and family services should fire everyone who was involved with this case from the case worker to the supervisors.Across the USA in every state too many children
are dying because they let the children stay with momsters that should not be allowed a pet in their care let alone children they have already abused.Thank GOD their aunt was able to see what was happening to those poor children.Many abusers keep family away and without family keeping an eye on the children many die even with Children and family services involved.What is an acceptable number of dead children to finally make all of our States realize the system does not work.Children dying every day is not acceptable to me.

Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services, which called the aunt a hero, closed the
case against Scovil on Feb. 1 from her previous conviction of child endangerment. In that case, she pleaded guilty to burning and breaking the arm of one her children

Being a Mom to a thin child with a poor appetite makes stories like this mind numbing. I'd give anything for my little guy to put on a few pounds or expand his palate.

I really don't understand this kind of child abuse (or any for that matter, but this kind is just beyond comprehension). It hurts to be hungry. Thank goodness their aunt stepped up and did the right thing. Blessings to her and the children. May they never know the feeling of an empty stomach or heart again.

I know that CPS has had it's shares of wrongs, and will continue to. But CPS doesn't send kids home. They don't make that decision, although they can make the recommendations that they feel are appropriate. The judge sends children home. He/she carries that responsiblity.
Why aren't we ever calling for the judges to be removed from their posts...that's where the real problem lies in cases where the child was returned and later killed. Workers can make every recommendation that they want, but the judge holds the final decision.

Cleveland woman suspected of starving her children has history of abuse, according to records
By Mark Puente, The Plain Dealer
March 12, 2010, 8:30AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Phineas Scovil lost custody of her children in 2007 after she admitted to scalding her 7-month-old son and breaking his arm by twisting it, but Cuyahoga County social workers reunited Scovil with her four children in July and stopped monitoring the family last month.

Now Scovill's two youngest children are in the hospital being treated for severe malnutrition, and Scovil is back in jail, where police expect to charge her again with endangering her children.

Scovil's arrest comes following the deaths in October and February of two children who prosecutors say were killed by their mothers. Before both of those deaths, the county Children and Family Services Department had worked with the mothers and children but allowed the mothers to keep custody.

The Scovil family history is hauntingly familiar -- a relatively young mother with several children and her own history with the agency; little evidence of a father involved raising them, and acts of violence laid out in court records.

Deborah Forkas, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, cautioned that it's too soon to point fingers. She said she launched a full investigation into the Scovil case Thursday. Every document in the case and anybody who had contact with the family will be questioned, Forkas said.
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Scovil lost custody of the children in 2007 after she admitted to scalding her 7-month-old son and, a few months later, breaking his arm by twisting it. Prosecutors also accused her of not feeding the child.

She pleaded guilty to child endangerment in 2009. Prosecutors asked that she be sent to prison, but Judge Dick Ambrose sentenced her to three years' probation. Ambrose could not be reached for comment.

She is still on probation for those crimes.
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Police arrested Scovil in 2007 after she took her 7-month-old to University Hospitals to be treated for a broken arm. She was pregnant with her fourth child at the time. The injured child was released to the county; two other children were placed with a relative, records show.

Prosecutors wrote in November 2007 that the 7-month-old weighed only 9 pounds -- smaller than some newborns -- when Scovil took the baby to the hospital. They also said she caused a spiral fracture by twisting his arm and burned 24 percent of his body by scalding him in hot water, records show.

She faced seven charges of child endangering and pleaded guilty to two. The other charges were dropped.



more here

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/03/mother_suspected_of_starving_h.html

All too familiar -- caregiver abuses kid(s), jumps thru DCS hoops, gets kid(s) back, DCS stops monitoring, within 1 month kid(s) almost dead.

I guess there's no way DCS could possibly know the kids were in danger.

24 percent of his body? and yet she's allowed to keep kids. awesome

kbl8201 said:

24 percent of his body? and yet she's allowed to keep kids. awesome

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Yeah - I guess just almost killing a child & only breaking one arm isn't reason to keep them from abusers. What line did the momster need to cross -- burn the baby over 75% of its little body?

