Grace: My mom is 77 and she's better about money. But of that 60%, 37% reported losing money and 21% said their relationship with the borrower was harmed. Supporters of Gabriel attended the hearing. I tried to feel his heart, Aguirre said, and nothing is moving.. On February 27th, 2013 therapist Carmen Le Norgant discussed with Pearl suicide notes Gabriel had written. Actress. Towards the end of January, when Gabriel came to class, there was no more laughing. Merritt started going back through the notes on his computer, and saw that Gabriels first-grade teacher had, in fact, regularly called one of Merritts colleaguesa young caseworker named Stefanie Rodriguezwith disturbing reports. I dont think theres anything else I could have done, he told me, with the soft voice and slumped shoulders of a man whose fate is now in the hands of others. But as they rummaged through a pile of recently closed cases, Dallis explained that Gabriel, who was 8, had been severely abused and might die. The next year, California passed the first state law mandating that doctors report suspected child abuse and neglect. Martinez called his own supervisor who explained that was not in his job description. On March 28, an arrest warrant was issued for Stefanie Rodriquez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt. Pearl abandoned her youngest child, Destiny, and lost custody of a son older than Gabriel, named Arnold Jr. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. He was hungry for Garcias attention and praise and would stay behind at recess to help her collate and staple papers. Gabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? !. In a video shared to the Dillard family's. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 35, Patricia Clement, 69, and supervisors Kevin Bom, 41, and Gregory Merritt, 64, were each been charged with one felony count of child. It had expanded because of the funding changes instituted during the Bush administration. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services sent a statement on Thursday responding to the dismissal of charges, which said: We respect the court's decision. Why did you lie and tell me you fell?, When I tell you, and that lady comes, then I get hurt worse.. Payments for Straight and Premium Overtime. Learn More{{/message}}. As Children'S Social Worker at Los Angeles County, STEFANIE A RODRIGUEZ made $49,663 in total compensation. Yet, he remained in the custody of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, 33, and then-boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, 36, until his death on May 24, 2013. Each week, O'Connell Rodriguez answers some super common and everyday questions about . But the program worried Philip Browning, whod become the head of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services in 2011. His mom? they asked, their faces filled with the deepest horror shed ever seen in children so young. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. This time, the students didnt laugh. [INFO]. Murder 24/7: Who narrates murder 24/7 on BBC2? As a general rule, caseworkers worry most about children who arent seen by people outside the home. Stefanie Rodriguez Found 287 people in California, New York and 39 other states View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. His mommy, she told them through tears, hurt him really bad.. I drove around aimlessly for a while and lost track of time.. In June 2018, Lomeli sentenced Isauro Aguirre to death for the boys first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. One was addressed to his mother: I love you so much that I will die. His brother Ezequiel discovered these notes days later, and Pearl discussed them with the therapist assigned to the family, Carmen Le Norgant, on the night of February 27. But Browning, who left the department in 2017, acknowledged over email that these reforms could not guarantee that the department wouldnt see another death like Gabriels. Meanwhile, the rate of child abuse remained steady during that period; according to a Yale study, at least one out of eight American children will be abused by age 18. Hed been living with his maternal grandparents, with whom he was close, but his mother, Pearl Fernandez, wanted Gabriels welfare benefits, so she brought him to live with her for the first time in his life, over his grandparents strenuous objections. She coached him: My mom cut it like that. Le Norgant also called 911, but the officer who visited the home left without even talking to Gabriel. The term battered-child syndrome entered the national lexicon. After school, Garcia made yet another call to Rodriguez. When Garcia first met the boy, in the schools front office, she noticed that Pearl and Aguirre werent like the other first-grade parents, who hovered over their children, crouching down to guide them through introductions or to explain how to get lunch. Rodriguez recommended that Gabriel and Pearl take part in Voluntary Family Maintenance, which allows children to remain in the home while the family works to resolve their issues. When the charges were announced, Browning made a statement describing Gabriels case as an isolated incident and describing the four defendants as outliers whose actions shouldnt reflect on the department as a whole. Four social workers: Kevin Bom, Greg Merritt, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement were charged with child endangerment which resulted in death, and falsification of public documents. When Garcia first questioned Gabriel about his injuries, he lied to her and told her he fell. Villar also stated that the defendants should have documented Gabriel Fernandezs injuries and that their actions were incompatible with the proper regard for human life.. he next day, the principal at Summerwind called Garcia into his office to tell her that Gabriel was dead. The internal investigation also found that Stephanie never visited Gabriels school, talked to the neighbours or interview Gabriel and his siblings alone. Its destroyed a lot of lives. Executive Business Partner at Lyft . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The fact that Gabriels suffering went unaddressed by the people charged with protecting him was a staggering failure of the Department of Children and Family Services. Before calling 911, Pearl and her boyfriend, Isuaro Aguirre cleaned up their apartment. Gabriel moved in with his mother and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, as well as two siblings: an 11-year-old brother named Ezequiel and a 9-year-old sister, Virginia. Instead, she punished him by sending him to school in girls clothing the next daya tiny pink shirt and tight polka-dot leggings. When he looked at Gabriel, he saw cigarette burns all over the boys head and neck. Various defense attorneys argued that the abuse and torture escalated months after a file on the boy had been closed and that there was insufficient evidence to take him away from his mother. Reid took detailed notes, and Garcia soon received a phone call from Stefanie Rodriguez. At a preliminary hearing to decide whether the case should go before a jury, the defense attorneys hammered at one question: Why were these four workers the only ones being punished? According to DCFSs internal