Be afraid Andrea Lang

The State Attorney in Fort Myers Florida has opened an investigation into DCF(Dept of Children and Families) for their role in the death of Michelle Fontanez. The thirteen-year-old was raped and murdered by her stepfather Alberto Hernandez.

The state attorney in Fort Myers is investigating the role the state’s child welfare agency played in the rape and murder of 13-year-old Michelle Fontanez in February.

It’s also looking at the girl’s mother for failing to protect her daughter and a state caseworker who investigated sexual-abuse claims and recommended that Michelle remain in her Lehigh Acres home despite pleas to remove her, said Chere Avery, a spokeswoman for the state attorney’s office.

“We are reviewing the (Department of Children & Families) audit report,” Avery said. “The investigation is still open.”

The state attorney has already charged Michelle’s stepfather, Alberto Hernandez, with first-degree murder and rape.

The News-Press has been investigating this story since February and went to court two weeks ago to obtain additional records that led to a report on Tuesday. That story detailed how documents from the Child Protection Team — which consults with DCF on complex abuse cases and interviewed Michelle — indicated DCF was told the girl would be in danger if she were returned to her home.

However, DCF investigator Erica Cesare decided to return Michelle to the family home and ask the stepfather, Alberto Hernandez, to move across the street.

That action was approved by her supervisors, but they may not have known of a Massachusetts child-abuse report and two Florida abuse reports against Migdalia Hernandez.

A DCF audit of the case was completed by agency personnel and released Monday. It said procedures were not followed and investigations were sloppy.

Gov. Jeb Bush said he would not order an independent investigation of DCF.

*****

The News-Press reported that medical workers from the Child Protection Team and Ruth Cooper Center urged DCF to remove Michelle from her home while sexual-abuse complaints were investigated. They feared that her mother, who has reportedly moved to Palm Beach County, would not protect her.

But DCF never asked a judge to remove the girl.

Instead, police said, Alberto Hernandez moved across the street, then returned less than a week later to rape and strangle the 13-year-old.

After the attack on Feb. 20 in Lehigh Acres, the child protection team urged law enforcement to “further investigate Mrs. Hernandez’ failure to protect Michelle.”

To read more about this horrifying case, go to this post of mine.

An investigation of DCF is well and good but only if the people at the agency are held responsible. What good is it otherwise? You're going to fine DCF, put them in jail? I'm only half joking, the caseworkers, supervisor and most particularly Andrea Lang need to be made to pay for this. Ms. Lang most of all, for read this-

Florida Department of Children & Families lawyers said they couldn't ask the court to remove her because her sexual abuse claims were made against her stepfather, not a parent.

There wasn't "legal sufficiency," DCF attorney Andrea Lang decided. The department's rule is that unless an abuse claim is against a biological parent or legal custodian, a child can't be removed.

Legal sufficency is double talk for doing nothing. DCF and Ms. Lang were too lazy or complacent or plain incompetent to do something. They had the girl's own statements, and they did nothing.

There will no justice in for Michelle Fontanez till people are made to pay for what they allowed to happen to her. DCF attorney Andrea Lang needs to be disbarred and put in prison.Firing her is inadequate, she'll take her sorry ass to the public sector but Michelle Fontanez will still be dead. How does the witch sleep with what has done? I sure hope Andrea Lang likes prison stripes.

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