Still many questions about 7-year old FL boy found hanged while in DCF custody..

[madfloridian]

It has been over six months since Gabriel Myers was found dead in a foster home. The head of DCF George Shelton formed a group to study the situation....but still no real answers. He was found with numerous psychotropic drugs in his system. His guardians say they had not signed off on them.

From the Miami Herald today:

Autopsy proves foster child hanged himself; why is a mystery

Gabriel Myers, the 7-year-old foster child whose death sparked a statewide inquiry, died of asphyxiation after hanging himself, the Broward medical examiner's office has ruled, though authorities say they will never know whether the youngster meant to kill himself. Weeks before Gabriel roped a shower cord around his neck in the bathroom of his Margate foster home on April 16, the little boy choked himself at school, the report noted.

``Although the investigation suggests that he alone took the actions that resulted in his death, his psychiatric history suggests that this fatality may represent a tragically flawed attempt (at) self-injury for secondary gain,'' states the ME's report, written by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Stephen J. Cina.

Here is more about the tragedies that surrounded this child and the drugs found in his system.

One of the key issues prompting DCF's detailed review of his death was the administration of several powerful mood-altering drugs on the boy, including two -- an anti-psychotic and an anti-depressant -- linked by the FDA to an increased risk of suicide among children. In his report, Cina concludes there is no way to determine whether the medications were linked to Gabriel's death.

``While several medications in (Gabriel's) blood have been associated with an increased risk of suicide in some cohorts, it cannot be proven that their presence played a role in this fatality,'' Cina wrote.

Cina's report states a ``well-documented absence'' of suicidal thinking on Gabriel's part as evidence that the boy may have meant only to gain attention when he wrapped the shower cord around his neck. Cina cites a 29-page report on the boy's death by a work group appointed by DCF Secretary George Sheldon.

Another article tells more about the abuse he apparently suffered. It does not say who was doing the abusing. Did the foster parents not know who was doing it? How could they not know?

More from the Miami Herald:

Gabriel was on several powerful psychotropic medications, including Symbyax, before his death. That drug carries a U.S. Food and Drug Administration "black box" label warning for children's safety and increased risk of suicidal thinking. It is not approved for use with young children. But doctors often prescribe them off label.

The boy's death prompted debate at the state's child welfare agency about stricter rules for prescribing powerful antidepressants and other drugs to foster children. The drugs affect the central nervous system and can change behavior or perception. They are prescribed for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions. Some are used to alleviate pain.

..."The task force also said case workers, doctors and teachers failed Gabriel at several points along the way and ignored warning signs. He was in three different foster homes, switched therapists and medications, and touched classmates in a sexually inappropriate way. He also tried to strangle himself in December, leaving noticeable red marks and scratches on his neck. Gabriel also had several blunt force injuries at the time of his death, including bruises on his knees, thighs and forehead, according to the report.
The Miami Herald."

It has been over 6 months, and the Broward County Medical Examiner's report is just now coming out. It seems a copy was issued publicly before one was given to the DCF. They had to ask for a report, and it was slow in coming.

DCF doesn’t get autopsy report of 7-year-old who died in state custody

Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon made the apparent suicide of a 7-year-old Broward County boy in foster care one of his top priorities in April. Sheldon created a working group to get to the bottom of Gabriel Myers’ death and examine why the child was on a psychotropic drug cocktail without the consent of his guardians. Despite Sheldon’s attention to the boy’s case, his office was unable to get its hands on a copy of the autopsy released to the public by the Broward County Medical Examiner early Thursday afternoon.

About an hour after the autopsy was made public around 11 a.m., Sheldon’s press secretary Joe Follick said he did not have a copy of it. He suggested getting a copy from the medical examiner.

Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper quickly replied to a public records request and e-mailed a copy of the 28-page report.

Hours later, Follick still did not have a copy of it.

In June 2009 when this investigation into the use of drugs was going on...they found that there were problems with the state's computer software in this area.

Florida's family services, DCF, having software problems affecting tracking of kids.

But in hundreds of cases in which a judge's consent reportedly was obtained, the date of that order came either long before — or long after — the prescription started.

For instance:

• In 10 cases around the state, DCF's records show judges signing consent orders for a variety of drugs in January 2001, but the children's prescriptions did not start until 2009.

• A 16-year-old in Marion County was approved for the antipsychotic Risperdal in August 2005, but the prescription didn't begin until May 2009.

• A 15-year-old in Duval County had a judge sign off on another antipsychotic, Abilify, in January 2007; state records show the prescription began in May 2009.

• A 14-year-old in Brevard County reportedly on the ADHD drug Adderall since 1999 received court approval in November 2008.

