Secrecy Shrouds Facts in Death of Foster Baby

The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution

Demetrick Dantrell Adams was born in January at Newton General Hospital and was promptly taken from his mother, apparently because of a family history of neglect. On May 30, while under the state's protection in foster care, the 4-month-old was taken back to the same hospital -dead from severe blows to the head. A Newton County sheriff's department investigator said the investigation is centering on the foster home where the baby had lived since birth. The local Department of Family and Childre n Services has said nothing. In part because of the secrecy surrounding the case, a hearing will be held next week before a Newton County juvenile judge.Demetrick Dantrell Adams was born in January at Newton General Hospital and was promptly taken from his mother, apparently because of a family history of neglect. On May 30, while under the state's protection in foster care, the 4-month-old was taken back to the same hospital -dead from severe blows to the head.

A hospital pathologist said the baby suffered the fatal wound 24 hours before his death.

The Newton County coroner, Bob Wheeler, ruled the infant's death a homicide.

A Newton County sheriff's department investigator said the investigation is centering on the foster home where the baby had lived since birth.

The local Department of Family and Children Services has said nothing.

Citing confidentiality laws and policies, officials with the child welfare department said they cannot provide the foster family's name, the number of foster children who have lived there or how often officials checked on Demetrick's living conditions before his death. Attorney General Michael J. Bowers said a request for such information would have to be reviewed before it could be made public.

In part because of the secrecy surrounding the case, a hearing will be held next week before a Newton County juvenile judge. Although the hearing is being called a "judicial review," those close to the case said its purpose is to give the birth mother a chance to learn what happened to her child - information that might otherwise be withheld from her.

According to Douglas E. Kitchens, the sheriff's department investigator in charge of the case, the Newton county coroner telephoned his department May 30 and requested that an investigator be sent to Clayton General Hospital, where a baby had been pronounced dead on arrival at 12:22 p.m.

By the time Mr. Kitchens arrived at the hospital, Dr. Tyson Smith, a pathologist, had already performed an autopsy on the baby, Demetrick Adams. His report cited as the cause of death "cranial trauma with three recent hematomas," or bruises, to the brain. The baby died from "severe blows to the head," Mr. Kitchens said.

The baby had been taken to the hospital by his foster mother, a 51-year-old woman, and her adult daughter, Mr. Kitchens said. According to their account, the foster mother had given the infant a bottle at 4 a.m. and checked on him around 9, at which time he appeared to be sleeping, and again shortly before noon, when she discovered that the baby was not moving and "just didn't look right," Mr. Kitchens said.

At the hospital, he said, Dr. Smith estimated that the baby had been lethally struck about 24 hours before his death. "I was concerned about the people who were in that house 24 hours before the child died," Mr. Kitchens said.

In addition to the foster mother, others in the house included her two adult daughters, a 15-year-old grandson and four foster children - a 17-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy and two of Demetrick's four brothers, both toddlers, the investigator said. The foster children have since been placed elsewhere, he said.

"This is kind of a real close family," Mr. Kitchens said, adding that not all members of the extended family live there, but many are "in and out."

While he has interviewed all who were near the child shortly before his death, "I haven't got anything," Mr. Kitchens said. "Somebody knows something. They're just not telling me."

Their stories, he said, are thus far consistent and believable. "The other foster kids - I even asked them if they had a choice to live there or live somewhere else, what would they choose to do," Mr. Kitchens said. "And they said live there, because they really enjoy them and like them."

According to Mr. Kitchens, Demetrick had been born three months premature. Those familiar with the family's background said the baby was originally placed into foster care because of neglect.

Kathy Herren, a social service specialist with the county Department of Family and Children Services, said she could not comment because of requirements about client confidentiality.

While the names of members of the foster family, who are the focus of the homicide investigation, are considered confidential, the names of the infant's birth mother and father - Debra Adams and Wayne Stokes -have been made public.

There are other confusing elements. According to Douglas S. Greenwell, director of the state Division of Family and Children Services, officials with the local child welfare agency had to insist on an autopsy. "It was originally going to be reported as a SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome] death," he said. "The county [agency] said absolutely not, you have to do an autopsy. I'm not sure at what level the resistance was."

According to Dr. Smith, however, "we routinely autopsy SIDS deaths. We routinely autopsy any death of a child."

Another issue is whether the agency is prohibited from telling the birth parents what it did with their child. "Until the investigation is complete, the only information that would be given to them would be information that would help them right then at that point," said Lynnda L. Jones, attorney for the state Div ision of Family and Children Services. "It would not be the findings of our investigation or where the baby was or what happened to the baby in foster care."

But Mr. Greenwell is not so sure. "I think there's a lot of craziness going on," he said. "I don't believe that the policy says exactly that. I'm not sure what's going on in this case."

Many child protective service workers said they would be morally and ethically bound to tell a natural parent as much as possible. Some have questioned whose confidentiality is protected when the child they're charged with protecting dies.

But Mr. Greenwell pointed out that "when criminal charges are involved, we do have to be careful about what it is we say. We can say things that are known, but things that are alleged are a little shaky because of the criminal prosecution."

That dilemma has been the primary obstacle to the state's efforts to establish a permanent review of questionable deaths of children, he said. Georgia is one of 18 states that has no guidelines for counting, reviewing or investigating suspicious deaths involving children.