Deceased Where Is 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver?

[TheMorningStar]

Police in Massachusetts only recently learned that a boy whose family had been getting state social-services help has been missing since September, leading to charges against the child's mother and her boyfriend and the firing of a social worker and the worker's supervisor.

Investigators say 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver was last seen by relatives Sept. 14 but police only learned recently of his disappearance. A prosecutor is treating Jeremiah's case as a possible homicide, and Department of Children and Families Commissioner Olga Roche called it a "deeply concerning case of neglect and abuse."

The Fitchburg boy's family had been receiving services from the department since the fall of 2011 after the agency received a report of neglect.

In June, the social worker received a message from Jeremiah's day care indicating that his mother had said it was his last day and he would be leaving for Florida to live with his grandmother, officials said. But the social worker didn't confirm the information and also failed to conduct required checks, they said.

"This case represents a serious failure on the part of the social worker and supervisor assigned to the family," Roche said in a written statement Tuesday. "The social worker assigned to this case did not conduct the required in-person, monthly checks on the family, as required by the Department; and the supervisor failed to enforce that policy."

Roche said the two employees, whose names were not disclosed, "have been terminated."

She said the social worker's and the supervisor's other cases are currently under review and the department is working with State Police and prosecutors on the missing boy's case.

http://www.aol.com/article/2013/12/18/mass-boy-feared-dead-mother-charged-2-fired/20791088/

 

[brandi]

I'm definitely watching this thread. Hoping the kid turns up. Which not always the case but I can hope.

 

[Valasca]

Awesome. Was coming here to post this. Glad to see yet again someone beat me to it.

It's pretty obvious this little man is dead. I hope they fry egg donor and her penis.

 

[Azryhael]

In June, the social worker received a message from Jeremiah's day care indicating that his mother had said it was his last day and he would be leaving for Florida to live with his grandmother, officials said.

What kind of idiot social worker doesn't follow up on the old, "Kid's gone to [another state] to live with [a relative (who may or may not exist)]" story?! Especially when the state is Florida. Nothing good happens there!

 

[Katie23]

I have a degree in human services and i REFUSE to work for dhs they are so full of shit and make up there own rules and since this little boy isnt white it wasnt as "important" . Pieces of shit

 

[Whisper]

Massachusetts governor keeps rage in check on missing-boy case​

http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=985188#.UrObkuJRIR0

 

[Krystal]

Good story "mom", no one has ever tried that before.

 

[Dakota]

Gov. Deval L. Patrick on Friday said that more senior officials at the state Department of Children and Families may be disciplined in the case of a missing 5-year-old Fitchburg boy who was allegedly beaten by his mother's boyfriend and is now feared dead.
[...]

On Friday, Patrick hinted that others may be at fault in the case.

"I've asked the commissioner [of DCF] whether responsibility goes beyond those two, and I have some reason to believe that it does," he said on his monthly radio show on WGBH-FM.

"The questions I have asked are about responsibility up the chain," Patrick said. "I have some of those answers. But I can't talk about them right now. You're going to hear about them in the next little while, because there are a couple more questions we want to get to the bottom of, and we want to give people a chance to explain," why they may have failed to meet agency procedures and policies.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20131221/NEWS/312219870/1116

 

[bigmtn]

Oh what the f. What is going on in this world!

 

[Robynne]

In June, the social worker received a message from Jeremiah's day care indicating that his mother had said it was his last day and he would be leaving for Florida to live with his grandmother

If the boy was killed, this sounds like proof of premeditated murder.
I hope he boy is still alive, but this is the DD, and it's never usually a good outcome.

 

[TheMorningStar]

DA Early confirmed both Oliver and Sierra were known to authorities, according to the station. Court records reportedly show Sierra has a history of assaulting women and children.

In 2012, a woman filed a restraining order against Sierra alleging that he hit her and their son and threatened to kill them both and burn down her parents’ home, reports the station.

A neighbor in the building where Oliver and the children lived said she heard loud noises Dec. 12, the night before police showed up. She said she had seen two older children, ages 7 and 8, but in her two months living there, had never seen Jeremiah, reports the station.

Jeremiah is described as having brown hair and brown eyes and standing three feet, four inches tall. Early is asking for the public’s help in the case and is thankful Jeremiah’s sister came forward.

