ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The beating death of a 6-year-old girl and mistakes by child welfare workers who didn't realize she was being harmed have led to immediate changes in Florida's system of investigating child abuse.
Disciplinary action also is likely against some of the welfare workers involved in Kayla McKean's case, said Edward Feaver, secretary of the state Department of Children and Families."I think this is a horrendous case," Feaver said Thursday. "No child should suffer like this child suffered."
State documents show that child welfare workers missed several chances to intervene and perhaps save Kayla's life in the months before she was allegedly beaten to death by her father.
The documents show that in one instance, welfare investigators withheld information that could have led to Kayla's removal from her father's home. They apparently failed to interview a doctor who said the girl's life was in "imminent danger." And they didn't challenge her father's contention that bicycle accidents or the family dog caused her injuries.