Something happened with 4 homeschool children near D.C.??

Question

Hi. I live near D.C. and all morning the radio talkshow has been talking about something that happened with some homeschool children? They're talking about neighbors not knowing what's goig on nextdoor.. they're talking about homeschooling...

What happened? It's like I'm missing most of the pieces of the puzzle.. can anyone fill me in or link me to a news article online?? THanks

Answer 1

One wonders if the media would have said 'four public school children' or 'four private school children'.

Sounds like a pretty clear cut case of 'manslaughter owing to diminished responsibility' to me though, that is if the mum is well enough to be charged with anything at all. She probably ought to be in a psychiatric unit now rather than gaol especially if there was a time in the past when she did cope with her life, the kids etc - that'd suggest to me that whatever caused her to flip out so spectacularly is at least a treatable condition; and, hopefully with the right treatment now, the mother at least, will be able to pull her life together again somehow.

I just wonder whether everything did fall apart for this family when her hubby/their dad died?!? Sad that no-one either noticed that the mother wasn't coping or stepped in to give assistance before this happened.

Answer 2

Obviously they weren't being homeschooled.

Answer 3

According to the Associated Press report (below) this was about Social Services not doing their job. It had nothing to do with homeschooling, in spite of the initial reports.

DC Mayor to Fire 6 Child Welfare Workers 6 DC Child Welfare Workers to Be

Fired Over Case in Which 4 Girls Were Found Dead By KAREN MAHABIR The

Associated Press WASHINGTON

At least six child welfare workers will be fired for failing to properly

address complaints about a woman's care for her four daughters, who were later

found dead in their home, the mayor said Monday.

The decomposing bodies of the girls ages 5 to 16 were found Wednesday when

deputy U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at the row house. Their mother

has been charged with murder.

A social worker at the school where the oldest girl was a student tried twice

in April to get city agencies to investigate.

At a news conference Monday, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty played tapes of two calls

the social worker, Kathy Lopes, made after the girl, Brittany Jacks, stopped

going to school in March.

Lopes called the city's child welfare hot line and said that she had visited

the home, but that she was not let in by the mother, Banita Jacks. Lopes said

Jacks told her she did not want Brittany going to school because she was afraid

the girl would run away. Lopes reported seeing two or three younger children who

also were not in school.

In a second call this time to police Lopes expressed frustration at being

transferred among several city departments and said she was concerned about

Banita Jacks' mental state.

"It seems that the mother is suffering from some mental illness in which she

is holding all the children in the home hostage," Lopes said.

Jacks later told investigators the children were possessed by demons and died

in their sleep.

The six employees being fired work for the District of Columbia's Child and

Family Services Agency, and include a division director. More workers could lose

their jobs as an investigation continues, Fenty said.

Sharlynn Bobo, the agency director, said that workers were "grieving just like

the rest of the community."

"We deeply regret I deeply regret our failures in responding effectively and

rapidly to this family," Bobo said.

Fenty praised Lopes, who works at the Booker T. Washington Public Charter

School.

"Unfortunately, she stands out really because so many other people didn't do

their job in the way they're supposed to," Fenty said.

The mayor said there was never any follow-up on the three younger girls, who

had attended the Meridian Public Charter School.

Lopes' call was not the first time someone had tried to alert the city about

the family's situation.

In July 2006, a nurse who had been treating the father of Jacks' youngest two

daughters called the child welfare hot line to report the family was living in a

van and that the parents were struggling with substance abuse, officials said.

The nurse couldn't provide an address for the family so social workers did not

follow up.

City officials also outlined several policy changes to prevent a similar

tragedy, including establishing a system that better tracks students who are

withdrawn from school to be taught at home. Cases involving child abuse or

neglect allegations will not be closed until the child is found and determined

to be safe.

An investigation into Jacks' family was closed weeks after Lopes' visit

because child welfare officials thought the family had moved to Maryland even

though the family was never located.

Authorities have said the girls died at least 15 days before they were found.

Jacks' statement to police indicated they had been dead for months. The medical

examiner's office has said there is evidence that Brittany was stabbed and that

Tatianna Jacks, 11; N'Kiah Fogle, 6; and Aja Fogle, 5, had other signs of

trauma.

Court documents initially identified Brittany Jacks as being 17 years old;

however, her 17th birthday would have been Jan. 5.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may

not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Answer 4

The four girls were with their mother and the oldestt one was a charter school student who suddenly dropped out last year after her father died.  Not sure if the other children were old enough to attend school or if they were being home-schooled but they were not, in reality.  A school person tried to contact the mother when the child did not return to school but was not answered by phone. She then went to see the mom and from the door she saw the place was not clean, the children were not clean and the mother seemed mentally awry.  The school employee contacted the welfare or social services organization who went to the home but the mother did not answer so it was assumed they had moved.  This month the mother was supposed to be evicted for non-payment of rent and when the officers got her to the door, they smelled a horrible smell of death and forced the mother out to discover 4 rotting bodies in the apartment - now confirmed to be her 4 daughters.  She has been arrested and the police are continuing to investigate because it seems the oldes was stabbed and the cause of death of the other three is still in question - could be suffocation or poison.  They have been dead for months and it sometimes takes a longer time to fix cause of death on an older corpse.  You can probably visit any of the DC TV or radio station web sites and find out some other information.

Answer 5

YOU ASKED THIS QUESTION YESTERDAY

"I had to pay my last respects," she said. When speakers pledged to return to the neighborhood on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to pray that the city provide additional services for residents, Riddick shouted, "We need it here in South East!"

As the rain poured, dashing some of the flames, those at the vigil held candles high and sang, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." Several people planted their still-burning candles in the white snow, and the shadows flickered off teddy bears and signs.