Foster Care Scandals: Miguel Humberto Arias-Baca

Miguel Humberto Arias-Baca was only two years old when his foster parents, Ricky Haney (37) and Evon Haney (31), claimed that he'd fallen off the toilet during potty training. He would die the next day from severe head injuries suffered from a beating.

Odelia Baca's two children Miguel, two years old and Oswaldo 14 months old, were removed from her care in October due to her drug addiction and placed into the foster care system. They ended up with 37 year old Ricky Haney and 31 year old Evon Haney.

Two year old Miguel spent several months in the Haney home, while his mother Odelia was allowed visitations. She questioned several bruises on Miguel on one of those visits and was told that the marks were from a permanent marker that Miguel had been playing with and simply hadn't faded away yet. Odelia reported the incident plus several others to Social Services, but they were never checked out and both children were left in the abusive foster home.

It's widely known that when biological parents report suspected incidents of their children being abused in foster care, the complaints fall on deaf ears, as did Odelia's reports of suspected abuse on Miguel.

"They said I was a bad parent," Odelia said,"and look what they put him through."

Miguel was taken to the hospital on February 1st, 1999 by his foster parents who claimed that he had fallen off the toilet during a potty training session. Hospital officials noted that Miguel was covered with bruises and determined that he had been severely beaten when his foster family drove him to St .Anthony North Hospital. He died the next day.

Meanwhile, Odelia walked into the court house hoping to persuade the judge that she was fit mother. She was working, drug free, and had moved in with her parents who provided her with emotional support. The boys would come to a loving, drug free home with their mother, the way it should have been. However, this was not to be. Instead of facing a judge and explaining how her life had changed, she was met by police and officials with the Department of Social Services and asked to accompany them to an office where she was told that her son was dead.

"We've got some bad news for you." someone told her.

Odelia had read the newspaper reports on the little boys death throughout the previous two weeks and was concerned at first that it could have been one of her boys. But the police reported that the dead child suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, which Miguel did not have, so she dismissed the thought.

Then she was told that the little boy she'd read about in the newspapers had indeed been her own son. "Right when they told me, I started crying and crying - not my son, not my baby, not my Miguel." Odelia said. The family almost immediately began asking questions which they would get no answers to.

How come the suspicious bruises on Miguel were never investigated? Why was Miguel not taken to the hospital for several hours after the incident happened? Why was Social Services not aware of what was going on in the home? How could the system fail so miserably? How come the child was removed from his own home for his own protection and then suffer such a violent death? And how could Social Services place her children with a couple who both had arrest records?

It would come out after Miguel's death that both of the Haney's had arrest records and both of their drivers licenses had been suspended.

Evon Haney was arrested and released pending the filing of formal charges after more than $3000.00 was found missing from an after school program at the Skyview Elementary School which Evon was in charge of.

Rick Haney was arrested in February of 1997 and charged with DUI, careless driving, and driving with a suspended license. He was sent from jail to a detox center and then released.

The Haney's were licensed foster parents through All About Kids LLC., the agency is licensed through the state. Agency directors, not state officials, are responsible for inspecting and monitoring individual foster care homes under their licensing agreement.

Odelia was determined that the same thing would not happen to her last remaining son Oswaldo. He was removed from the Haney foster home and placed with yet another foster family. But Odelia's fight would be in vain. She went up against Social Services yet again when she sought temporary custody of Oswaldo and was denied. Social Services told her that she had to wait until May when her scheduled custody hearing was.

"The system is not right," Dorothy Valasquez, the great aunt of Miguel and Oswaldo said, "They said Miguel was safe, and look what happened. How do we know that Oswaldo is safe?" The answer is simple.....you don't.

In the end, Social Services failed yet another child and two year old Miguel is dead, never to run and play, never to laugh or smile. Never to marry and have children of his own. Where does the blame lie? It lies with those that murdered him, The Haneys, and with Social Services who was responsible for overseeing his care.