“… That little girl showed a lot of courage showing what she did,” he said.

Anyone with information about the boy is asked to call the State Police Detectives at (508-832-9124) or Fitchburg Police (978-345-9648).

Alberto Sierra
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mass-mom-boyfriend-arrested-in-disappearance-of-boy-5/

 

[Dakota]

A judge's decision to grant $100,000 bail to the mother of Jeremiah Oliver angered members of the missing Fitchburg boy's family.

Elsa Oliver, 28, was granted bail during a dangerousness hearing Tuesday morning in Fitchburg District Court. Her boyfriend, Alberto L. Sierra, 22, was held without bail.
[...]

Outside the court house, Jeremiah's family, many wearing self-made shirts bearing his picture, said they couldn't believe she was given bail.

"They didn't talk nothing about the baby. He's five years old," said Sandro Oliver, 20, Jeremiah's cousin. "They didn't do s***. She gets an ankle bracelet? Make her suffer."
[...]

Despite receiving bail, Elsa Oliver appears unlikely to be released soon. Judge Margaret Guzman said if Oliver is able to make the $100,000 cash bail, she still must deal with mental health issues and deal with a contempt charge in a related case in juvenile court.

Elsa Oliver's attorney, James G. Reardon, Jr., told reporters outside the courthouse he has been unable to communicate with his client.

"I've been with her for many hours and I really can't have any useful conversations with her," Reardon said, "and she doesn't seem to really grasp what's going on."

Elsa Oliver will be in court again Jan. 10 for a mental competency hearing.
[...]

After the hearings, family and friends vented their frustration.

"She's a mom, how could she let this happen to her own kid?" said Jeremiah's cousin, Edward Valcourt. "If she really got abused like she said she was, why she never left the relationship? Why she ain't try to run from him?"
[...]

Sandro Oliver said the family believes the couple know exactly where the boy is. The family organized a community search for the boy last weekend, and plan to hold another search on Saturday.

About 20 members of Jeremiah's family attended the Christmas Eve hearings. Valcourt said the upcoming holiday would be tough on the family.

"It's not going to be the same without the kid," Valcourt said. "Nothing's going to ever be the same until we find him, or at least we have closure in our hearts."

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2013/12/elsa_oliver_granted_bail_anger.html

 

[Dakota]

Tale of fail:

Luis Sierra, the brother of Alberto L. Sierra Jr., who is being held without bail in connection with the disappearance of young Jeremiah Oliver, contacted the Department of Children and Families in December, 10 days before the boy was reported missing to authorities, over concerns about the mental health of Jeremiah's mother, according to a report released Monday by DCF.

Additionally, the report says Jeremiah's siblings told the family's DCF social worker that Luis Sierra used to baby-sit Jeremiah and that the boy had gone to live with his "other family" whom they did not know.

DCF Commissioner Olga I. Roche on Monday announced a third DCF employee was fired in the wake of investigations into the missing 5-year-old Fitchburg boy and state officials have concluded that numerous failings and misconduct by staff contributed to the disappearance.

Ms. Roche issued the agency's final report on the case of the missing boy, whose disappearance is being treated as a possible homicide.
[...]

Jeremiah's father, Jose Oliver, from New Britain, Conn., is due back in Fitchburg Juvenile Court on Jan. 10 to seek custody of Jeremiah's older siblings.

According to the DCF report, a social worker from the DCF's North Central office in Leominster failed to conduct home visits regularly to ensure the Oliver children's safety. The social worker only visited the Oliver family three times in 2013 after the case was transferred to the Leominster office in January — twice in February and once in April, the report states. The social worker's supervisor did not take steps to ensure home visits were made, the report says.

Additionally, when the case was first transferred to the Leominster office, the social worker admitted she did not take the time to read the Oliver family's DCF file dating back to September 2011, and only read the transfer summary. Her supervisor didn't read the file, either, but did look at some of the reports contained in it, the report said. Moreover, DCF records were falsified to say the Oliver home was "clean and suitable," in September, though no one had seen it, the report said.

The last time a DCF employee saw Jeremiah, the report says, was on May 20 after another report of physical abuse by Ms. Oliver toward the oldest child was made. An investigator visited the Oliver home and said he spoke at length with Jeremiah, later describing the boy in his report as "precocious, talkative and articulate."

