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Cause of death undetermined for baby who died in foster care

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Cause of death undetermined for baby who died in foster care

Robert R. Whitman had been removed from his home 2 days earlier

Oct. 8, 2008

GEORGIA PABST

A 2-month-old baby who died in foster care two days after being removed from his home will be buried today.

Nearly a week after the child's death, the boy's father said Wednesday that the family is not sure what happened.

"Nobody's telling us anything," Robert Whitman said Wednesday. "Nobody's given us any answers yet, except that they can't find a cause."

The Milwaukee County medical examiner's office said it could take from four to six weeks to determine how Robert R. Whitman died.

"There's no information at this time that suggests that the child died due to maltreatment, so as a result we are prohibited from releasing any information to the public on the specifics of this case according to state law," said Jennifer Jones, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Children and Families.

Because the death occurred in a foster home, the case has been referred to Community Impact, an independent agency, for review, she said. The bureau of Milwaukee County Child Welfare also conducts independent review in such cases, she said.

The baby and three other children were removed from the home of Whitman and Valissa Reynolds and placed in foster care on Sept. 30 by the bureau because of filthy living conditions, according to the medical examiner's report.

A 1-year-old had strep throat and was on prescribed medication, and the 3-year-old had unexplained bruises, the report says. A 7-year-old was also removed. The report says the family had been warned that if their home was not cleaned the children would be removed.

Whitman said he and Reynolds were at Children's Court for a hearing on the removal of their children last Thursday. "Right before we had to go into the courtroom to fight for our kids, we were called into a conference room by two police detectives and told our baby had died earlier that morning," said Whitman. "It was a huge shock. We were both completely numb. It was like a really bad dream."

Assistant Milwaukee County Attorney Kathy Kucharski said the court determined that the three children will continue in foster care for now. A child in need of protective services petition was filed this week, she said.

The medical examiner report described the baby as "well developed and well-nourished."

The foster mother said she went to take a shower, thought the baby was asleep, then discovered him sweaty and bluish, according to the report.

2008 Oct 8