Social worker didn't act as if boyfriend posed threat to Tampa baby
By John Barry, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, May 27, 2011
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TAMPA — Twice this month, a social worker named Piedad Mink dropped in on the home of a now-dead baby.
Mink had a friendly chat with the mother's boyfriend. He told her he was studying philosophy. She watched him feed Ezekiel Mathis, 1, and admired how they had bonded. Before leaving, she reminded Ezekiel's mom to install smoke alarms.
Six days later, Mink picked up the mom for a doctor's appointment and left the baby in the care of the boyfriend.
All was well, she wrote in her report. Hours later, the child was dead, and the boyfriend was charged with killing him.
Mink, in her notes, seemed unconcerned that the man was a suspected child abuser who had been barred from the home by a judge. Her agency never saw the judge's written order, said Joe Rutherford, chief executive of Mental Health Care Inc.
But Jeff Rainey, president of Hillsborough Kids Inc., said Thursday night that Rutherford's agency was well aware that boyfriend Damarcus Kirkland-Williams was not allowed in the home. Hillsborough Kids contracted with Mental Health Care Inc. to help ensure Ezekiel's safety.
Another therapist from Mental Health Care Inc. helped write a safety plan for the mother to follow, and it stated that the boyfriend wasn't allowed in the home, Rainey said.
"They were present in the home when the safety plan was written," he said.
Kirkland-Williams, 21, is charged with first-degree murder. Detectives say he admitted that, hours after Mink left, he threw the baby against a dresser and pounded him on the back to make him stop crying.
On Thursday, miscommunication characterized dozens of documents in the case released by the state Department of Children and Families. The reports show that the Circuit Court, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Hillsborough Kids, Mental Health Care Inc. and the state Attorney General's Office all played parts in trying to protect Ezekiel. But they weren't always talking to each other.
"The reports show this was a three-red-flag event," said Circuit Judge Tracy Sheehan, who had sought to have Ezekiel taken out of the home on May 9. "Apparently, the red flags were ignored. Perhaps they didn't have all the information."
Mink declined an interview request Thursday. Her husband said she has been placed on administrative leave by Mental Health Care Inc. She's devastated, he said, and the real story hasn't been told.
Her agency was drawn into the case after Ezekiel's 2-year-old sister was brought to a hospital on May 3 with bruises all over her body. The girl's mother, Swazikki Davis, said the child had fallen, but other family members pointed to Davis' boyfriend. The girl was placed in foster care four days later, and this week authorities charged Kirkland-Williams with her abuse at a park April 27.
Sheehan questioned why Ezekiel was left behind. For days, the mother had evaded identifying the boyfriend. She said she didn't know his name or where he lived. Finally, she identified him to Sheehan. The judge issued an order barring Kirkland-Williams from the home and ordered the Sheriff's Office to determine whether baby Ezekiel should be removed, too.
Child protective investigators recommended Ezekiel's removal, citing the 21-year-old mother's immaturity and the risks posed by her boyfriend. The state Attorney General's Office said it lacked probable cause. Instead, Ezekiel stayed with his mother under the monitoring of Mink and a therapist.
At the time, the Attorney General's Office said it would again consider removing Ezekiel in a review on May 31. Ezekiel didn't survive that long.
In one DCF document, Bill Navas, chief of the Tampa office of the attorney general, said he, too, lacked crucial information about the boyfriend. If he had known the boyfriend was still in the home, he said, his office might have decided to take Ezekiel away from the mother.
All the agencies involved say they are now conducting separate investigations. Officials say much information has yet to be released.
John Barry can be reached at (813) 226-3383 or jbarry@sptimes.com.
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Viewing 1 - 17 of 17 comments Oldest First Newest First Top Rated
the truth hurts2 May 26, 2011 9:44 PM Yesterday Well this should make the national news like the one in Miami did where the foster father killed the little girl and the boy was so toxic with chemicals that rescue workers had to wear protective suits to assist him.
That also happened right after a visit from DCF where the social worker didn't check with the kids to see how things were going. She didn't check back because she said "I don't work weekends" when she went before the judge.
Unreal.
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Report Abuse 1 4 nunziata May 27, 2011 6:18 AM About 5 hours ago Uh..do you expect the social worker to work 7days a week?? It's the parents job to raise and protect the child, not the social worker, teacher, etc!! Reply
Report Abuse 0 6 lallen9428 May 27, 2011 7:24 AM About 4 hours ago DUH! That's why the social worker was there. the parent wasn't doing the job. And by the way, neither was the social worker!!! Reply
Report Abuse 2 4 Zanne May 26, 2011 9:46 PM Yesterday This is just an incredible nightmare all the way around. If I were a judge and I issued an order regarding a situation like this, I think I might have had my administrative assistant helping me follow up with phone calls and FAXes, to make sure all involved parties were appropriately informed. Just sayin'... EVERYONE had a role to play here, and certainly holding oneself accountable as a servant of the citizens is a huge piece of any civil service. Everyone screwed up on this one. Where was a case manager? Anyone?? Guardian ad litem? Anyone??
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Report Abuse 1 4
JaneCastorLies May 27, 2011 11:32 AM Less than a minute ago good point, zanne. If you or I failed to follow a judge's order (despite teh fact I think sheehan is a showboater and do not care for her at all) we would be held in contempt of court and subsequently arrested and/or fined. No follow up no faxes, just warrants.
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Report Abuse Maxi50 May 26, 2011 9:47 PM Yesterday Is this real life or fiction? I can't follow this story, at all. Three paragraphs into it and I still can't discern if Mink is a male or a female. This is the stuff that causes the Poynter's to roll over.