The social worker later canceled a home visit scheduled with Ms. Oliver and her children on May 28, the report says, and failed to follow up on three more reports of abuse and neglect of the Oliver children made in June; a report by Jeremiah's preschool that he was coming to school hungry and another report from the preschool that Ms. Oliver said she was considering moving to Florida.

The next contact the social worker had with Ms. Oliver was on June 26, when Ms. Oliver called her and said she did not want to work with the DCF any longer because she was "not receiving any services or help from the Department," the report said.

But, it wasn't until more than four months later that the social worker assigned to the Oliver family would have contact with the family again, finally visiting Reingold Elementary School on Nov. 5 where Jeremiah's older siblings attended school.

The social worker spoke to the guidance counselor and others at the school, the report said, and also interviewed Jeremiah's sister and brother.

"The oldest child reported that his youngest sibling resided with their 'other family' that he did not know," the report said. "The middle child reported that the brother of her mother's boyfriend sometimes watched her younger sibling."

The school visit was conducted about a month after the social worker called Jeremiah's preschool on Oct. 9 and was told that he had not attended the program since June 26, the report said.

After leaving Jeremiah's siblings' school on Nov. 5, the social worker finally made an attempt to make an announced home visit to the Oliver home, the report said, but only left her business card in the door when no one answered the door. The social worker did not try again in November to visit the Oliver home even after the guidance counselor from the older children's school called to notify her on Nov. 15, he was unable to get in touch with Ms. Oliver.

Then, on Dec. 2, a mandated reporter filed a 51A report for neglect of the Oliver children by their mother. The social worker and her supervisor finally went back to the Oliver home the day the report was filed, but, again, no one answered the door, the report said.

That same night just before 9, Ms. Oliver left an incoherent voicemail message for the social worker, the report said. The next day, the social worker called Ms. Oliver back and left her a voice-mail message and later that day, Luis Sierra called the social worker to alert the agency of his concerns about Ms. Oliver's depression.

"The social worker asked Luis to have Mrs. Oliver contact the department immediately," the report said.

Two days later, an investigator tried to conduct a home visit and though that investigator heard voices inside the Oliver home, no one answered the door and the investigator left, the report said. The same thing happened the following day. On Dec. 7, emergency workers with DCF visited the home and also heard voices inside, but couldn't get anyone to come to the door. Finally, on Dec. 9, the DCF social worker left a voicemail for Ms. Oliver stating if she did not contact DCF by 5 p.m., legal action would be taken. She did not respond and the agency took custody of the three Oliver children on Dec. 10.

"On Dec. 13, the investigator spoke with the maternal grandmother and maternal aunt at their respective home in Florida and they denied that the youngest child was in Florida," the report said. "The local sheriff's office in Florida sent an officer to the maternal grandmother's home and confirmed that the youngest child was not there."

Ms. Oliver and Mr. Sierra were subsequently arrested.

On Dec. 17, Mr. Sierra's brother Luis Sierra posted on his Facebook page, "Hbd (Happy Birthday) lil bro. I'm gonna do everything I can to get to the bottom of this."

Then, in response to posts of support from his friends, Luis Sierra posted, "Thanks and everything they said on the news is a lie. My brother didn't know what was going on. She told him she sent the boy to her fam's in Florida and he never once laid a hand on them kids. That was all her. She was an abusive and a neglecting mother and I will fight to the end to prove my brother's innocence."

http://www.telegram.com/article/20140101/NEWS/301019870/1116

 

[Dakota]

The father of missing Fitchburg boy Jeremiah Oliver — who is seeking custody of his two other kids while authorities search in vain for the 5-year-old — has been arrested in Connecticut on charges he sold heroin to undercover cops, police said.

Jose Oliver was arrested Monday on felony charges, said New Britain, Conn., police Capt. Thomas Steck.

“He did have three bundles, or 30 bags, of heroin,” Steck said.
[...]

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/01/jeremiah_oliver_s_dad_faces_heroin_rap

 

[Abroad]

These children have no one!

 

[Krystal]

Mom and the boyfriend more than likely killed the kid then Dad gets arrested selling 30 bags of heroin to an undercover.

These poor kids have no hope unless there is a good relative out there that can take them.

