Last week's death of Micahyah Crockett of South Bend has left this community demanding answers about the latest failure to protect the most vulnerable among us.
And it's brought back all too familiar concerns about Indiana's Department of Child Services -- questions about oversight that the public had been assured were being addressed.
We still don't know the full story behind Micahyah's tragic end. On Monday, Nyesha Crockett was charged in the death of her 11-month-old son. She also faces a battery charge in the critical brain injuries her then-14-month-old daughter Alaiyah suffered on Feb. 1.
But here's what we do know: Seven months after Crockett told police her baby accidentally wrapped a scarf around her own neck -- last week's charging documents say she admitted that she strangled the baby -- the investigation into that case remains open.
A DCS spokesman says the local office "is still investigating" and hasn't determined "whether it was an accident or not."
Unfortunately, answers come too late for Micahyah. Could the matter have been addressed in quicker fashion -- and protected the infant whose funeral is scheduled for Tuesday -- if DCS workers had lighter caseloads? The ombudsman assigned to resolve DCS consumer complaints recommended addressing high caseloads and staffing in her annual report this year.
This comes after The Tribune and other media had put a spotlight on serious issues at the DCS that included a centralized hot line that was "screening out" nearly 40 percent of reports of child abuse.
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