Starving children's case to be reviewed

Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC)

Author: JASON SPENCER

DSS: Medical provider gave report of 'appropriate' care at time of past contact

The state Department of Social Services is reviewing how it handled a case involving two malnourished children, an agency spokeswoman said Thursday.

The internal investigation follows the arrest of a Jonesville couple whose two adopted children were found unattended at a church playground on Saturday. The 12-year-old girl weighed about 40 pounds; the 10-year-old boy, about 45 pounds.

A local social worker told deputies that the agency had received "several reports on the children" but was "never able to do anything with the case," according to the Union County Sheriff's Office.

But the last contact Social Services had with the family -- or about the family -- was in 2004, said agency spokeswoman Marilyn Matheus in Columbia.

"At that time, we had received a strong medical statement from a provider who had been serving the children for several years. This provider indicated that the care that the children were receiving was appropriate," Matheus said.

And agency Director Kim Aydlette on Thursday maintained that Social Services acted appropriately, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the children have been moved into an undisclosed foster home outside Union County, said Lt. Robert Hines with the sheriff's office there.

The children's adoptive mother, Connie Oliver, was charged with unlawful neglect, a felony. Her husband, John, was charged with misdemeanor cruelty to children. Both have been released from jail.

Hines said he hasn't spoken with the boy or girl since Saturday evening, and even then, it had been difficult.

"At first it was, simply because that's what the mother put in their head: 'If yo•talk to the police, they'll put yo•in jail,' " Hines said.

"After I came in and talked to them, and carried on like a normal human being, like police officers are ... I sat on the floor and talked to them face to face, explained who I was, why I was there, that I wasn't there to bring any more harm to them. We were able to get on the same level, and talked for about an hour. They opened up real good to me."

The children, whose names have not been released, had bones showing in their arms, legs and faces. They told investigators Saturday that their mother had locked them out of their house at 161 West Lane, and that sometimes she would lock them in their rooms and refuse to feed them. Several neighbors this week said they felt like the children were being neglected, and some would occasionally offer the children food or drink.

Officials with Social Services in Columbia have just begun collecting information from the county office, Matheus said.

The agency's review will include any contact it has had with the Olivers or their adopted children, she said.

"But the good news is that they're in foster care right now, and they seem to be responding well. They're currently very safe," Matheus said.

The children originally are from Estonia. Hines estimates they were adopted about 8½ years ago, but he hasn't seen adoption papers yet.

Social Services did not place the children with the Olivers, Matheus said, though she wouldn't comment further on their adoption.

Social Services has drawn criticism recently following a state audit that found the department failed to follow the law in abuse and neglect cases. Aydlette acknowledged the agency has not handled other cases appropriately, but told the AP that "there's no reason to believe that was a problem in this situation."

The agency sent two agents Saturday to assist with the sheriff's investigation, and it has "stood by our side the whole time," Hines said.

Connie Oliver has worked as a teacher's aide for a school district in Laurens County since late 2001, and specifically at Clinton Elementary School, where the children are enrolled, since 2005.

When asked why school officials didn't intervene in the lives of two children who were obviously malnourished, Hines said, "That's where momma worked at."

"Momma would take them to school every day, so she had her story straight: She'd taken them to the doctor, or some people by birth are small people. They never questioned it, because momma was right there," he said. "They didn't have the guts to confront her, I guess, because momma has a temper. And she would tell yo•to mind your own business."

John Oliver is employed by Media General, the parent company of WSPA-TV.

Connie and John Oliver also have a 17-year-old biological daughter. A woman answering the phone at their residence said Connie Oliver declined to comment.