 

[rebl1128]

I have a degree in human services and i REFUSE to work for dhs they are so full of shit and make up there own rules and since this little boy isnt white it wasnt as "important" . Pieces of shit

I would think that social workers who care about children (my father was one) WOULD want to work for DHS, if only to improve the services offered. It's like saying you're a teacher who would never teach at a public school because of the way they're run. Good social workers CAN make a difference, and they're not all like the ones who make the news, as you should know, Katie, even if they DO work for DHS!

 

[Katie23]

I would think that social workers who care about children (my father was one) WOULD want to work for DHS, if only to improve the services offered. It's like saying you're a teacher who would never teach at a public school because of the way they're run. Good social workers CAN make a difference, and they're not all like the ones who make the news, as you should know, Katie, even if they DO work for DHS!

I would work for DHS but honestly what can ONE person do?

 

[Abroad]

I would work for DHS but honestly what can ONE person do?

It has got to start with one person. One person can do their damnedest and maybe set an example for others to follow and before you know it there is at least one team of DHS that works almost as intended. Nothing comes from nothing.

 

[rebl1128]

I would work for DHS but honestly what can ONE person do?

While I agree with this in theory, if many social workers made the decision to work for the troubled agencies, I think a lot could be done. And don't forget that you personally can make a difference in at least ONE life! Just for the record, I also have my social work degree, but I'm not working in the field, although my father worked for DHS for more than 30 years. Thank you for the work you do, Katie!

 

[thehesbomb]

I would think that social workers who care about children (my father was one) WOULD want to work for DHS

The unfortunate reality is that society does not "value" this type of work. Much like the teaching profession it is long, long hours coupled with incredible workloads and shit pay. Someone can enter the field with altruistic, wonderful goals and be burned out within a year. The system, as a whole, is incredibly flawed and although every death due to DHhS negligence makes me furious it does not surprise me at all that it continues to happen.

 

[Katie23]

I live in waterloo iowa and let me tell you this place is an effing joke! about 84% of this county is living off government assistance. you walk into dhs with a kid youre given foodstamps. My dream is to go to africa or a Third world country and be an english teacher or set up a foster home where food, shelter, school and medical is provided. i have two small boys 3 yr old and a 9 month old and we work our asses off so we can provide everything for our kids. We recieve no assistance and i prefer that. I dont want my kids growing up and popping out kids left and right thinking the government will provide. i hate that shit. If you need it i empathize but if youre able to work get off your ass and do it.

 

[Krystal]

I have respect for those who are working but still need help. My sons all have medical assistance, my job doesn't provide health insurance and their father, well... he calls. I completely understand that some people need help but what I HATE is the people that treat welfare as a way of living. Like somehow their life has been so terrible that I need to work my ass of day after day to make sure they have what they need. My husband's baby mama is one of them. Single, other women are raising her sons who she barely sees or calls but can't hold a job for more than a couple of weeks, and her firing is always someone else's fault. She has spent her entire adulthood living off someone else, be it welfare or having a man take care of her. It drives her bat-shit crazy that I married her baby daddy because it means she totally lost that meal ticket. Bitch's only problem is that she's a useless cumdumspter and I cannot stand that shit!

 

[myra manes]

Ugh ..
I fucking abhor the terms baby mama and baby daddy ..

 

[PerfectChaos]

Three more people were arraigned today for allegedly misleading police in the disappearance of 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver of Fitchburg.

Christian Sierra, 21, Cailey Thibault, 23, and Ashley Cormier, 24, all of Fitchburg, were each charged with misleading police through intimidation of a witness statute, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinio...inked_to_missing_fitchburg_boy_case_arraigned

 

[PerfectChaos]

New charges...

On Friday, Sierra was indicted on a charge of indecent assault and battery on a child, and he and Oliver were each charged with kidnapping a child, as well as additional assault and battery count.
[...]
Paul Jarvey, a spokesman for Early, said Jeremiah, who has two siblings, was the alleged kidnapping victim. He declined to say which child was the target of Sierra’s alleged indecent assault.
[...]
On Friday, Jarvey said Oliver is the alleged victim in some of the new counts brought against Sierra. In addition, he said prosecutors now allege that Jeremiah and both siblings were harmed. Jarvey would not elaborate on what prompted the new charges, except to say they “developed [during] the investigation.”

