Girl Dies In Foster Home, Teenage Boy Accused

Jack Fink

A 14-year-old boy is accused of killing a 6-year-old girl in a foster care home.

Katherine Frances died at Children's Medical Center Tuesday night. Police say she was body slammed repeatedly by the son of her foster parents.

"What we've been told by witnesses and by the suspect himself was the child was picked up over its head and slammed to the floor on four separate occasions," Captain Rod Smith of the Desoto Police Department said.

The death has sparked an intense safety check of foster families. On Thursday, December 21, Child Protective Services says it has closed eight homes covered by Mesa Family Services. Of the 128 under review, 97 homes have been inspected.

CPS is also investigating Therapeutic Family Life, the private company that now licenses the foster home in question. A company attorney says there was no indication of a safety problem at the home.

The state is also reviewing Mesa Family Services, the original firm that licensed the foster home and surrendered its license.

"You know we take them out of a situation to a worse situation, what's that all about?" asked State Representative Elvira Reyna of Mesquite. Reyna's committee oversees CPS and she says the legislature revamped the organization during the last session. "Once we put something in place, we don't know if it's working until something like this happens. Obviously we didn't do enough. More needs to be done as quickly as possible."

"I feel the system is overburdened," said former foster care supervisor Carol Duncan. She thinks part of the problem is the state's rush to have private companies license foster homes. "We're taking the kids a further step away from the case worker who is supposed to be responsible for ensuring their safety."

CPS said there should have been an adult at the home at all times with the children. "We believe the foster father was at work all that day. And so the question is whether the mom was there," Marissa Gonzalez with CPS said.

The victim was placed in the foster home with her three brothers and sisters last July after their mother left them home alone without food or water.

The 14-year-old boy is currently in the custody of juvenile protective services. The suspect's aunt tells us there's been a rush to judgment and her nephew did not kill Frances.

Desoto police searched the foster house Wednesday. There has been no word on what they uncovered. The police say the teenage boy will be formally charged with murder a week from Friday.

Authorities have removed the victim's brothers and sisters from the home. They are now with their grandfather in Plano. The state had considered placing the children there earlier this fall, but didn't because there were people in the home with criminal records or a history with CPS.

The six-year-old victim's biological mother has hired attorney Domingo Garcia. She has declined to comment on the situation.