• A 16-year-old in Hillsborough County began taking Seroquel, an antipsychotic, in October 2005, with a judge's consent received this January.

A 7-year old boy had "several blunt force injuries at the time of his death, including bruises on his knees, thighs and forehead".

A 7-year old boy was "on numerous psychotropic drugs that his guardians had not signed off on" at the time of his death.

Too many questions left unanswered after a six-month-long investigation.

[snagglepuss]

1. There are no words.

[madfloridian]

3. You are right.

No words.

[madfloridian]

2. From a blogger last April...more on the drugs. So sad. Sweet picture.

The more I read that latest report about how he was doing it for attention, the angrier I become. It's so easy to blame the deceased 7 year old boy rather than get to the source of the problem.



Gabriel had been prescribed Symbyax, Lexapro, Vyvanase and Zyprexa. Again, three of these meds are not approved by the FDA for use with young children.

Weeks before his death, Gabriel Myers, the 7-year-old Broward boy who hanged himself in the shower of his foster home, had been prescribed a powerful mind-altering drug linked by federal regulators to an increased risk of suicide in children.

In all, Gabriel had been prescribed four psychiatric drugs, two or three of which he was taking at the time of his death, said Jack Moss, Broward chief of the state Department of Children & Families. Moss said he is not sure which medications the boy was taking because Margate police took the foster home’s medication log as part of an investigation into Gabriel’s death last week.

Three of the psychotropic drugs carry U.S. Food and Drug Administration ”black box” label warnings for children’s safety, the strongest advisory the federal agency issues. Three of the medications are not approved for use with young children, though they are widely prescribed to youngsters ”off label” — meaning doctors can prescribe the drug even if not formally approved for that use.

Were they experimenting? Did they have no communication between the doctors, the home, and DCF?

Why in the world would a 7 year old be given such powerful drugs?

[snagglepuss]

6. Its such utter imcompetence and such a criminal lacking of caring.

What did that child endure? And it doesn't seems much effort is being expended investigating what happened. Someone is neligent and needs to be held accountable.

[rebel with a cause]

9. Don't know anything about this case

or this child's story. But in the short time I worked in child welfare I learned a lot about the way drugs were given to these kids and the games some therapist, case workers and/or care givers played with the administration of such drugs. We had one child who was came to us being given a cocktail of drugs and we slowly weened him off of them, and with a little attention he moved back toward normalcy although I hear that he is still having some emotional problems now ten years later. It was easier for his former caregivers to just dope him up than to worry about what his problems were.

Another boy who had many emotional/mental problems also was on a cocktail of psychotropic drugs and the therapist decided to take him off all of them because the man wanted to cause problems for the care taker. The child went berserk, totally out of control. There had to be an emergency call put into the psychiatrist and the drugs slowly restarted. This child was dependent on the drugs to give him a little stability. It took two weeks for the youth to become stable. We knew what his problems were and I don't know if there was any hope of him being able to have any where close to a normal life without some form of medication.

A seven year old is a little younger than the two that I spoke of and I wonder if this child's pediatrician had kept him and had seen no reason for him having any drugs given, why was his voice not heard later. I just see so many people that dropped the ball here. I don't know....I depress people because I see so little bright spots in the way our child welfare system is set up today. I don't know how it can be fixed quickly. I have seen nightmares with some children remaining with their parents, in foster homes, in residential homes and even when getting adopted. I think like our health care system, it would take a while to get the child welfare system going right, but we need to start somewhere reforming it.

Does anyone know about the Masonic Children Homes? They do not take troubled youths so I wondered if their facilities were better.

[madfloridian]

10. In FL there is little oversight over the privatized portions of DCF

And that is a lot of the problem here. I worked with a lot of social workers when I was teaching, doctors as well....they were all caring and super.

But now so many parts of the DCF are privatized...handled by private companies that are not overseen and hire the cheapest people they can find.

Part of Jeb's Florida.

[rebel with a cause]

11. Are they still a part of DCF?

Because I know in Illinois we have the agencies that are religious based(Catholic Family Services, Lutheran Family Services, etc) but work the same as DCFS except they are not state mandated exactly. Some of these people are caring and some are not.

By the way I knew DCFS case workers that were caring also but these people were very overworked. Other case workers I met were just filling in their time and didn't give much of a care about anything. I knew doctors that cared and some who did not. We had a few doctors that advocated for the children and went out of their way to help them. The therapist I spoke of was not exactly considered a doctor, he was just a therapist (not qualified to be even this as far as most of his co-workers were concerned) and a nut big time. He had to have the doctor discontinue the medications, but I thought the doctor should have questioned him more before he took this action. You know some people just trust others opinion too much.

