Death of 10-year-old Takoda Collins Spurs Reform Of Existing Ohio Child Welfare Laws
Ohio Governor DeWine Signs Ohio House 4 Bill Into Law; New Law Intends to Protect Abused Children From Gaps In The Child Services System
New legislation aimed to reform existing child welfare laws in the state of Ohio was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine at the end of February. These reforms intend to protect abused children from gaps that existed in the system that was designed to help them; gaps like the ones in Takoda Collins’s case.
“Takoda’s case is one that fell through the cracks and in Ohio we don’t want a tragedy like this to ever happen again,” said state Rep. Phil Plummer R-Butler Twp. to Dayton Daily News.
Takoda Collins was a 10-year old boy from Dayton, OH who died in 2019 after suffering extreme abuse from his father for years. His father, Al-Mutahan McLean, contacted authorities in December of 2019 when his son was unresponsive, and Takoda Collins later died at Dayton’s Children Hospital. An investigation into his death had revealed a long history of torture by his father, and Takoda Collins had suffered both physical and emotional abuse.
Reforms After Takoda Collins Death
Plummer, an advocate for the bill, continued: “This legislation will bring agencies together, prevent vital information from being lost and include law enforcement in the process to help improve the outcome for children in need of help.”
The bill, known as Ohio House 4 bill will dedicate an office to overseeing child services departments in each county and it creates a set of obligations that county children service offices will need to uphold. These obligations will include disclosing child services reports to the appropriate local, state, or federal government entity, while also ensuring that there is a follow-up investigation regarding concerns that are reported, according to Dayton Daily News.
Takoda Collins Case Investigated By The Dayton Daily News
DDN had done some investigating into Takoda’s case, and found that there were multiple records of police visits to the boy’s home leading up to his death in 2019. An employee of Dayton Public Schools had even contacted police in May of 2018 to report suspected abuse. When police arrived to check on Takoda after that call from the school employee, there had been “no answer” at the door, and the case had been closed.
“The issue we had with Takoda is that while officers were being dispatched there to check up with his wellbeing or lack thereof, unfortunately, our investigators were never made aware of the incidents that were being called in,” Maj. Brian Johns told DDN.
Officers will now be required to complete a memo when they are called upon to do a welfare check, according to Ohio House 4 bill, and Montgomery County Children Services will be contacted. If there is no answer at the door, an additional follow-up must be conducted.
Changes Made To The Montgomery County Children Services Staff Training
In addition, Montgomery County Children Services made changes to their staff training, according to DDN, creating a balance between parental rights and child safety, as well as knowing what “red flags” to look for.
Takoda’s family’s attorney, Michael Wright, told Dayton Daily News that nothing could ease the family’s pain, but “…Our hope is that this legislation will have a positive impact on the way in which children, like Takoda, are protected…We need to ensure that no other children are left behind or forgotten in a system that should be designed with our kids’ best interests at heart.”
Call Children Services If You Suspect Child Abuse
If you have a concern about child abuse or neglect, please report it to local law enforcement or call Children Services at 937-224-KIDS (5437) – that line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Attorney Robert “Chip” Mues has been focusing his legal practice throughout Southwest Ohio primarily in divorce and family law matters since 1978. Chip is passionate about family law and has proudly published the Ohio Family Law Blog since 2007. In addition, he is the managing partner of Holzfaster, Cecil, McKnight & Mues. To learn more about him or the law firm, visit the firm’s website at www.hcmmlaw.com. Appointments are available in person, over the phone or by Zoom. Call us at 937 293-2141.
