Deaths of four children draw scrutiny in community

In the past two months, four Cameron County children have died while outside of parental supervision, creating a tragedy for the families and prompting police investigation, scrutiny by social services and public unease.

The deaths came amid reports of other children found wandering the streets, left in alone in hot cars or in a home with drugs, their parents later charged by police with abandoning or endangering a child.

Too many lost

Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, who has spent decades in law enforcement, spoke to The Herald about the number of children who have died recently.

“Do we have them every year? Yes, we do,” Lucio said. “Four or five deaths, that’s a lot. That’s too many.”

He said this summer has been one of the most tragic in recent memory.

In addition to the four children who have died since May 31, 7-year-old Lupita Salinas drowned in February in a pool in Santa Maria.

The sheriff said education is the best way to prevent the death or injury of a child.

That’s where organizations like Tip of Texas Family Outreach step in.

The nonprofit agency offers 12-week parenting courses with classes once a week, free of charge, in both English and Spanish.

“Do parents wake up in the morning and say ‘How can I mistreat my kids today?’ No,” Executive Director Liza Benson said. “They are parenting in the manner that they were parented and teaching them a different way is our goal.”

It is hoped that change will be passed on to future generations, Benson said.

The cause of parents mistreating or neglecting their children can be the product of stress due to difficult economic times, heightened by the prevalence of poverty here, Benson said.

Poverty is a big issue, she said.

“Parents are stressed about how they’re going to pay the next bill, it’s wickedly hot and they’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of children they may have and the lack of resources,” she said. “Do all poor people mistreat their kids? No, but it’s the common factor here.”

Benson said a lack of parenting skills among adults may not be distinct to Brownsville, but she worries that per capita instances of abuse, neglect or death are high.

She calls for stronger pressure and consequences within the judicial system in instances of child abuse or neglect.

When it comes to protecting children, in general terms, law enforcement handles criminal charges while Child Protective Services handles the civil matter at hand, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman John Lennan explained.

Law enforcement and CPS work together to investigate the death of a child, as well as cases of severe neglect, mistreatment or sexual abuse.

“We’re not trying to punish the parent,” Lucio said. “Part of our job is to protect life and properties. Our job is to protect the life of that child, those children, and make the parent aware that what they did is not proper.”

Lucio said the circumstances of different cases may appear practically the same on the surface, but to investigators it might appear otherwise.

Out of the four deaths this summer only one has resulted in a criminal charge.

“Sometimes when we give it to the media, the media only gets a little information and the public is not aware that there’s other elements that contribute to this particular incident,” Lucio said.

Here on the border, immigration status is a circumstance CPS may face, so much so, there is an entire section dedicated to it in the agency’s handbook.

“Child protective services can be provided without regard to a parent or child’s immigration status,” Lennan said. “We’re going to help families regardless. If an intake is made to us we’re going to follow up and help that family.”

If a family moves to Mexico to escape the scrutiny of CPS, or a parent must be located, Lennan said CPS will work with the appropriate Mexican agencies.

Benson blamed other cultural factors besides poverty and stress that lead to the mistreatment of children. She said families do not form strong relationships as they once did and society has become numb to serious crimes.

Protecting children is the responsibility of an entire community because children represent the future, she said.

“We didn’t give birth to these babies, but if their parents do not possess the skills necessary to provide a safe environment for them then it falls our shoulders to do so.”

Parenting classes are for everyone, Benson said, and it’s proven that they can change a parent’s value system for the better.

“Brownsville can’t lose four children a summer,” she said. “There are some days I could just pack it up and go home, but there is that one family that we help. ... Where would they go without us?”

Lucio said the emotional toll on a parent when a child dies is “worse than jail.” He stressed that education is key.

“That will stay with you until the good Lord calls upon you,” Lucio said of a child’s death. “Can you imagine every year, every birthday, every Christmas?”

‘Damage control’

Alicia Cardenas knows there are different types of parents because she works with both parents and the legal system.

She is executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cameron and Willacy Counties, or CASA.

CASA volunteers go to court dates with children in the state foster care system. CASA also makes visits to the home or foster care to ensure a child’s needs are met and make recommendations to the court.

She and Benson echoed each other, citing the murder trial of Casey Anthony as one recent moment when the welfare of children came to the forefront of the national consciousness.

Casey Anthony this summer was found not guilty of murdering her daughter Caylee, almost three years after the child was reported as missing. The toddler’s decayed remains were later found.

“People angry with the Casey Anthony verdict, how about volunteering your time now and ensuring that a child who has been abused and is in limbo right now has a chance?” Cardenas said. “People need to act now.”

She said 140 children ranging in age from birth to 17 years old are currently under CASA’s care.

Cardenas understands parents can be victims of sad circumstances.

“Accidents do happen,” she said. “I’m not blaming the parents or saying it’s their fault. Everyone needs to be more vigilant and understand that children are full of energy.”

She also said, as did Benson, that family bonds don’t seem as strong as they once were.

Cardenas has seen parents who “lack common sense.”

“Should they not have children? Well, that’s not for us to say. We live in a great country where we’re full of rights,” she said.

She called the recent string of child deaths an unfortunate coincidence, but not surprising.

Cardenas urged parents to live up to their responsibilities. Otherwise, parents owe it to their children to ask for help from organizations like CASA, she said.

“People need to realize it’s very difficult being a parent,” Cardenas said. “With all these children dying people need to take extra precautions. People, parents, mothers need to come forward and say ‘I need help’ and pride needs to be set aside if you really care.”

Cardenas has seen a lot of what bad parents do, and what others have to deal with.

She has seen a little boy ask when he can stop using a diaper — one he must wear because he has been so severely sexually abused.

She has seen a little girl infected with herpes innocently ask what the sexually transmitted disease is and why she has it.

CASA is “damage control” in for the long haul in those instances, she said.

“We want the children to be reunified with their parents. But, sometimes the parents — honestly — don’t care,” she said. “It’s sad, but true. People become infuriated with my statements, but it’s the truth.”