My heart just breaks when I read news articles such as this. What is wrong with these people? How do you carry a baby inside you for 9 months, give birth to a little miracle, then decide to abuse them, maim them, starve them, or kill them? I know boyfriends do it and people other than the mothers sometimes allow it, but just how does their mind condone it?

I am passionate about babies, children, and the elderly. These are people who have no defense against the evil that is out there.

This monster in this article should have still been in jail for her first offense.

CPS! I have come to hate those three letters. May God bless and keep these little children. I hope they do recover. This so called 'mother' should go to prison for a long time, and NEVER be allowed to be around babies or children again.

JMO

Over and over and over we read of these children who could have been rescued by CPS, who was right in there, but they didn't help the children. I don't get it. CPS needs to be overhauled.

And what is this trend I'm seeing in people starving their children???

kbl8201 said:

wow cps messed up..........im stunned

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You can imagine how shocked I am. Thank God they're gonna be ok.

kbl8201 said:

24 percent of his body? and yet she's allowed to keep kids. awesome

Click to expand...

She pleads guilty to 2 counts of child endangerment and they give her another chance ? I bet LE wasn't expecting that one. I always say if a parent is accused of abuse, they should be arrested and tried in criminal court where the cases are based on facts, not emotions and opinions. That happened in this case, mom was convicted. So the child welfare system comes in from behind and makes an almost lethal decision based on opinion, not fact.

When a parent has more than 1 child, how in their sick, twisted, perverted minds do they think it is ok to abuse one or more of them, while the other children are not abused?

Thank God this Aunt did something!! (Wonder if she is the Momsters sister or the Dad's sister?

CHICANA said:

She pleads guilty to 2 counts of child endangerment and they give her another chance ? I bet LE wasn't expecting that one. I always say if a parent is accused of abuse, they should be arrested and tried in criminal court where the cases are based on facts, not emotions and opinions. That happened in this case, mom was convicted. So the child welfare system comes in from behind and makes an almost lethal decision based on opinion, not fact.

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This is so very true! Once they are called in and they are anytime children are concerned it becomes a nightmare.
The police can not do anything nor the sex crimes unit of the prosecutors office,child welfare system answers to no one it is truly unbelievable.I reported abuse after hearing what had happened to my 4yr old Grandson and his 7yr old sis.Their moms BF of 6 months and she is now 2 months Pregnant with his child has abused both kids they told 7yr old even told school principle.They said kids need counseling them everything will come out until investigation is over no contact between BF and kids.She was video taped with BF with kids even caught at his house with kids.It was called in to abuse line.They did nothing about it!!!!Counseling was ordered Jan 8 ,first appt is end of march.It has been a total nightmare :furious:She keeps family away so when new abuse happens no one knows or sees the bruises.Its a high alert case but kids are still in her care.Caseworker told me well she is still their mother what did I expect.I expected her to have to follow the no bf around the kids ,I expected them to protect the kids from abuser who is around them every day.Who knows what they have told the kids to not speak about in counseling.The mom says the daughter lies for attention and she might but my GS who is 4 isnt lying when his mom called him a liar he said NO MOMMY I AM NOT LYING YOU ARE he is very hurt by her
Sorry for ranting !

Police have charged two in connection with kids found nearly starved to death

Posted: 03/12/2010
Last Updated: 57 minutes ago

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Police have now charged Phineas Scovil and Raymond Brown with child endangering.

Both were arrested in connection with the two malnourished toddlers found in a Cleveland basement by their aunt.
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The children's mother, 25-year-old Phineas Scovil, was arrested Wednesday night at her home on Colfax Road in Cleveland and charged with child endangerment.
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The aunt told NewsChannel 5 on Friday that doctors said the children would have died in a week had she not taken action.
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On Friday night a man who lives with Scovil, Raymond Brown, was arrested by Cleveland police for child endangering.

Police maintain that the case is currently an open investigation by the Cleveland Police Division of Police Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit.

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/aunt:-mom-kept-kids-in-basement,-starved