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...new-charges/nMJ7qEfvLYFqKT83Y9ZMEN/story.html

 

[Benighted]

I've never understood how it is acceptable for social services to simply go away when nobody answers the door to a home visit, even when it's obvious there are people inside the house.

 

[Whisper]

Massachusetts State Police stand along Interstate 190 where police said a child's body was found Friday, April 18, 2014, near Sterling, Mass.​

​

[...]
District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said the body has not been positively identified as Jeremiah Oliver, of Fitchburg, and that won't happen until after an autopsy by the state medical examiner.
"It appears to be a homicide,"
[...]
Early said the body was found at about 9 a.m. by a police search team
[...]
He said it was wrapped in blanket-like material, and packed in material that resembled a suitcase.

He would not say what led authorities to the location, or how long the body may have been there. He said the site is near an area that is regularly mowed on the side of the highway but would not have been visible to passing cars.
[...]
The family was being monitored by state social workers at the time, and the case led to intense scrutiny of the state Department of Children and families.

Three employees of the agency — a social worker, a supervisor and an area manager — were fired after an internal investigation. Officials said the social worker had not made required monthly visits to the family.

"What we know right now is that a young child has died, and that his body has been disposed of in a heartless way," Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement Friday. "As we await news about the child's identity, as Governor and as a parent, I feel a deep sadness."
[...]
In an initial report filed by the league last month, it recommended that Massachusetts take a number of steps to shore up its child welfare system, including boosting staffing levels to reduce social worker caseload.
[....]
Oliver and Sierra, who were indicted last month by a Worcester County grand jury, are both being held on high bail — $100,000 for Oliver and $250,000 for Sierra.

Three other people have been charged with interfering with a criminal investigation and misleading police in connection with the case.

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/prosecutor-body-fits-description-of-missing-boy

 

[Whisper]

All Massachusetts authorities could say for sure is that they found the lifeless body of a small boy, apparently cast off the side of a highway.
An autopsy should reveal if the child is Jeremiah Oliver, the Fitchburg 5-year-old missing for months before police learned of his disappearance and began looking for him. Jeremiah's case has led to criminal charges against his mother and her boyfriend and calls for changes within the state's child welfare agency. Three state workers have been fired.

"What we know right now is that a young child has died, and that his body has been disposed of in a heartless way," Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement Friday. "As we await news about the child's identity, as Governor and as a parent, I feel a deep sadness."

The body found off a highway in central Massachusetts matched Jeremiah's height and weight, authorities said. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said authorities can't make a positive identification until the state medical examiner conducts an autopsy.

"It appears to be a homicide," the prosecutor said at a news conference.
[....]

http://www.wthr.com/story/25288099/autopsy-to-id-dead-boy-body-cast-off-side-of-road

 

[Whisper]

Body found on highway identified as missing Fitchburg boy

The body of a child found Friday off Route 190 in Sterling has been positively identified as Jeremiah Oliver, the Fitchburg preschooler who vanished last year while his family was being monitored by the state’s child-protection agency.
“I don’t feel relief,” Jeremiah’s father, Jose Oliver, said in a telephone interview. “I’m disappointed.”

Jose Oliver, who lives in New Britain, Conn., said he had been told by authorities that the body was his son’s just minutes before the announcement was made publicly this afternoon.
[...]
At a news conference Friday, Early said the body was discovered wrapped in cloth inside what could be either a suitcase or a duffel bag, and said the death “appeared to be a homicide.” A spokesman declined to answer questions Saturday.
[....]
James Gavin Reardon Jr., who represents Elsa Oliver, said the district attorney had not spoken to him about additional charges his client might face.

“Obviously, we know there’s a tragic death, but the circumstances and the responsibility for it are open questions,” said Reardon. “So far as I know, there is still no evidence that my client is responsible for the death, and that’s certainly one of the issues that will be addressed in the court proceedings.”

Questions about Elsa Oliver’s mental state have swirled throughout the case, though on Jan. 24 she was declared competent to stand trial after a mental health examination and sent to MCI Framingham. Reardon said Saturday that on April 2, prison officials transferred her to a mental health facility. Reardon said he did not know what sparked it
[...]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...orities-say/HDD5vQskIUaWJdOhF7FHvO/story.html