County told of foster mother

Two parents say they raised concerns without success. Their sons were hurt while in the woman's home.

The Press-Enterprise 

A San Bernardino toddler might still be alive if social workers had paid more attention to problems at his Riverside foster home, say the mothers of other children who have lived in the home.

Cynthia Jackson has been charged with murder in the death of 23-month-old Andrew Ibarra and with child endangerment in connection with five other foster children. Most of those children had suffered broken bones, prosecutors say.

The Riverside mother of two boys in Jackson's home when the toddler died said she learned Monday that her 2-year-old had broken ribs and her 1-year-old was severely dehydrated. She had been noticing problems with her children since April.

"If they had listened to my complaints, the little boy would have lived," Tina Shoemaker, 23, said.

A Corona mother, whose son was moved out of Jackson's home after he suffered a broken arm, echoed those thoughts.

"I went to people trying to do something before this little boy died," said Nicole Haley, 26, whose 3-year-old son, Andrew, spent about eight months in Jackson's home. "Nobody wanted to hear it."

Andrew Ibarra, the San Bernardino boy, died last week at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside. He had a brain hemorrhage, a broken rib and other injuries.  Officials with the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services declined to comment Tuesday.

After Andrew Ibarra's death last week, prosecutors filed seven felony charges -- including murder -- against Jackson. They allege that the 37-year-old woman killed Andrew Ibarra and endangered the lives of five other foster children -- Kenneth S., Andrew H., James S., Tyler D. and Michael M. -- who had been in her care. Prosecutors have said that Jackson's explanations were inconsistent with the injuries the youngsters had suffered.

Court records name the children by their first name and last initial to protect their privacy. Haley said the Andrew H. named as one of the victims is her son, Andrew Haley. Haley has court records on which Jackson's name appears. She has photographs of a bruised and frightened little boy wearing a cast on his right arm. She says her son's new foster mother took the photographs when Andrew Haley left Jackson's home in March.

"I got chills down my spine just to know my son was there," Haley said.

Officials with the Department of Public Social Services would not confirm that Andrew Haley had ever been in Jackson's care. The charges against Jackson include a count that accuses her of endangering the 2-year-old who was living with her at the time of Andrew's death.

Shoemaker's 2-year-old son's name is Kenneth Shoemaker.

"Every time I picked him up, he'd scream," she said Tuesday. He also had a small bruise on his back. Shoemaker and Haley both commented that visits with their children were often canceled.

Shoemaker said she would see Kenneth and his brother, Brandon, one week, and then the next two visits would be canceled. The explanation would be that the children were sick or a relative of Jackson's had been rushed to the hospital.

Andrew Ibarra's mother, Estrella Ibarra of San Bernardino has said that she repeatedly told her Riverside County social workers about seeing bruises and scratches on her son's face and arms during visits with him at a Child Protective Services office in Riverside. The 24-year-old San Bernardino woman said no one paid attention.

Ibarra said she saw Andrew about 10 times after she lost custody in July 1999. She also said she was prevented from seeing her son more often because Jackson repeatedly canceled visits and made excuses. Ibarra said she has never met or spoken to Jackson. Jackson, who operated Jackson Foster Family Home, was licensed in July 1997. State officials have said that there were no red flags in her file.

County officials have said that two social workers and a nurse reported three abuse allegations in three years, but those allegations were not substantiated.

Jackson, who had been held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, was being held at the jail ward at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley on Tuesday. She was transferred there Saturday for unspecified medical reasons, sheriff's spokesman Ray Verdugo said. Jackson's bail has been set at $250,000.

Shoemaker's sons were taken into protective custody March 6 because of concerns of child abuse, she said. A day-care center called CPS after Kenneth suffered a small burn on his cheek from a lamp and a bump on his forehead from falling down stairs, she said.

Haley said she took her children to Child Protective Services in August 1999 because she needed help. She said she did not qualify for welfare and was using cocaine.

The Corona woman said she has stopped using drugs, is attending drug-treatment classes and has a part-time job. Soon after her son was placed with Jackson, Haley said, she noticed a difference in the boy's demeanor during her Thursday visits with him and his two brothers, who had been placed elsewhere. Andrew seemed withdrawn.

"She always had him in turtlenecks and long sweaters and long pants," Haley said of Jackson. "He'd sit by himself on the floor. That wasn't Andrew."

Then Andrew stopped coming.

Haley said she saw her son once in February and March and was sometimes told that he was sick or that there had been a family emergency. She said she called her social worker, but her calls were never returned.

Laurie Koch Thrower contributed to this report.