Complaint Review: California Child Protective Services

My grandson Chris Cejaswas staying with his father and step mother in Sacramento California in 2002. It was only to be a few months. On May 27 an upstairs neighbor made a complaint to CPS about the sounds that made her fear for his safety. She gave the building address but not the apartment number. It is my understanding the information recieved by CPS should have warrented an immediate visit.

Since it was Memorial Day Monday it was my impression someone went out the next Tuesday. In fact they didn't come until June 5. They didn't find Chris so that was that. I believe two things could haave and should have been done from the CPS offices that would have located Chris almost immediately.

One:Had someone just brought the address up they would have seen that in that building at the correct apartment number there had been a case. The children had been removed from a family at that address and apartment number.

Two: Had they called the neighborhood school and asked if they had a christ registered at that address the same apartment number would have come up. This did not happen. On August 21 2002 Chris died of a terrbile beating that had gone on for days. Actually the original reporter had heard more terrible sounds coming from the apartment but did not report because she thought it had been investigated and it wasn't as bad as it sounded.

CPS spends it's time on cases where the children are not in danger. At worst the family may need a bit of therapy. So instead of checking on a child in grave danger they play with the heads and the hearts of honest good parents.

Pat
Charlotte, North Carolina
U.S.A.