A Madison mother of two who is accused of killing her 6-week-old daughter allegedly told police she "only has enough love" for one of them, although she doesn't understand why that's the case.
Ee Lee, 23, began sobbing upon entering a Dane County courtroom for her initial appearance Tuesday. She is charged with four felony counts, including first-degree intentional homicide.
Police say she confessed to continuously abusing Anastasia Vang since her birth, beginning with pinching and escalating to slamming the girl's head on a table with "all her might."
But Ellen Berz, Lee's court-appointed lawyer, said there has been "no admission" of guilt.
Meanwhile Tuesday, officials with the Dane County Human Services Department, which was notified of possible child abuse two weeks before Anastasia's death, said they believed at the time they had an appropriate safety plan in place to protect the child.
The decisions of the social worker on the case are being reviewed to determine whether any disciplinary action is warranted, said Lynn Green, the department's director.
Also Tuesday, the state Department of Health and Family Services said it has begun a review of the county's handling of the case, a standard practice whenever there is a suspicious death in the child welfare system, said spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis.
Earlier warnings
Paramedics were called to the home of Ee Lee and her husband, Chue Vang, on July 11. They found Anastasia dead and resuscitation efforts were not successful.
Dane County Coroner John Stanley ruled she died of blunt-force trauma.
Detectives learned that about two weeks earlier, on June 26, members of Anastasia's family, including her paternal grandmother, took her to the emergency room at Meriter Hospital because she had bruises on her face and feet that would come and go, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.
A head scan found no evidence of bleeding or fractures, but Anastasia was transferred to UW Children's Hospital for further evaluation. A skeletal survey at UW Children's Hospital found no sign of fractures.
The Dane County Human Services Department said it received a referral in the case from medical personnel the next day, June 27, and sent a Hmong social worker to the hospital June 28. The family is Hmong.
Meanwhile, a forensic pediatrician reported that more bruises appeared on Anastasia between June 27 and 28 -- a time when the infant was left alone overnight in her hospital room for periods with her mother. The bruises were "highly suspicious of inflicted injury," the doctor wrote in her notes.
Before the child was discharged from the hospital, the county social worker observed the child, spoke with medical personnel several times and met with the child's family, said Green, the human services director.
Other adults
In consultation with medical personnel and his supervisor, the social worker concluded Anastasia would be safe at home because there were several trustworthy adult family members living in the house, including the paternal grandparents, Green said.
Family members agreed that at least two of them would be present and awake with Anastasia at all times, 24 hours a day, while the county's investigation continued, the complaint said.
Bob Lee, who supervises the county's 43 social workers, said it is "not uncommon" for the county to allow children to remain in a home if there are other trustworthy adults present. While the child's safety is always paramount, state guidelines require counties to consider the least restrictive safety plan, he said.
Green said the county tries to keep families together when possible because pulling children from their parents also causes trauma.
The course of the county's investigation once Anastasia returned home is less clear. Green said the social worker "made two phone contacts" and went to the family's home to attempt a visit. No one answered the door, she said.
Green would not reveal the nature of the phone contacts or the date of the attempted visit.
"All her might"
Lee is being held on a $50,000 cash bail. She is charged with two counts of physical abuse to a child and one count of first-degree reckless endangerment in addition to the murder charge.
She told investigators that ever since she came to live with her in-laws, she has felt inadequate in caring for her family, according to the criminal complaint. She allegedly confessed to pinching Anastasia continuously, hitting her with a fly swatter and biting her leg.
She told police that once she lifted the baby up and slammed her head down on a table, according to the complaint.
"She said she did use all her might when she did it," according to a translator quoted in the complaint.
When Lee was asked why her 2-year-old son escaped abuse, the translator reported, "From what she can understand, she can only love one child and only has enough love for one. She doesn't understand why it's that way."
The county has removed the boy from the home.
In court Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Mike Verveer said Lee was born in Thailand and lived in California before moving to Madison about a year ago. Her immigration status is unclear, he said. Lee told investigators her green card was destroyed in a fire in California, Verveer said.
Lee's husband was among court spectators Tuesday, as was her brother-in-law, Yang Vang, 23, a UW-Madison student who lives in the same household. Vang said he is the only family member who speaks English.
"My family is very confused," he said. "We can't find answers as to why she did that to her own daughter."
Vang said he was not at the hospital when the social worker spoke with his family members. He questions whether the social worker was clear with his family about the abuse allegations.
"They didn't know anything about the abuse," Vang said. "I think there must have been some misunderstanding between my family and the social worker. They didn't understand this 24-hour rule that we are hearing about now."
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/local/index.php?ntid=201737
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