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Archive for the ‘Abuse’ Category
Preeminent foster child abuse lawyer and staunch advocate for child welfare reform in the state capital, Howard Talenfeld, was named a finalist as one of this year’s Most Effective Lawyers by the Daily Business Review.
 Talenfeld, who recently opened Talenfeld Law, one of Florida’s first law firms dedicated to protecting injured, abused and neglected statewide and around the country, was recognized for work done as head of the Children’s Rights practice area with his former firm, Colodny Fass Talenfeld Karlinsky Abate & Webb, P.A., along with Babbitt, Johnson, Osborne & Le Clainche, P.A.
Specifically, Talenfeld and the other attorneys were acknowledged for their work on the case of Judith Leekin. While in New York, and later in Florida, the woman assumed numerous identities to adopt mentally disabled children and defraud city welfare officials.
When police raided Leekin’s Port St. Lucie home and found adopted children starved and handcuffed, Leekin’s arrest blew open a tragic breakdown of the New York City foster care system spanning three decades and two states.
Leekin had fraudulently adopted 11 special needs children in Queens, New York, in the 1980s and 1990s, using various aliases. She then collected more than $1.68 million in government subsidies. While she lived in luxury, the children endured continuous torture, abuse, and squalor. Ten survivors were accounted for. An 11th child disappeared while in her care and is presumed dead.
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In a case of egregious physical abuse of an injured foster child, a girl taken from her parents and handed to foster parents, who then fatally injured her, represents a horror story for any family facing outdated and dangerous laws. This case was in Texas, but it could have been anywhere. Alex Hill was 2 years old when she was taken from her birth parents for their marijuana use while the child slept in her bed. Her foster mother, whose husband had a long rap sheet for a variety of crimes, including drug use, recently was sentenced to life in prison for murder.
“By all accounts, towheaded Alexandria ‘Alex’ Hill, was a healthy and happy toddler, living with he r parents,” wrote the Houston Press. “But [once she was removed from her home], Alex’s parents began to notice red flags about the conditions in the first home during visitations with their daughter…Alex had noticeable bruises, and the couple also found mold & mildew in the little girl’s bag.”
The case exemplifies not only how outdated drug laws that some states still have on the books and put foster children in jeopardy of physical abuse and wrongful death. But more importantly, as in Florida, the relationship between the state and its contracted community-based care providers raised ample questions.
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In a case of child abuse and family violence so horrific that child welfare advocates and wrongful death attorneys have said obvious “red flags” should have been apparent to all, domestic violence attorneys and child protection counselors are left to wonder whether the Florida Department of Children & Families’ creation of a “Safety Plan” for the Mohney family was a fool’s errand.
Father David Mohney was reportedly “controlling and jealous.” Wife and mother Cynthia Mohney “stumbling drunk” and abusive of their three children, according to news reports and official DCF documents. The children were left in fear of their mother.
It was their father they should have feared.
This month, David Mohney shot his three children, killing two – ages 14 and 11 – and leaving a 9-year-old in a medically induced coma. Mohney also shot himself. Yet this latest case of horrific and lethal child abuse should have been no surprise to anyone.
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Can how a child dies under the care or watch of the Florida Department of Children and Families help determine whether the death stemmed from physical abuse, neglect, wrongful death or other harm? Apparently, opinions are mixed – especially during election season.
To Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the number of deaths of children who were under the care of the DCF statewide are open to question.
More directly, “…except for abiding by a new state law that required DCF to create a website listing all child fatalities, Florida has continued to undercount the number of children it fails,” the Miami Herald wrote in an investigation of deaths of children under the DCF.
Come have called undercount “cooked.” Most just want a fair accounting in order to help future children.
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Any child advocate, guardian ad litem or attorney who protects foster children and at-risk kids physically or sexually abused, harmed or otherwise a target of personal injury know discussions of their care and protection are delicate matters. So it is frustrating to those same advocates, guardians and attorneys to see candidates in the Florida governor’s race discussing the fate of at-risk kids in the highly charged and politicized campaign for the state’s highest office.
