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Sugar Cookie

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A 2-month-old girl died of malnutrition hours after four child welfare workers visited her Indianapolis home.

At least one of those workers expressed concern about the baby's well-being during the Aug. 21 visit, but did not report it to authorities. A state ombudsman has chastised the Department of Child Services for failing to properly handle the case.

Ruth Ringer died of malnutrition and dehydration at her home according to the Marion County coroner's office.

As of Friday, no criminal charges had been filed relating to her death. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Marion County prosecutor's office said the situation remains under investigation.

The child welfare workers, one of whom worked for DCS, were in Ruth's home for a Child and Family Team Meeting about one of the baby's older siblings, who is in foster care, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Ruth still was in her parents' care.

Ruth's father, William Anthony Moss, told IndyStar Friday that DCS should not have taken the older child into foster care. He also said he asked the workers — who were in his home on the day Ruth died — if his daughter looked right. He would not elaborate on what that meant.

"It was a heartbroken situation, I will admit," Moss said. "That was my only daughter."

Ruth's mother, Janet Ringer, could not be reached Friday for comment.

Carrie Upchurch, whose adoptive daughter is believed to be Ruth's sister, said she called DCS on three separate occasions to report concerns about the baby's safety.

She told IndyStar she was concerned because of Moss' criminal history and because he seemed to not have the resources to care for the baby. Moss pleaded guilty in 1999 to felony child molesting, according to Marion Superior Court records.

Upchurch told IndyStar she called the DCS hotline the first time shortly after Ruth's birth on June 10. She said she alsocalled a week later to reiterate her concerns,and a third time about a month later.

The Indianapolis woman, who is also a foster parent, said she was horrified to learn of Ruth's death.

"Somebody really failed this kid," she said. "This was a completely, totally, preventable death."

After Ruth's death in August, Upchurch filed a complaint with the DCS Ombudsman Bureau — a separate agency that receives, investigates and attempts to resolve complaints over DCS actions. In it, Upchurch said she referenced her prior reports to DCS and concerns about what happened the day Ruth died.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news...-welfare-workers-visited-her-home/1027641001/
636513695778397182-RInger-Ruth.jpg
 
I love bedding with animals and stuff, instead of the trademarked, Disney kind. I used to make up little stories about what was going on, and every time it was different.
 
So these workers...
are we talking worker ants, worker bees?
They sure as hell weren't humans being deaf, mute, blind assholes.
WTF were they doing during all this?
Sleeping?
Coma?
High on drugs?
Office gossip?
Sure as hell they were not doing their jobs.
Each and every one of them should be up on charges facing 20 years behind bars.

I am livid!
 
Something like this happened in our area when I was with CPS and it caused a statewide policy change. The baby had been seen a day or two before dying and looked fine. The investigator took several pictures of the baby and she did, indeed, look fine and well-nourished- because she was clothed. As a result, statewide policy changed and from then on we had to strip all clothing from infants when we saw them. Hopefully, all states will enact that policy so this stops happening.
 
There's all kinds of wrong with this situation...the father admitted to child molestation??!! And he is allowed around children!!??
Absolutely disgusted
 
The child welfare workers, one of whom worked for DCS, were in Ruth's home for a Child and Family Team Meeting about one of the baby's older siblings, who is in foster care, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Ruth still was in her parents' care.

Ruth's father, William Anthony Moss, told IndyStar Friday that DCS should not have taken the older child into foster care. He also said he asked the workers — who were in his home on the day Ruth died — if his daughter looked right. He would not elaborate on what that meant.

Why the hell not?! The older sibling is alive....

Why did they have custody of the baby in the first place? Was it a do over....

Well, they failed. Also, did I read the father was convicted of felony child molestation? What the fuck.....
 
So these workers...
are we talking worker ants, worker bees?
They sure as hell weren't humans being deaf, mute, blind assholes.
WTF were they doing during all this?
Sleeping?
Coma?
High on drugs?
Office gossip?
Sure as hell they were not doing their jobs.
Each and every one of them should be up on charges facing 20 years behind bars.

