- October 2006 –Nurse at Clara Barton Elementary reports abuse to DHS [1][6]
- DHS takes Clareeni to child-abuse paediatrician who finds no evidence of
abuse [6]
- Nurse so insistent DHS believes allegation despite lack of medical
evidence[6]
- "For 12 weeks, a private child-welfare agency hired by the department
visited the home at least twice a week under a now-defunct program called
Family Preservation. The program was the most invasive of the in-home
services and usually was employed as a last-ditch effort to keep a child in
the home."[6]
- DHS spent five months providing services to Charleeni's family but after
two medical examinations failed to confirm the abuse allegations [1]
- Feb 2007 –Nurse at Clara Barton again calls DHS
- DHS under investigation after newspaper alleges 20 children died at the
hands of their abusers after DHS investigated abuse allegations [6]
- DHS again takes Clareeni to child-abuse paediatrician [6]
- Doctor indicates no current abuse but finds evidence of past abuse
- Doctor questions Clareeni who says that her mother abused her in Puerto
Rico
- Sources say "she was significantly malnourished when she came to stay with
her father in Philadelphia." [6]
- March 2007 –Abuse investigation closed [1]
- "It is district practice to note a student's involvement in an active DHS
case in his or her permanent education record, Gallard said. Even if the DHS
investigation is closed, the notation remains."[1]
- With two unsubstantiated cases of abuse, DHS closed out the case. The
department has no procedure for revisiting an unsubstantiated abuse case
once it has been closed, and those cases are eventually expunged.[6]
- May 2009 – School Nurse at Feltonville Intermediate suspects something is
wrong with Charleeni. Asks parents to provide past medical records and make
an appointment with a doctor [1]
- September 2009 –School Nurse at Feltonville Intermediate again demanded
family seek medical attention [1]
- School records indicate the family complied and took Charleeni to a doctor
[1]
- September 15 2009
- " Charlenni was examined by a school nurse who noted on Sept. 15 that she
"had a gait that was unsteady," and that she had six unexcused absences
during the last school year due to "parental neglect/noncompliance.’"[4]
- October 19, 2009
- Charleeni misses her first day of school that year
- "Despite her injuries, which included a recent hip fracture that caused
her to limp, Charleeni had a perfect school-attendance record until Monday,
officials said."[6]
- October 21, 2009 Charleeni dies
- Ferreira and Garabito said Charleeni told her stepmother Wednesday morning
she had hit her head the night before. They said Garabito found her
unconscious at about 10:30 a.m.[2]
- "had numerous healed and fresh injuries, including broken bones and a
severe head gash that had been stuffed with gauze and concealed with a hair
weave. Ultimately, she died of an infection that collapsed her lungs and
that had been caused by untreated broken ribs."[6]
- It was unclear how long Charleeni had been abused, but the seven-inch gash
on her forehead was so old that skin had begun to grow over the gauze,
officials said. [6]
- Authorities say the girl also had a broken arm and pelvis[5]
- October 23, 2009 Domingo 'Anibal' Ferreira and Margarita Garabito charged
with murder, endangering the welfare of a child [6]
- "Officials said Charleeni also had injuries that showed she had been
sexually abused but no charges have been filed involving sex crimes. Police
were awaiting DNA test results, which could take several days."[1]
- "He confirmed afterward that Charlenni had been sexually assaulted, but
did not elaborate [...] Later in the day, police officials said a medical
examiner found injuries to Charlenni's vaginal and anal areas. No
sexual-assault charges have been filed against Charlenni's father or
stepmother" [3]
- "Charleeni confided in her that she was being raped by her stepbrother
[...] ‘Her brother took her upstairs one time, "'You better come upstairs
cause I need to talk to you," and raped her upstairs in her room," said
Joceyln Martinez.
- Stepbrothers currently 16 and 19 years of age[1]
- "After an autopsy, police say the girl had been abused for years."[4]
- October 30, 2009 –Charleeni would have turned 11
Other Quotes
- "However, as the facts of this case become known to DHS, we will have lots
of work to do in looking at the recent events that could have led to or
prevented this tragedy,"[6] Ambrose said in a statement.
- Ambrose was
appointed in June 2008 and has overseen significant reforms at an agency
that gets about 10,000 abuse and neglect calls a year.[6]
- Ambrose said "We were concerned about news reports we heard that kids knew about the
abuse and were told not to tell," [...] "We want to let children
know there are safe places for them to go to tell about abuse."[1]
- "'When I first met her, she used to walk fine, a normal child,' said Fabian, whose children attended school with Charleeni and who lives near the
family's rented home on C Street. 'In a year and a half, we noticed that she
was walking like handicapped[sic]. We asked the mom, and she said she had a
sickness and no one could figure it out.'"[1]
- "'She would shiver walking up the steps" to her house, as if in pain, neighbor Shanel Jones, 24, said. The girl's stepmother "would scream at her
to hurry up and get in,' Jones said." [1]
- Emanie Feliciano, 9, who visits Jones' home daily and played with
Charleeni, remembered the girl saying recently, "I'm going to have a
birthday. Well, maybe not." [1]
- "I always thought that something might have been wrong," Bednarczyk
[neighbour] said, "because I would see her sitting outside of her house and
she would always appear sort of frozen. [4]
- "She said her stepmom pulled her hair, abused her, did so many mean things
to her,' said Cheyenne Roundtree. [5]
[1]
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20091024_Officials_suspected_abuse_in_girl_s_case.html
[2]
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/10/22/Dad-stepmom-charged-with-girls-murder/UPI-16531256269519/
[3]
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/65727732.html?cmpid=15585797
[4]
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20091024_Grieving_neighbors__friends_hold_vigil_for_10-year-old_girl_who_died_from_abuse___neglect.html
[5]
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7079349
[6]
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20091023_Parents_charged_in_death_of_girl__10.html