The Associated Press reported this week that Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been telling the state’s voters that children neglected or abused in Florida are more safe with him as governor than when Charlie Crist was in Tallahassee.
While the two sides disagree about the statistics, and media reports are questioning the figures, one point remains: kids are not fodder for candidates for public office.
To be sure, children die, even those under the watch of or known to be at possible harm by the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Miami Herald investigative series, Innocents Lost, revealed some 477 kids known by Florida DCF have died over the past several years.
That they die is bad enough. That they’ve become fodder for the campaign trail is disheartening and disturbing.
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Florida’s foster child advocates and attorneys who represent foster children who have suffered personal injury, physical abuse and sex abuse, and wrongful death are left wondering again how a man known by the Florida Department of Children and Families who was granted a foster parent license ended up being charged with killing a child in his care.
In a twist on news reports of children dying while under the watch of DCF, newspaper reports this week claim that DCF and its private contractors may have failed to completely review the background of Michael Beer before granting him a foster care license. The Port St. Lucie, Florida, foster parent was charged this week with beating to death Trysten Adams, a 2-year-old foster boy in Beer’s care.
Twenty years ago, Beers failed to help another 2-year-old who had been severely abused, according to news reports. The Miami Herald reports that Florida DCF approved Beers’ foster care license in 2013, even though it knew of the episode.
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As Florida child advocates and children’s rights attorneys grapple with the wrongful death, personal injury, and physical and sexual abuse suffered by the state’s at-risk and foster children, news from North Florida point to the cycle of mistreatment and abuse families suffer. The murder / suicide of a mother and her six children at the hands of her abusive father point to the horrors of the cycles of poverty, drug addiction and physical abuse.
Don Spirit apparently killed his daughter, Sarah, 28, and her six young children, before killing himself last week in the small North Florida town of Bell. Ms. Spirit’s fears were not unknown to local authorities. Several times she had reached out to police and agencies, even incurring threats of harm from her father for doing so.
Their lives spent together in what the New York Times called “a cycle of extreme poverty, drug addiction and domestic violence” came to an end this month. In death, they were released from the grips of repeated arrests for drugs and violence, the yoke of debt and drug addiction.
But the cycle lives on for countless other families caught in the same maelstrom.
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The warning signs of child abuse, neglect and eventually possible wrongful death were etched across little J.B.’s reportedly horrible life as a child adopted by Carmen and Jorge Barahona. J.B. always was close at hand as Nubia Barahona, 10, and her twin brother, Victor, were allegedly physically abused, starved and mistreated. Teachers said Nubia Barahona would arrive at school unkempt and withdrawn and she would hoard or steal food. Eventually, Nubia was found dead in Jorge Barahona’s truck, while Victor suffered serious injury. Jorge Barahona is facing trial for trying to kill Victor; Carmen stands trial for the first degree murder of Nubia.
Now, it’s J.B.’s turn. The Miami-Dade County child who suffered years of abuse by her adoptive parents filed a lawsuit this week against the Florida Department of Children and Families and three of its employees.
According to the complaint, “J.B” was physically, sexually and emotionally abused by the Barahonas starting in 1999, when she was placed in their care by the Florida Department of Children and Families. The abuse lasted until she finally was removed in 2011 upon Nubia Barahona’s death.
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As guardians, advocates and attorneys for Florida’s most vulnerable children fight to prevent wrongful death and personal injury among at-risk children, we continue to learn of instances statewide where some levels of institutional care leave advocates wanting greater oversight. The Florida Department of Children and Families and regulatory officials have investigated claims of abuse and neglect at facilities statewide. One such facility is the Carlton Palms Educational Center in Central Florida, which has been the subject of such inquiry at least 140 times. The facility, which serves children and residents with severe disabilities, never has been disciplined, according to a recent news article.