[AlienGirl]

26. If you fuck up, kids die.

Where I worked, the non-profit that got the contract made some changes for the better: caseworkers' case loads dropped from fifty or more kids to a maximum of twenty-five (still high, but Florida's funding for social services is low, especially when the services are for kids). Contracted employees weren't considered state employees (meaning we could be fired at will, and we didn't get state benefits) but were held to the same standards as state employees.

I didn't know any caseworkers who didn't *care*, but I knew quite a few who burned out from long unpredictable hours, constant pressure, physical risk, and stress. There is a high turnover rate: it isn't easy to face horror stories in case files every day while knowing that no matter what decision you recommend, there will be people telling you it was the wrong one, and if you fuck up, kids die.

Tucker

[rebel with a cause]

29. I was one of the burnouts thanks to all the things mentioned

plus abusive administration of the agency.

I never had a kid die due to anything I did, or anywhere that I worked. 'I didn't know any caseworkers who didn't *care*'. Boy were you lucky! I knew a few who not only didn't care but were negligent to abusive to their wards. Like I said, I also knew some that cared a lot. The one that impressed me the most was one that worked for the Lutheran Family Services because she went the extra mile for 'her kids'. The DCFS case workers that I worked with for the most part were good hard working people that did their best, but when I went to a different part of the state I did not find it the same. I was really disappointed with the lack of concern there.

The last part of my work experience was with youthful sexual predators and victims. I worked at a nonprofit agency that cared more about the budget being in the black than they did about the youth being treated or the workers who were in charge of those in their care. We home supervisors were overworked, given no authority but all the responsibility of what happened, and stabbed in the back by the administration and those they hired as their stoolies.

I refused to play workplace politics but did the right thing which included reporting happenings in the facility and which led to the agency being found neglectful in the supervision of the youths and the sexual predators in their charge. To be truthful, the agency was not set up for this type of client and the staff not trained to deal with them but mainly the agency was lax in the equipment and training they provided to the staff. After I had done all the dirty work to clean up the mess, this agency harassed me until I was forced to quit, blacklisted me as a whistle blower after I left their employment as they continued to do to other good employees the same as they did me. I was called on to testify twice against the agency, once for an employee and once for a former child client. I lived in dread of having to face these court hearings although both were settled out of court. Both cases went well supposedly due to my affidavits/testimony, and the agency's lawyer even said that I was the only person involved that was clear of any wrong doing. I suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome partly because of my time there. Now you can see why I feel like I do about some of the people/agencies involved in social work, especially child welfare.

[madfloridian]

15. Symbyax, Lexapro, Vyvanase and Zyprexa

He was on these drugs all at one time.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

25. Where Does It Say He Was On Them All At The Same Time?

And in this case, I doubt highly it was the drugs. He tried strangling himself before he was even on them. It also seems glaringly likely that it was for attention, not true feelings of suicide. How can they say that they feel it was for attention due to the complete lack of suicidal expressions, yet then right after say that maybe the meds caused him to be suicidal?

Sounds to me like a troubled young boy who was using self-abuse for attention, and in this instance went too far due to not fully understanding or considering the consequences. You say it's easy to blame a dead 7 year old boy, but it's not about blame. It's likely he did what he did on his own merits. From how I see it, it looks more like it is easy for you to simply want to blame the drugs out of convenience, and due to having a poster child to make your cause.

[WhiteTara]

4. Florida's child services are deplorable

they "lost" a child several years ago; I don't think they ever found her.

[madfloridian]

5. Rilya Wilson...the one they lost.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/...

[WhiteTara]

22. Rilya is a beautiful name and she is/was

a beautiful child. May you be held in the hands of the God/Us

[sasquatch]

7. If you have children....AVOID FLORIDA!

No wonder the football players really hustle for Florida college teams, they want to get the hell out of that swamp.

[troubledamerican]

13. The GOP's America: Florida, Texas, Georgia writ large

In the months leading up to the 2000 election, America saw James Byrd dragged to his death in Jasper, Texas & Matthew Shepard crucified on a fence post in Wyoming -- the home states of the President and "Vice-President".

America gets what it deserves.

[avaistheone1]

23. The Florida justice system for children is the worst.

It's hard to believe that children are treated so horribly in America, but they certainly are in Florida. It appears the state has a long history of doing so.

[Danger Mouse]

8. Thank God NY is much much better....I'd go mad if I had to work in those conditions...

that is a level of incompetence that is beyond criminal. Ugh.
Poor kid...


Okay, I have to stop reading these depressing stories.