I am livid!
Again ALL OF THE ABOVE
 
Review finds DCS failed to report concerns over 2-month-old's safety before she died

poster_d35865a86ec0431cb4b67bf343b25c37_75879427_ver1.0_320_240.jpg


INDIANAPOLIS -- A 2-month-old was under her parents' care when she died last August and a woman who knows the family says she believes the child might still be alive if the Department of Child Services had taken her complaints seriously.

After months of analysis, the Marion County Coroner determined that Ruth Ringer died from malnutrition and dehydration.

“From the minute she was born she suffered and died," said Carrie Upchurch.

Upchurch, whose adoptive daughter is believed to be Ruth Ringer’s older sister, said she called DCS on three separate occasions to report concerns about the infant’s safety starting when she was first born.

“Not only did they fail to protect this child from abuse or neglect but they did it so far that this child died,” said Carrie Upchurch.

After the infant's death, Upchurch said she filed a complaint with the DCS Ombudsman Bureau - the bureau that oversees DCS.

“I was ignored repeatedly,” said Upchurch. “They never completed an investigation – kept saying there was no danger to this child. By the time they found her dead it was too late.”

The Ombudsman Bureau completed their investigation and are now monitoring the department after their findings showed that staffers did not properly complete assessments involving baby Ruth's welfare. A state investigator also found staffers failed to report or follow up on concerns about the infant or address "mitigating factors" surrounding the child's welfare during their assessment phase.

“DCS is supposed to be there to stop those things and protect them from happening and they completely failed,” said Upchurch.

No arrests have been made in connection with Ruth's death.

https://www.theindychannel.com/news...erns-over-2-month-olds-safety-before-she-died

“From the minute she was born she suffered and died," said Carrie Upchurch.

That observation just jumps from the page to wound the heart.

Why no charges/arrests?
 
we had to strip all clothing from infants when we saw them.

I can say they do it in Georgia. My son and daughter in law were fostering her cousin's 2yo little girl. I was there one day when the caseworker came. A very large, like 500lbs, (I mention the weight for a reason) woman came and grabbed her up and took her to her bedroom and stripped her down. Baby screamed like she was being hurt, that high pitched, I'm in trouble, cry.

I understand what she was doing and why, but I don't understand why she had to take her back there away from her "protectors" to do this. It took her about 15 minutes baby screamed the whole time.

Now the reason I mentioned the weight. It got so bad with this woman that every time the baby saw a large woman, not just big, but large, she would scream like she was being hurt and hide behind something.

She's gone back to her POS parents, but since she is in the family the parents still let my DIL keep her for a weekend about once a month or so. We got to keep her for a whole week at Christmas!
 
Ew, yeah, I have to agree, Cubby. There was no reason for that. I always stripped them in front of the parents. There is no reason not to, and frankly, I would have worried about allegations. Nobody likes CPS when they show up at their door, and I wouldn't put it past the guiltier set to make...er...claims. Doing the check in front of the parents is safest for everyone involved- Baby, parents and investigator.
[doublepost=1516121234,1516121004][/doublepost]After reading more info from @Victoria (Thank you for the update!), I have to agree. Major fail. I, too, do not understand why the older child was in care and the baby was not. If I saw the need to remove one, I removed them all, and 99% of cases are that way in Texas. If there is danger to one in a home, there is danger to all. Especially an infant with no ability to protect themselves. Major, major fail.
 
There's all kinds of wrong with this situation...the father admitted to child molestation??!! And he is allowed around children!!??

Yeah ... you can't make a woman leave her partner just because he's a child molester, so families have to go to a program on how to live safely with a child molester in the house instead. Someone gets paid to teach it ... like the families have to pay to go, but someone gets paid to walk families through this shit ...
[doublepost=1516136124,1516135081][/doublepost]
I understand what she was doing and why, but I don't understand why she had to take her back there away from her "protectors" to do this. It took her about 15 minutes baby screamed the whole time.