No disciplined even followed the death last year of Paige Elizabeth Lunsford, a severely autistic and non-communicative 14-year-old child who almost immediately after admission to the facility in 2013. Soon after her arrival, she began retching, throwing up, was unable to eat and thrashed and flailed uncontrollably, according to those reports.
Soon, caregivers at the facility put the girl in restraints. But they never sought care beyond the teachers, nurses or doctor on staff. They never took her to an area hospital. As she lay with her wrists, ankles, biceps and waist bound, Paige grew increasingly ill.
The child from Margate, Florida, eventually died.
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When Florida Department of Children and Families interim Secretary Mike Carroll told foster child attorneys and child abuse advocates this week that he sought to both save children’s lives and also to “protect the light” in children’s eyes, he found no argument among attendees at the annual Child Protection Summit.
The audience of staunch child advocates and attorneys who represent at-risk children also fight for the rights of Florida’s most vulnerable citizens – the young, abandoned, sexually abused and those otherwise in need of guidance and protection in their lives.
The past few years have been both tough and promising. The Florida DCF has been under significant scrutiny, with a spate of deaths of children under its care or knowledge. A recent newspaper investigation revealed almost 500 such kids have died while supposedly under its watch or knowledge.
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Advocates for Florida’s at-risk children are watching closely as a case unfolds regarding the aftermath of the death of Tamiya Audain. The 12-year-old, severely disable child died when the caregiver in whose care she was placed while under the protection of the state neither fed nor appropriately cared for the girl, officials charge. Tamiya died from starvation last year.
Four women have been charged in connection with her death. But to child advocates and whose who support efforts to improve the oversight of children under the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families and other local or state agencies, Tamiya’s death helped get passed critical legislation this year.
In fact, Tamiya became the example used by advocates to get the Florida Legislature to pass a law funding legal counsel for disabled kids.
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Florida child abuse attorneys and advocates are watching a move to boost transparency around the deaths of children known to the Florida Department of Children and Families to be at risk of harm. The agency has added to a new website five years of data regarding child abuse deaths.
The pubic site, which was mandated by the Florida Legislature in the wake of the deaths of almost 500 children over the past several years, is being updated each week. It includes new data on the fatalities children stemming from neglect, abuse or other harm.
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Tallahassee, FL – August 27, 2025 – WJHG News Channel 7- New law makes moving easier for Florida foster families Moving is stressful enough, but for foster families in Florida, it’s often meant starting from scratch.
Miami, FL – August 14, 2025 – NBC 6 South Florida- North Miami couple arrested after kids found ‘severely malnourished’: Police A North Miami couple was arrested for child neglect after authorities said their two young children were found “severely malnourished” and one had arm and leg fractures.
Yorkville, IL – August 12, 2025 – Fox 32- Illinois lawmaker, DCFS dispute legality of intern investigators in child abuse cases An Illinois lawmaker is accusing the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) of breaking state law by allowing uncertified interns to conduct child abuse and neglect investigations, while the agency says all investigators meet legal certification requirements.
Miami Gardens, FL – August 5, 2025 – CBS News- Miami Gardens mom faces neglect charges after nine children found living in “deplorable conditions,” police say A Miami Gardens mom is facing multiple counts of child neglect after police discovered nine children living in a home in “deplorable conditions,” according to Miami Gardens police.
Riviera Beach, FL – July 7, 2025 – CBS 12 News- DCF won’t comment after 7-year-old girl stomped to death; mom charged with murder It’s the agency with the most important mission in the state: keeping kids safe.
Tallahassee, FL – July 4, 2025 – WCJB- New Florida laws expand access to care for children with disabilities Children with disabilities across Florida will soon see more support, thanks to two new state laws aimed at improving access to care.
Clewiston, FL – May 27, 2025 – Fox 4- Clewiston city director arrested, accused of sending explicit texts to child A City of Clewiston operations director is facing serious charges – accused of sending sexually explicit texts to a 12-year-old girl.