[bertman]

12. Recommend. I have a friend who is a pediatrician specializing in behavioral problems of

children. He is a very caring, loving, and compassionate man. A few years ago we were discussing the types of problems of the children who are sent to him for help. I was very impressed that there is always counseling with the parents and the child in an effort to diagnose the problem and to ensure that everyone is involved in the solutions to the problems. During the course of the conversation we were talking about the huge number of children who are now classified as having medical/psychological/psychophysical problems. My friend had referred to the frequency of these problems and the need to prescribe medications for these kids. I asked him if he didn't think that many of these behavioral issues might just be a result of the usual teenage or pre-teen anxieties and pressures that children face. He said that he did think that was the situation in a lot of cases, but he also said that there are increasingly more kids who are ADD and ADHD and several other acronyms that I don't remember now.

I pressed him about the frequency of prescribing drugs such as ritalin for kids who were having anxiety that might be just normal teenage angst. He said that it might be that but that the drugs were preferred by the parents because they made the child much easier to live with. When I suggested that it might be good for parents to spend more time talking with their children or doing things with them that might help them feel less pressure he said that it is almost universal now that parents feel like they don't have time to invest in dealing with problems that can be "solved" by giving their children drugs.

Needless to say, I was astonished and said so. His response was that he had a responsibility to do what he could to help to ease the tension and stress on the parents and the child, and the drugs did just that.

No wonder they're giving so many drugs to foster kids. If middle- and upper-middle class parents don't want to spend the necessary time with their children who are "acting out", what foster parent is going to be willing to do that?

Very tragic situation.

[madfloridian]

14. When I referred students for special programs....

I often had to fill out forms and evaluations for the doctors....especially if the parents went the route of private testing. Many did, since our guidance counselor thought James Dobson could save all kids...seriously, she did.

Most were just great to work with. I had positive feedback to the school for my contributions. But there was one doctor who diagnosed every student as SLD, and it was impossible to stop her. I think the other doctors banded together and did a grievance on her.

There was nothing I could say, could not even steer parents away from her. She always acoompanied her diagnoses with drugs.

[madeline_con]

16. I don't get this:

"A 7-year old boy was "on numerous psychotropic drugs that his guardians had not signed off on" at the time of his death."
Who was administering the drugs?

[madfloridian]

17. Good question.

I guess the DCF in conjunction with doctors.

ALSO where did the bruises come from.

[madeline_con]

18. But, how does he receive meds if the fosters don't know?

Were they given by a school nurse? This is b.s.

[madfloridian]

19. I agree it is BS. Something is very wrong.

6 months for the autopsy report? Then DCF has to beg for it?

[Th1onein]

20. Fucking SSRI drugs....

WHY are they giving these drugs to children still?

[mntleo2]

21. CPS is a terribly flawed institution natonwide

Nationwide, they are known for kidnapping kids from parents and relatives, making false allegations that cannot be reputed in any way, these allegations just stand. CPS workers are taking kids suddenly while refusing to acknowledge the permenant damage they do to the child, much less traumatize entire families. They seldom protect a child as much as financially gain from thir actions. Furthermore they have more power than any police do as far as search and siexzure with few repercussions when they are wrong.

These are not just unhappy abusers, there are thousands of kids taken with little or no evidence or cause and juvenile courts support it. I personally know of at least 30 removals in the past year where none of the families have ANY say in court. I am working with people all over the country and if any parent thinks it will not happen to them, they are wrong. Girls right now are at a premiumfor the state, little boys not so much, but when they are taken, they suffer horribly with uncaring SW and State system that cares little about them ...

According to a former prosecuter in Oregon State, Roger Weiden, there is money involved with each child removal that pays the State 5-$10,000 per removal. While this is an Oregon former prosecuter, this is happening all over the country:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66u2Qot5Mbs

Here are some other stories, literally thousands of kids are taken and hundreds DIE while in custody with the State, while other kids are illegally taken, with few rights for parents and worse for relative or long term foster parents in the midst of adoptions. This is because every time a child is taken, money passes hands and there is a reward for taking kids. Here is a video with kids who have died with the names of hundreds of kids who also died under State care. There are three parts, and this is the first, but the other 2 links are with that video.

THIS WILL BREAK YOUR HEART ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48YF1uEuCUA

Below are some other links from parents whose kids were taken, more heart break.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAjfTk1F1ts&feature=rela...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPeFECAEqHk&feature=rela...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPeFECAEqHk&feature=rela...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwaKGODNkCo&feature=rela...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnjp7OnxNM&feature=rela...

