New Mexico CYFD continues to fail to protect children from abuse and death
- Feb 2, 2018
- 9 min read
Here you will see just one month ago the story of an 11 month old child by the name of Ariza Barreras who was placed by the state's into a foster care home in BELEN, New Mexico where according to official reports, a poor little baby girl, who was just 11 months old DIED!
According to officials the precious little thing had marks associated with strangulation around her neck and too, had clothing riding up her neck which indicates it was Not an accident! There were two other children, ages 2 and 3 also in the home when officials arrived, who according to their reports "looked dirty and unbathed" and were also sick but had Not been taken to the doctor for diagnosis or treatment.
Police also reportedly found poor conditions in the home, including dog feces and urine along with foul odors from various places including the refrigerator, human feces were compounding in a dirty and discolored toilet, empty bags and bottles were all over in one room, along with scattered food bowls, and even pills were noted under a bed. The baby’s biological mom says she’s devastated and offended that CYFD would allow Crownover to care for kids in that environment.
Stephanie Crownover, age 55 years of Belen faces three counts of child abuse, including one resulting in death. According to reports, "Stephanie appeared to be emotionless about this situation and even stated that she would not take care of any more babies in her home," and they even note that she stated that she was unsure if CYFD would even let her take care of kids anymore, but that "This was not her fault" but according to KOB channel 4 news reports that an autopsy determined the child likely died as a result of neglect, that the police report said: "The body showed no signs of trauma or natural diseases. However, the child could have had pneumonia potentially aggravated due to cold conditions in the home as she was reported to be suffering from a respiratory infection." According to officials, the baby was in the car-seat next to a space heater that the woman thought would keep her warm.
CYFD Secretary Monique Jacobsen said a home visit to Crownover's residence less than a month ago didn't raise any red flags but the biological parents disagree with that and also reportedly told police the children looked unbathed and did not have shoes or socks during a weekly visit. The father also said the infant had a soiled diaper and a severe diaper rash. When the children's biological father told a facilitator about his concerns he was told the issue would be reported but as it turns out Ms. Jacobson told media that she has been told that CYFD did not receive a report about Ariza’s father’s concerns... what a Surprise, right!
We tend to believe the biological parents, especially considering that while on the scene, officials note that the home had structural issues. Crownover told deputies she had been taking care of Ariza and her siblings for the past three days and all three “had severe diarrhea, running noses, and coughs.” But, she said, she did not take them to a hospital or doctor. “It is believed due to the lack of care provided by Stephanie and her negligence in caring for Ariza and her siblings, her actions caused the death of Ariza,” a deputy wrote in the complaint. Ms. Jacobson could not say how long Crownover had been a licensed foster parent, but stressed that her license is on hold and no children will be placed in her care during the investigation. The results of the investigation will determine whether her license will be revoked.
Here begins the problem WE have with their CYFD... Crownover is a fully licensed foster care provider, according to the department. According to the baby's mother, who had gone to see the baby that Friday, "When they were under the care of her (Crownover), the children had soiled diapers, no socks, no shoes, they hadn’t been bathed, they were not in good conditions,” Alicia Patterson said she had also reported those things to the monitor during that supervised visit.
Last summer, literally the day of her birthday,10-year-old Victoria Martens murder was confirmed by autopsy results
recently released confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation and that she had been drugged, sexually abused prior to her rape, murder and mutilation... Yes, we said Mutilation!
The young girl was held down and according to her mother,given meth and alcohol "to make her relax" so Gonzales and Kelley could rape her while her mother watched ! Michelle Martens has reportedly told investigators she had offered her daughter online to pedophiles who wanted to rape her.
After responding to a 9-1-1 call regarding a domestic dispute, officers discovered Victoria's body dismembered and wrapped in a burning blanket in the bathtub of her apartment. If the body wasn't burning, police likely wouldn't have known as they say it was the smoke that brought the little girls body to their attention, none in the apartment had mentioned anything about her to police.