Miami, FL – April 30, 2025 – NBC Miami- ‘Wish you well in hell’: Survivor quotes Cardi B as nurse gets life in adoptive daughter’s murder A Miami-Dade nurse convicted in the 2018 death of her 7-year-old adoptive daughter and the abuse of her other two adopted children was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.
Orlando, FL – April 29, 2025 – WFTV 9- Records show Florida knew about defects in application portal for DCF benefits For more than a year, Florida’s Department of Children and Families has been telling 9 Investigates there are no problems with the state’s website for SNAP and Medicaid benefits.
Springfield, IL – April 25, 2025 – Capitol News Illinois- Illinois community-based foster homes face insurance ‘crisis’ Insurance companies are reducing the scope of coverage for some community foster agencies in Illinois, leading to higher costs, diminished coverage and fewer options for agencies who say a continuance of the trend could lead to closures.
Miami, FL – April 1, 2025 – WPLG Local 10- Disgraced ex-NYC councilman caught with child sex abuse videos at Miami airport, feds say A former member of the New York City Council — who left office in disgrace leading up to a federal bribery conviction — is now in the feds’ crosshairs again: this time in South Florida.
Cook County, IL – March 24, 2025 – WCBU- Illinois’ child welfare agency failed to produce critical reports after child deaths The state agency responsible for keeping Illinois’ most vulnerable children safe has failed to produce legally required public reports after examining what went wrong in hundreds of cases of child deaths and thousands of serious injuries, the Illinois Answers Project reports.
Chicago, IL – March 22, 2025 – ABC 7 Chicago- Illinois child welfare agency’s reporting on abuse and deaths scrutinized The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is now under scrutiny for its lack of proper reporting on child abuse and neglect cases, according to a report from the Illinois Answers Project.
Tallahassee, FL – March 9, 2025 – WFSU- Two Florida state agencies announce new tools for combating human trafficking Two state agencies are working to identify kids vulnerable to sex trafficking before they’re victimized. The Florida Department of Children and Families and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have announced an enhanced screening tool and new grant funding for law enforcement.
Chicago, IL – January 31, 2025 – NPR Illinois- DCFS launches new app for caseworkers and families The state of Illinois is rolling out a new app to help parents of abused and neglected children better communicate with their Department of Children and Family Services [DCFS] caseworkers and with other service providers.
Broward County, FL – January 30, 2025 – The Sun-Sentinel- Broward Sheriff’s Office will stop staffing juvenile detention center in May Blaming staff shortages and an unsafe building to work in, the Broward Sheriff’s Office will no longer send deputies to work at the state’s Department of Justice’s Juvenile Assessment Center.
Vernon, CT – November 19, 2024 – WLBT- Woman left 4 kids home alone in ‘filth’ for days while she took a trip to New York, police say A woman in Connecticut is accused of leaving her four kids alone for days while she took a trip to New York, according to authorities.
Flagler County, FL – November 10, 2024 – CBS 12- Flagler County middle school employee accused of attacking disabled student An employee at Indian Trails Middle School has been accused of child abuse after she was caught on camera striking a disabled student in an unprovoked attack.
Chicago, Il – November 8, 2024 – CBS News Chicago- Troubled teen who escaped DCFS caseworkers was not placed into secure facility after being found A 17-year-old with a violent history escaped from his caseworkers in Chicago last month, and it turns out the foster child in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was not placed in a secure facility recommended to the state after being brought back into custody.
Jacksonville, FL – September 20, 2024 – Action News Jax- Duval County teacher under investigation after 8-year-old is injured A Beauclerc Elementary School teacher is being investigated by Duval County Public Schools after a physical incident with an 8-year-old student.
Miami, FL – September 3, 2024 – Miami Herald- Rising costs of care could strain funding for Florida program for brain-damaged kids Facing withering criticism from parents, advocates, lawmakers and insurance regulators, Florida’s compensation program for children born with catastrophic brain injuries opened its bank account three years ago and improved the lives of some of the state’s most disabled children.
