First Iryna, then Dominique: Charlotte failed to protect the vulnerable

If you have a sensitive spirit, maybe skip this one — although, I do think people should not close their eyes to extreme suffering and evil because that’s often how it is allowed to continue. And in the case of Dominique Moody, a 6-year-old girl in Charlotte who died late last year due to abuse and neglect, that appears to be exactly what happened.

Being in the news business, I am frequently confronted by tragic stories. But certain ones stick with you. And I don’t believe I’ll soon forget Dominique. Handed from her mother to an aunt as a baby, she was already in a very vulnerable position, as the aunt’s home had dozens of police contacts in the few short years she lived there, including to as a lead in a homicide investigation, according to WBTV.

But it was much worse than anyone could imagine. The aunt, and others living in the house, tortured and neglected her to a level that is hard to fathom until she ultimately died.

According to Benjamin Crump, the notorious attorney hired by the family to sue the government, “This child did not get a day of peace her whole life.”

There were broken bones left unhealed from years before. She had rodent and roach bites covering her body. She had open wounds. At her death, the malnourished child was only 3 feet tall and 27 pounds at almost 7 years old. My 3-year-old son is about 10 pounds heavier than that.

Maybe the most haunting detail is that they kept her in a dog cage and restrained her with duct tape. Her finger nails were broken when they found her because she would try desperately to get out of the cage. Because of the restraints, she didn’t develop properly and couldn’t walk.

WBTV has been doing thorough reporting on the story over the past few months, trying to get as much information as they can about how this could have happened. They found that, in addition to the dozens of police reports related to the house, there were at least five reports of child abuse and neglect to local social services offices. Teachers also reported that Dominique’s younger sister, who was allowed by the aunt to attend school, had signs of neglect and poor hygiene.

In each of the five cases, the records show the incidents were investigated and no abuse or neglect were found. But how could that be? How could they locate the child, see her living environment, see her severe injuries and malnutrition, and conclude all was as it should be?

State Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash, in a letter (which can be seen below) requested more information for the investigation by the NC House Oversight Committee into the matter.

But a Mecklenburg judge said local officials are justified in withholding further documents so as not to prejudice the trial for the three women being charged with Dominique’s death.

Regardless of whether these particular documents in the case come out before the case, or even if these three women are convicted, drastic changes clearly need to happen on how these kinds of cases are handled.

And a bipartisan bill was just released with this in mind. After Charlotte’s last failure, there was “Iryna’s Law.” This time, there is the “Dominique Moody Safety Act,” which was just introduced yesterday. The bill creates a Child Welfare Escalation Team that will step in sooner if there is a pattern of evidence of abuse and neglect.

The primary sponsor is NC Rep. Carla Cunningham, who represents part of the Charlotte area. Cunningham was, until this month, a Democrat, but has now registered as unaffiliated. Chesser is also a primary sponsor, along with another Democrat and another Republican. Party really shouldn’t matter in a matter like this.

Like Iryna, Dominique deserved better. Hopefully this bill bearing her name can create systems and procedures that can prevent future situations where a child suffers abuse of this magnitude. And Charlotte should begin to reconsider their priorities, that in the case of Iryna and Dominique, abandoned the vulnerable to horrific fates.

“First Iryna, then Dominique: Charlotte failed to protect the vulnerable” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.