Court documents detail days, months prior to Vancouver teen starving to death | Local News

By Editor Last updated Jun 20, 2021

VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) – 15-year-old Karreon Walker-Franks weighed simply 70 kilos on the time of his dying, in response to a Clark County medical expert. The reason for dying was listed on the dying certificates as “hunger and neglect”.

Vancouver Police are nonetheless investigating and no arrests have been made.

Police affidavits filed in assist of search warrants and financial institution information describe observations made by lecturers, members of the family and baby staff within the days and months earlier than Karreon’s dying. In 2017, two stories had been submitted to the CPS, in response to which Karreon and his siblings had been refused meals as a punishment.

Court docket information filed in February of this 12 months present that an aunt filed a criticism with the Baby Safety Service simply seven days earlier than Karreon’s dying on November 27, 2020 ”and that he“ falls down due to malnutrition ”.

Observations by lecturers previous to the pandemic outbreak additionally confirmed some crimson flags on the teenager’s private life months earlier than his dying.

In response to his household, Karreon was autistic, nonverbal, and partially blind. Court docket paperwork state that Karreon and his two brothers had been legally adopted in California again in 2012 and that Karreon was accepted into Mountain View Excessive Faculty’s particular training program as a second grader.

Affidavits state that earlier than the pandemic compelled college students to take distance studying, Karreon’s lecturers discovered that he was extremely nutrition-motivated. The courtroom doc states {that a} trainer famous that he would eat as a lot as he was given and “till he vomited.”

A particular training trainer advised detectives that Karreon’s dad and mom had made it clear that he should not have snacks and that Karreon got here to highschool “crying and ravenous”. The affidavit stated the trainer requested the teenager’s brother what occurred and he stated they had been punished for placing within the fridge at residence by not getting meals for the remainder of the weekend. The trainer is alleged to have advised a college advisor who then contacted the boys’ mom. “[Mother] advised faculty workers it was as much as them how they utilized self-discipline, “the courtroom doc reads.

Baby advocates say it is at all times finest to contact legislation enforcement or baby safety companies straight.

“The duty rests with the person employed reporter, not with the group or facility. So it is actually as much as individuals to take that duty and take that duty significantly, ”Amy Russell, government director of Arthur D. Curtis Kids’s Justice Middle advised FOX 12.

Russell says the pandemic has made reporting suspected baby abuse much more tough as kids are caught at residence. She says stories of kid abuse have decreased by about 50% in each Washington and throughout the nation.

“We all know that baby abuse would not cease, however is much extra possible due to all of those household stressors,” stated Russell.

Court docket paperwork present {that a} CPS worker entered {the teenager}’s residence on November 21, the day after Karreon’s aunt filed a criticism. The social employee spoke to Karreon’s mom and two brothers. The boys described beatings that would go away marks and bleed them, in response to the affidavit.

One of many brothers advised the social employee that they noticed Karreon’s mom hit him with a stick, “and that typically it’s as a result of he vomits,” the affidavit stated.

The Washington Division for Kids, Youth and Household was unable to touch upon whether or not any motion was taken after that residence go to.

In response to courtroom information, Karreon was pronounced useless six days later. The coroner’s workplace was contacted by the undertaker “with considerations about Karreon’s look.”

In the course of the post-mortem, courtroom paperwork counsel that the Clark County coroner found Karreon “had irregular bone and hair progress and irregular lesions most probably brought on by hunger.” On the time of the post-mortem, Karreon weighed 61 kilos.

April is the month of nationwide baby abuse prevention. Baby advocates emphasize the significance of figuring out indicators of potential abuse instantly and reporting them to investigators or a baby abuse reporting heart at once.

In Washington, this quantity is 866-363-4276. In Oregon, this quantity is 855-503-7233.

Further sources for households and neighborhood members will be discovered right here.

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