Orlando, FL – September 2, 2024 – Orlando Sentinel- Autism drowning deaths prompt push for children’s specialized swim lessons Drowning is the number one cause of death for kids with autism and Florida leads the nation in fatalies.
Aventura, FL – August 5, 2024 – WSVN News 7- Parents arrested after leaving toddler in hot car while they shopped at Target in Aventura, police say A man and woman were arrested on child abuse charges after allegedly leaving their 2-year-old child in a hot car while they shopped at Target in Aventura.
Austin, TX – July 18, 2024 – WPLG Local 10- Largest housing provider for migrant children engaged in pervasive sexual abuse, US says Employees of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S. repeatedly sexually abused and harassed children in their care for at least eight years, the Justice Department said Thursday, alleging a shocking litany of offenses that took place as the company amassed billions of dollars in government contracts.
Daytona Beach, FL – July 9, 2024 – WESH 2- Police: Man arrested in Daytona Beach after dangling, dropping child off second-floor resort balcony A 31-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after allegedly dropping a 4-year-old off the second floor of a Daytona Beach resort, according to an affidavit from the police department.
Palm Coast, FL – July 7, 2024 – WSVN 7- Florida woman charged with child neglect after good Samaritan finds 2-year-old son wandering near busy road alone A good Samaritan found a 2-year-old boy wandering in a Florida neighborhood all alone, and now the child’s mother is facing charges after she was found fast asleep inside their home.
Homestead, FL – May 16, 2024 – WPLG Local 10- Homestead couple accused of murdering their 6-month-old baby girl Two 24-year-old parents brought their 6-month-old to Homestead Hospital in cardiac arrest Sunday afternoon; doctors found that the baby had no pulse and signs of severe child abuse, according to police.
Brevard County, FL – May 16, 2024 – WESH 2 Orlando- Family sues Brevard County day care for alleged child abuse and negligence An incident at a Brevard County day care involving a child and teacher has led to more allegations of child abuse and negligence after the Department of Children and Families studied surveillance video.
Chicago, IL – May 7, 2024 – WSIL – TV- Lawsuit alleges pervasive child sexual abuse at Illinois juvenile detention centers for decades A group of 95 people filed a lawsuit in Illinois on Monday alleging they were sexually abused as children in juvenile detention centers across the state for over two decades.
Wildwood, FL – May 4, 2024 – Fox 35 Orlando- Florida DCF worker accused of abusing 11-year-old foster child A Kids Central employee was arrested after he aggressively threw an 11-year-old foster child onto a couch and hurt her, according to an arrest affidavit from the Wildwood Police Department.
Tallahassee, FL – May 3, 2024 – The Tampa Bay Times – Nearly 600,000 Florida kids shed from government health care, study says Nearly 600,000 Florida children lost their government-provided health insurance last year after the federal government ended the national COVID-related health emergency, more than any other state except Texas, according to a newly released report by the Georgetown Center for Children and Families.
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Children’s Deaths Live On As Political Talking Points In Governor Campaign
Any child advocate, guardian ad litem or attorney who protects foster children and at-risk kids physically or sexually abused, harmed or otherwise a target of personal injury know discussions of their care and protection are delicate matters. So it is frustrating to those same advocates, guardians and attorneys to see candidates in the Florida governor’s race discussing the fate of at-risk kids in the highly charged and politicized campaign for the state’s highest office.
The Associated Press reported this week that Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been telling the state’s voters that children neglected or abused in Florida are more safe with him as governor than when Charlie Crist was in Tallahassee.
While the two sides disagree about the statistics, and media reports are questioning the figures, one point remains: kids are not fodder for candidates for public office.
To be sure, children die, even those under the watch of or known to be at possible harm by the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Miami Herald investigative series, Innocents Lost, revealed some 477 kids known by Florida DCF have died over the past several years.
That they die is bad enough. That they’ve become fodder for the campaign trail is disheartening and disturbing.
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