Oh and the CASA workers not protecting kids asthey are suppoed to be doing, they are merely rubber stamps for the States, not the child. It is worse when the child is a ward of the state and relatives or foster parents are in the midst of adoption and the adoption social workers snatch the kid after long term care. These parents have *no* say in court or anywhere, allegations can be made and there is no way to refute them, which can remain on a person's record for the rest of their life and the child is suddenly removed with little consideration as to the permanent damge that is done to them.

I have more stories, these are just a few.

Cat In Seatle

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

24. Definite Tragedy, But Seems Like The Boy Was 99% At Fault.

Based on some of the history I'm reading, I doubt it was the meds that had anything to do with it. It is far more likely the cry for attention that they theorize, and it went terribly wrong. Not sure there's much anybody could've done to stop it, since things like that are generally deep rooted in the kids head. The thing is that he likely didn't really want to die, and didn't truly consider the real consequences that could result from his attempt. The rest of the he could've, she could've, they could've stuff is nothing more than 20/20 hindsight.

Regardless, poor kid. It tears me up to read stories like that.

[demigoddess]

30. what i have seen of someon on just one of these drugs, I would be surprised he

could think clear enough to form the intention to trick people. A grown up taking these medications as they were intended would spend a lot of time sleeping. It is inconceivable to me that he could take these and go to school and cope at the same time.

[TexasObserver]

31. Thank you, Dr. Frist, for your off the cuff diagnosis.

We cannot know what the child's intent was.

We DO know he was on drugs not made or recommended for children, drugs with a specific warning about use by the young. How you can read the column and think you know what happened is amazing. There could be multiple causes, including the abuse he was suffering compounded by the drug reactions.

Just once, you should have the opinion that you don't have a clue, because that would be accurate.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

32. The Dr. Frist Analogy Was Flat Out Dumb.

And my OPINION in my post was arrived at directly by facts listed in the article. To be quite honest, it's probably 10 times as likely that my scenario is correct than the one you and others are prescribing, Dr.Oblivious Frist. Fact is, you and the others see a pet issue you can stroke, so you go full out.

Did he have 'suicidal' attempts prior to the medication? Yes. Are these meds prescribed quite frequently off label for children? Yup. Is the FDA and their opinions something that are valued and always trusted by the DU community? Nope. Will DU'ers, on the other hand, SWEAR by the FDA when it suits their pet issue purpose? Yup. Is the ratio of people/kids who truly have suicidal actions linked to the meds compared to those who don't probably about 1 in 100,000? Yup. Will that stop some DU'ers from acting like it's the other way around? Nope. Is the fact that some are all out blaming the meds for this despite there being NO signs of true suicidal expression on the part of the boy and that he already had severe attention seeking behavior long before the meds, completely ridiculous? Yup. But feel free to keep thinking YOU'RE the one on the intellectual ground.

[TexasObserver]

33. It was accurate, and now you're doing your Terry Schiavo impression.

How's that cholesterol?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

34. No, It Was Flat Out Dumb.

Nice to see you avoid the rest of the reply though, since you obviously lack what it takes to have responded to the context.

And the cholesterol's the same as it was 2 days ago, dumbass.

[TexasObserver]

35. Try some cheese and a ham sandwich, with an egg on it.

[madfloridian]

27. Someone in this thread just said the kid was 99% at fault.

Some things just bring out the worst in people.

What a strange thing to say and think.

[southerncrone]

28. As I read this, it seems more like a homicide than a suicide.

If a 7 yo has that many strong drugs in their system at one time & there is no record of them being prescribed, then how did they get there? What might cause those particular types of bruising?

Many questions need to be answered:

• Was there a life insurance policy on this child?


• Were there individuals, including other older foster kids in the home, who might have used this kid for their "entertainment"?


• If there were older kids in the home, could they have feared he might tell on them for some incident that they didn't want known?


• Were there other such individuals in this neighborhood who might have done the same?
  

Most child welfare depts. are woefully under-funded & under-staffed. We have so many more kids in danger now. It is difficult to find families willing to take foster kids for the right reasons. Quite a few are only in it for the extra income that they get, & do not treat the kids appropriately. Since the child welfare depts. are so under-staffed, they can't do an adequate job of oversight. In our state, they are now placing violent juveniles in foster care; these kids also are attending our public schools as a result. In my county last year, we had 2 foster kids kill their foster mother & her MIL. One of them had a history of extreme violence. The foster parents did not know of this, nor did the school system.

There are too many skeletons in the closets of these agencies. Yet another area that needs to be rethought & restructured for the 21st century. The real problem is mainly w/the biological parents. With the stress of our declining economic situation, this will probably increase. THESE problems need addressing, the root from which this entire agency springs. But that will take a lot of $ & time. In the meantime, we have situations like these.