investigation, neither Rodriguez nor Bom reviewed the information related to these calls. I still have nightmares. Sign up here for our free newsletters. arlene Starr, the worker who accepted Gabriels case into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program, was one of Greg Merritts closest confidantes at work. The four also had criminal charges filed against them. After Jennifer Garcia called the hotline, it fell to Rodriguez to investigate and assess Gabriels safety. Sadly, Gabriel Fernandez was subjected to months of brutal torture at the hands of his mother Pearl and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. We have been six years fighting this battle," says the boy's cousin Olivia Rubio. Gabriels mother, Pearl, was already known to the authorities following previous child abuse-related incidents. The program allowed children to remain in the home while the family worked to resolve their issues. Rodriguez made no entry of this call. She explained that hearing the name Gabriel Fernandez had sent her into a daze. He pressed, and she reluctantly went to ask a supervisors permission. (This policy was changed in 2011, allowing social workers to use their professional judgment to determine how many witnesses were necessary.). Children were interviewed alone in only two-thirds of cases. She remembered how hard hed worked on it, even after she told him he didnt have to. The card was shaped like a house and said Open the door to see who loves you. He pasted his picture inside. She saw the anger swell inside him. The social worker Garcia contacted, Stefanie Rodriguez, 31, another social worker, Patricia Clement, 66, and two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61, are now facing charges of one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying records in relation to this case. Did he ever have to eat anything weird? Hatami asked. She claimed to social workers that she had concerns about how he was being treated but family members say she wanted Gabriels welfare benefits. Stefanie Rodriguez was the first person who looked into Gabriel's case, when his teacher put in a call about the possibility of Pearl beating Gabriel at home, for his in-school behavior. Two social workers, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, as well as two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were each charged with one felony count of child abuse and . Unprecedented charges against L.A. County social workers were filed following the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. drop in the number of children in foster care, The Still-Harrowing Extent of Child Abuse and Neglect, In a Year, Child-Protective Services Checked Up on 3.2 Million Children, When the State Takes Kids Away From Parents: Three Perspectives. Stefanie Rodriguez is an actress, known for Phil the Alien (2004). His father, Arnold Contreras, was in and out of jail but thought Gabriels maternal grandparents would be watching over him. Stefanie Rodriguez's lawyer states that there were three subsequent supervisors, two subsequent social workers, one subsequent emergency response worker, two other mental health professionals, and two law enforcement officers all of whom are mandatory reporters as well. Get notified about new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. I just pictured him being alone, she told me. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Little Gabriel Fernandez died at the hand of his mother and stepdad, Gregory Merritt was a social worker involved in Gabriel's case, Netflix's The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez explores tragic reason behind his death, Pearl Fernandez and stepfather Isauro Aguirre, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Like many others, shed wanted out of Palmdale for a long time, and she often talked about the business ventures she hoped would finance her escape: a vending-machine enterprise, an RV park. Stefanie Rodriguez, 32, Patricia Clement, 66, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61, were fired from their jobs following an internal investigation into the May 24, 2013, death of Gabriel. From 1998 to 2013, the number of kids in foster care in Los Angeles County fell from about 50,000 to 19,000. Stephanie Rodriguez Social worker Greater Sacramento 7 followers 7 connections Join to view profile Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services Sonoma State University Experience Human. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. But she said her boss had told her not to call the hotline, because he didnt want to jeopardize Pearls cooperation with the Voluntary Family Maintenance program. Caseworkers were told to focus on services versus surveillance and to label a parent as being in need of services/support rather than as a perpetrator. The caseworkers and their supervisors would be the decision makers on any interventionno judge would second-guess them, and no lawyers would be appointed to argue for the best interests of the children. We have, in effect, encouraged DCFS and its social workers to cover their tracks if they stumble on the cracks in the system.. She emailed the school psychologist, hoping that Gabriel might be able to receive counseling. I wondered to what extent Gabriels death and the criminal charges facing their former colleagues had affected how they approached their jobs. During the final eight months of Gabriel Fernandezs life, numerous concerns had been made to the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services [DCFS]. Again, information traveled in one direction: Rodriguez wouldnt tell Garcia what she was doing to protect Gabriel, or whether she planned to remove him from his home. Rodriguez, Clement, as well as two of their supervisors, Bom and Merritt were charged with one felony count of child abuse and falsifying public records in April 2016. Merritt told me she was a little bit of a burnout case but good enough. Others remember her less favorably. The petitioners actions here prevented the system from working in whatever way it might have had they done their jobs honestly, and offers no incentive for either DCFS or individual social workers to work to reform and repair the parts of the system that may fail the children it is intended to protect, Chaney wrote. On February 26th 2020, Netflix released a documentary called The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. Virginia and Ezequiel, who now live with a relative in another state, asked Hatami to accept her plea; they didnt want to have to testify against her. Merritt, who is 62, had worked in the department for more than two decades. Due to confidentiality rules, Rodriguez could say nothing. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. People there told me over and over that they didnt think about Gabriels case and didnt even know much about itthey werent sure exactly what had happened or what mistakes had been made. Stephanie Rodriguez. I could hardly walk. Merritt was on antidepressants, and he rarely left the house. The area had seen an influx of poor families, and the number of calls to the child-abuse hotline was rising faster there than anywhere else in Southern California. The haircut? 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