SEVEN WARNINGS: A special report.; She Suffered in Plain Sight But Alarms Were Ignored

The suspicion that Elisa had been abused during visits with her mother weighed heavily on Ms. Bryce when Elisa's father fell deathly ill in May 1994. Awilda Lopez, seeming agitated and suspicious, refused to let Elisa finish out the school year. On May 19, 1994, six days after Elisa's abru...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe New York times
Main Author NINA BERNSTEIN and FRANK BRUNI
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, N.Y New York Times Company 24.12.1995
EditionLate Edition (East Coast)
Subjects
BERNSTEIN, NINA
BRUNI, FRANK
BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE
CHILD ABUSE
IZQUIERDO, ELISA
LOPEZ, AWILDA
MURDERS AND ATTEMPTED MURDERS
NEW YORK CITY
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The suspicion that Elisa had been abused during visits with her mother weighed heavily on Ms. Bryce when Elisa's father fell deathly ill in May 1994. Awilda Lopez, seeming agitated and suspicious, refused to let Elisa finish out the school year. On May 19, 1994, six days after Elisa's abrupt departure, Ms. Bryce telephoned the state central register for child abuse and neglect in Albany and reported her concerns. Apparently, it never even left the agency's Brooklyn field office. It was not in the case file in Manhattan before Elisa's death, according to officials close to the investigation. Mr. Navallo's lawyer said Elisa's caseworker read it for the first time last week, when it was shown to him as part of a child fatality inquiry. The agency's handling of Elisa's case fits a pattern documented over the years. The latest study, by the city's Public Advocate, found that the Child Welfare Administration's "own neglect either allowed or contributed to the tragedy" in about a third of 74 child fatalities examined.
ISSN:0362-4331