They should make the parents do it, or in your case protectors do it. And maybe even let the child know what is going on ( time to look at you arms and legs and back, we gotta make sure you're getting big and strong.) make it normal or routine, because kids understand that, like going to the doctor and getting your heart beat checked. Also Social workers could gain a lot of information about the family just by watching that interaction between a caregiver and a child.
Its to bad that happened to the little you love.
 
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Just curious but why would the child not have his surname?
I know lots of people without their fathers last name.

the father admitted to child molestation??!! And he is allowed around children!!??
It happeneds all to often. I know someone who married a guy who pleaded guilty and went on to have 4 kids with him. He had 5 total. And they left him with the kids all the time.
[doublepost=1516161786,1516161444][/doublepost]Also she was just posting on her FB 6 hours ago. A picture of the dad and baby.
 
After reading more info from @Victoria (Thank you for the update!), I have to agree. Major fail. I, too, do not understand why the older child was in care and the baby was not.

Around here, they have a special protocol for people who have already had children taken away for abuse or severe neglect. The program follows the families and fast tracks any new children born, who are removed AT BIRTH and immediately placed in foster care for their own protection. The parents get to have supervised visitation, and have a chance to get the child back (2-3 year window), but if they can't or won't get their shit together then their parental rights are terminated
and the child can be adopted.

My close friends adopted two wonderful children through this program, where they fostered them from birth and then eventually were able to adopt them. The kids are now 12 and 15. I think this is much better for the child, and all states should have it.
 
@Satanica
An Indianapolis woman is going to prison for her role in the death of her infant daughter.

A Marion County judge sentenced Janet Ringer to eight years after she pleaded guilty to a charge of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Serious Injury.

Prior to a plea agreement, Ringer was also charged with Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death.

According to the Marion County Coroner, two-month-old Ruth Ringer died in 2017 from malnutrition and dehydration.

Police officers found the infant after the death was reported to 911.

William Moss, the father of infant Ruth Ringer, is scheduled for trial next month.
16066
 
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@Satanica @Brillig @Victoria
An Indianapolis man has been ordered released from jail after jurors found him not guilty in the death of his infant daughter.

Two-month-old Ruth Ringer died in 2017 from malnutrition and dehydration, according to the Marion County Coroner.

Her father, William Moss, was charged with Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death.

But after hearing two days of testimony in Marion County Criminal Court, jurors in the Moss trial returned a not guilty verdict.

In April, the baby's mother, Janet Ringer, was sentenced to eight years in prison, after pleading guilty to a charge of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Serious Injury.

Police were called to Ruth Ringer's home where they found the baby dead.

Later, a state investigation determined the Department of Child Services failed to report or follow up on concerns about the care Ruth was receiving and did not address "mitigating factors" surrounding the child's welfare.

Since then, DCS said it could not comment on the case because of "state confidentiality laws."
 
Around here, they have a special protocol for people who have already had children taken away for abuse or severe neglect. The program follows the families and fast tracks any new children born, who are removed AT BIRTH and immediately placed in foster care for their own protection. The parents get to have supervised visitation, and have a chance to get the child back (2-3 year window), but if they can't or won't get their shit together then their parental rights are terminated
and the child can be adopted.

My close friends adopted two wonderful children through this program, where they fostered them from birth and then eventually were able to adopt them. The kids are now 12 and 15. I think this is much better for the child, and all states should have it.
i think it should be a a one and a half year window at most
 
I wonder why these jurors found this piss poor excuse for a father not guilty.
I think because of the specific charge of "Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death".
The defense convinced the jury there was some doubt of his intent to fatally harm the baby. The "he was clueless" defense?
Meanwhile the mother plead down to "Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Serious Injury" and got 8 years.

I'm sure the jury would have found the father guilty if he had been tried for the lesser "serious injury" charge,
 
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I hope his rights to his older daughter were terminated and that the is not working on trying to get her back.
 

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