Fabian Gonzales, a 32 year old male boyfriend of he mother strangled the young girl, and his female cousin Jessica Kelley stabbed her. If that wasn't disgusting enough, Gonzales admitted to detectives that he had sexual intercourse with Victoria "shortly after the child was deceased." Victoria's mother then had sex with her boyfriend just 20 minutes after he killed her daughter, how sick is That!
According to the CYFD summary, the agency received several reports that indicated abuse, one call in March 2015 and three others in May and June 2016, about the Martens family, though only one of those calls was specifically about Victoria. All three allegations involving the sibling were "unsubstantiated" by CYFD investigators. The person at Albuquerque Police Department (APD) who reviewed the initial referral, from their office, decided it was not a crime and did not require police to talk to Victoria. That’s right, without even asking Victoria, a desk cop decided it wasn’t worth having an officer go check on her.
Forensic pathologists cite this as evidence that she suffered sexual abuse before the night of Aug. 23, 2016, when her dismembered body was found on fire in the bathtub of her mother’s Northwest Albuquerque apartment, in fact, Victoria had been sexually molested for months prior to her death.
Interestingly, a CYFD report confirmed that of the four reports, only one of them concerned an allegation involving Victoria, and that allegation and three others about her sibling or a family member were found to be unsubstantiated by CYFD investigators. Children, Youth and Families Department investigation last August found that state workers were thorough, followed procedure and uncovered no evidence of physical or sexual abuse.
Also in 2016, the CYFD agency had to respond to allegations of sexual abuse at a juvenile detention center near Ruidoso that led to the shutdown of the Lincoln Pines Youth Center.
So, as you can see, it isn't so much about Where the children are who are being endangered, it's the CYFD being counted on protecting these children and yet Miserably FAILING in their efforts or success. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez who coincidentally used to Work for CYFD is accused by families of victimized children to be intentionally "Turning her head" to the problems within CYFD.
The beating death of 9-year-old Omaree Varela on Dec. 27, 2013 who admitted to beating and kicking him to death by his own mother led to an exhaustive review of CYFD, which had previously investigated nine allegations of abuse against the child. Omaree had actually called 911 from his Albuquerque home six months before his death, hoping to alert authorities for the Second time he was being abused, but unfortunately for him, his pleas went unheard by state officials.
One Albuquerque police officer got the boot after it was revealed he failed to listen to a 20-minute 911 recording from Omaree's household that captured two adults verbally abusing the young child. Medical officials noted various injuries on the boy, including what appeared to a bite mark on his wrist, a laceration above the left eye, and what looked like round cigarette-sized burn marks on Omaree’s chest and lower abdomen. His mother told press “It was an accident. I was disciplining him and kicked him the wrong way.”
There are more...In 2015 a 3-year-old girl in Albuquerque nearly died of hypothermia after being left in a bathtub full of ice-cold water According to the agency’s first-quarter report for fiscal year 2016, more than 10 percent of children in its care face a second episode of “substantiated maltreatment” within six months of the first report — a number that’s held steady for the past three years.
These are NOT the First incidents, nor the first child Death while under the "Protective authority" of this state department that claims to be the people we should Trust to protect people's children in the state of New Mexico. Brianna Mariah Lopez, 5-months, 5-days old was the worst case of child abuse in New Mexico of the time.
In 2002, Baby Brianna was killed by her own family. Her father and uncle threw her to the ceiling and watched as she hit the ground, over and over again. “They raped her; they beat her,” said District Attorney Susana Martinez who prosecuted the case. “Literally bruised from head to toe, from the top of her head all throughout her body all the way to the big toe on her right foot. She had bite marks on her face, cheek, head, arms, legs, chest, torso, everywhere.”
