This case is deplorable. I hurt so badly when adoptive parents fail at the task gifted to them. It's clear that the adopted children were singled out for abuse and neglect. Sadly this will have a lifelong effect on the biological children's attainment of empathy. Food is a major issue with challenging kids (and over 85% of the children in the system have some level of challenge) but starvation is not the answer. Some of these children were adopted from Haiti and that tells me that they would receive no adoption assistance nor medical card. Children from Haiti present their own special challenges and a family would need an active support system to parent them. I have no doubt that the family started out with good intentions, as the neighbors say, but things took a turn somewhere along the line. Many special needs families use alarms and "systems" to deal with behaviors but there is NO excuse for a child starving. Many special needs kids will get into animal food and eat strange things. That's not the issue. The issue is that the children were starving. The parents are to blame but where was the community, the doctors, the educators? The dad works in the school system?? We've got a whole long list of mandated reporters who seem to have dropped the ball. My prayers go out to those children. I'm very hopeful that they are in highly experienced and loving homes today.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/122282554.html
"A Longview couple was arrested Thursday after a two month investigation found they were severely neglecting and starving their five adopted children, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office. Jeffrey and Rebecca Trebilcock were booked into jail without bail. A spokesman for the sheriffs office confirmed Thursday night that Jeffrey Trebilcock works for the Longview School District.
In the first week of March, the couple's 13-year-old adopted boy was treated at Doernbecher Children's Hospital for several broken ribs, severe malnutrition, hypothermia and other ailments. He was placed into protective custody. Police said the boy was only 4 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 49 pounds...."
and
"...The parents are well-nourished and so are three other biological children in the home..."
and
"....In 2008, a doctor warned the parents that a medical condition the boy had was nearly life-threatening...."
more at link
Why oh why, did the doctor in 2008 not report this issue to DHS?
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/122282554.html
"A Longview couple was arrested Thursday after a two month investigation found they were severely neglecting and starving their five adopted children, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office. Jeffrey and Rebecca Trebilcock were booked into jail without bail. A spokesman for the sheriffs office confirmed Thursday night that Jeffrey Trebilcock works for the Longview School District.
In the first week of March, the couple's 13-year-old adopted boy was treated at Doernbecher Children's Hospital for several broken ribs, severe malnutrition, hypothermia and other ailments. He was placed into protective custody. Police said the boy was only 4 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 49 pounds...."
and
"...The parents are well-nourished and so are three other biological children in the home..."
and
"....In 2008, a doctor warned the parents that a medical condition the boy had was nearly life-threatening...."
more at link
Why oh why, did the doctor in 2008 not report this issue to DHS?