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Report Abuse 3 2
JaneCastorLies May 27, 2011 11:35 AM Less than a minute ago maxi it's robbbbyn mitchellll
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Report Abuse abby1 May 26, 2011 10:01 PM Yesterday Once again, the persons ultimately responsible for the child's death are the baby killer boyfriend and the mother. The mother knew the allegations against her boyfriend, she hindered the investigation and she knew about the judge's order. Instead, she decided to choose the boyfriend over the safety of her children.
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Report Abuse 1 10 TruthSensor May 26, 2011 10:35 PM Yesterday For days, the mother had evaded identifying the boyfriend..
She's guilty too...
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Report Abuse 0 12 thomas182 May 27, 2011 2:12 AM About 9 hours ago The SOB should be taken outback of the jail and shot dead end of story.
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Report Abuse 0 8 thomas182 May 27, 2011 2:15 AM About 9 hours ago I have an unrelated qusetion in 2 seperate articles (not by the Times) Kyle bush was said to be driving a lexes loaned to him by Toyota in one and a Mercedes in an other anyway you could post what kind of car he was driving? Thanks
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Report Abuse 3 0 SaurKraut May 27, 2011 7:08 AM About 4 hours ago WHAT HAVE WE COME TO??? Are we SERIOUSLY blaming other people for this? The crime is simple: Evil father who murdered his child, and an equally evil mother who knew he was an abuser and encouraged him to hang out with the children anyway. BOTH parents should be locked up and the key should be buried somewhere in Arizona.
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Report Abuse 0 3 cena May 27, 2011 8:24 AM About 3 hours ago Am I missing something? The judge had ordered that the boyfriend not be allowed in apartment with this child and the social worker left him watching the child while she took the mother to a doctor's appointment?
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Report Abuse 0 3 elcabong May 27, 2011 8:25 AM About 3 hours ago You're making that name (Piedad) up, right?
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Report Abuse 0 0 dyanne219 May 27, 2011 8:35 AM About 3 hours ago sorry all agencies are at fault even the judge and the parents..if u took one child away why didn't they removed the baby at the same time..rip Ezekiel Mathis..and if the family throught that he did the beaten on the little girl why didn't they take the baby...it takes a comminity to raise a child...this is so sad...
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Report Abuse 0 2 sstpa May 27, 2011 8:45 AM About 3 hours ago This is the mother's fault, first and foremost. She knew her kids were being abused and tried to hide it! Horrible! And then she's on the news with her own mom, sitting by the side of the road asking for money for this poor baby's funeral. the grandma was crying and saying the baby was murdered- yeah he was, and your daughter was the accomplice. Why is this woman not being punished as well? Moms, you have to protect your kids first!
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Report Abuse 0 4 LisaH May 27, 2011 9:43 AM About 2 hours ago It doesn't surprise me that the DCF worker was unconcerned but the mother should have been very concerned, concerned enough to protect her child, and should be in jail for child endangerment.
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Report Abuse 0 0 stratomaster May 27, 2011 9:53 AM About 2 hours ago In these cases, it is usually the lowest on the totem pole who gets the blame; the stuff roles down hill. Case managers have supervisors who are supposed to be watching this stuff. People who have done this kind of work know that it is rarely the one person who is actually at fault.
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Report Abuse 0 0 Jada May 27, 2011 10:31 AM About 1 hour ago Piedad Mink should be charged as well and fired. She should not ever be allowed to be in a job such as this again where she has a say if kids are removed or not. Her supervisor should be charged as well.
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Report Abuse 0 1 wintergirl May 27, 2011 11:12 AM About 19 minutes ago I think the ultimate responsibility lies with the mother to protect her child. She KNEW there was a court order to keep her boyfriend away from her child and STILL had the sick SOB watching her baby. She ought to be charged as an accessory for endangering her child.
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Report Abuse 0 0 ToTheBeachWeGo May 27, 2011 11:17 AM About 14 minutes ago I'm amazed at how many people let this child down (not counting the man who killed him). First, the mom. There are not enough words in the dictionary to explain how she disgusts me. Then there's the family who said they saw bruises on the little girl. Did any of them think to stand up for these kids? Then the social work takes the mom to the doctor and leaves the baby with the man she knew was not allowed to be there because she saw them bonding? Then there's the judge who has the daughter removed, but not the son? With so many adults aware of the abuse taking place in this home, why did that little boy die? Did he even have a chance? There were just too many opportunities to save that little boy.
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Report Abuse 0 0
JaneCastorLies May 27, 2011 11:34 AM Less than a minute ago LOL. More buck passing. Trying to give the idiot sheriff and those idiots he employs MORE POWER to cannibalize families. They sure F'D with people false reports were filed about and TOOK NO ACTION WHATSOEVER AS MANDATED BY FLORIDA STATUTE AGAINST THE FALSE FILER(S) but harassed the family for two months. DAILY. TWICE A DAY. The family doesn't even LIVE IN FLORIDA and the false reporters did not even know this. THEY DID NOTHING about these third degree felonies. So now they're holding up this dead child and asking for search and seizure powers. Just wait. You'll see. Yet they were freely invited in this home of nasty and DID NOTHING. SHERIFF STOP USING YOUR UNCHECKED POWERS TO HARASS PEOPLE AND DO YOUR F'ING JOB YOU WERE PAID THIRTY EIGHT MILLION TO DO. They don't mention how much the SHERIFF IS PAID TO DO HIS SLIPSHOD JOB and ignore the felonies of false filers. Because he is in masonic relationship with them. As long as HE uses his power for vendetta no one is safe
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