Steven Lopez, Brianna's uncle admitted to having sex with Brianna Lopez. (she was 5 months old!!!) Adding that he, as well as Andy Walters, had penetrated Brianna on several different occasions. Police arrested Briannas parents, Stephanie Lopez, 19, and Andy Walters, 21, and uncle, Steven Lopez, 19.
During the final diaper change her father admitted that he wrapped a baby wipe around his finger and inserted it into Brianna’s anus. He also sodomized her with foreign objects. When Stephanie noticed Brianna near death she ignored it and decided to wait several hours before calling an ambulance.
Brianna had 11 human bite marks in varied stages of healing, multiple bruises, fractures to two right ribs, three skull fractures, bleeding of the optic nerves and swelling of the brain along with signs of shaken baby syndrome. Brianna also had fractures to both legs, an injury experts say is commonly caused by picking up the child with a quick, jerking motion by the legs.
After her arrest, her 19 year old mother admitted to biting her baby repeatedly.“She sustained massive injuries, both internal as well as external. She had bruising all over her head and face, and her little fingers and toes were lacerated,” said Detective Lindell Wright who was the first officer on the scene. The autopsy revealed a long list of injuries that appeared to have been inflicted over an extended period of time upon the little girl who was born on Valentines Day.She died July 19th.
Baby Brianna's law in New Mexico which went into effect in 2005 made child abuse resulting in death for kids under the age of 12 a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison. Brianna's name resurfaced this fall, when Republican legislators attempted to extend that law to people who kill children under the age of 18. As you can see by the chart, it has proven to do little good in reducing child abuse in the state of New Mexico, even though they had expanded the law in the hopes of making it more effective in 2017, children are still suffering and even being killed at the hands of people entrusted to care for and protect them.
Her mother took part in the abuse, biting the child from head to toe, and allowed the rapes to happen. The jury found Stephanie Lopez not guilty of intentional child abuse, but guilty of child abuse resulting in death. She received a 27-year sentence but under the law was eligible for day for day good time and credit time for time served in jail awaiting trial.Walters received a total of 63 years in prison for child abuse resulting in death and rape. He is also eligible for good time as is Steven Lopez, who received a 57 year sentence in total for rape and neglect resulting in death.Walters’s mother, Patricia Walters, and his brother, Robert Walters Junior, were convicted of failing to report child abuse and were sentenced to 30 days each in jail.
Stephanie Lopez was released after serving nearly 13-years of her 27-year prison sentence. Lopez was convicted in 2003 in connection to the death of her daughter Brianna. Lopez will serve two years of parole in another state through the interstate compact agreement. Location of offenders in interstate compact is confidential. She will have to follow all rules and requirements of her parole as well as state and federal laws.According to the Plainview Police Department, Stephanie Lopez will not be residing inside the Plainview city limits, but elsewhere in the region while reporting to the parole office here. They also say she is required to wear a GPS device around her ankle, that she is forbidden to have contact with co-defendants and other felons, and must pay fees associated with her parole. She will be subject to random homes visits and drug testing, and must either find employment or seek educational opportunities.
In 2011, CYFD looked into allegations of abuse and neglect on a then 6 year old boy named Jeremiah Valencia. CYFD insist that they had protected the boy to the point they no longer needed to be involved in his situation, but admit that just two days before the teen's body was found, CYFD got a call from an anonymous person saying they were concerned about the safety of Jeremiah and his sister.
CYFD opened an investigation. Around Thanksgiving of 2017, then 13-year-old Jeremiah Valencia.was killed by the man he knew as his father, Thomas Ferguson, who is said would beat the teen with brass knuckles, a cane, a homemade spear, a hammer and steel toed boots. Jeremiah was locked in the dog cage, forced to wear an adult diaper and being urinated on by his father and starved while being kept in a dog carrier.They wrapped him in plastic, put him in a storage container, and then was taken out by Ferguson, Fergusen's son and Jeremiah's mother and buried."The torture was astronomical and sometimes done for no apparent reason,” a detective’s affidavit says.
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